Steve Hackett to release new acoustic album

Steve Hackett has announced he will release a brand new solo acoustic album, Under A Mediterranean Sky, through InsideOut Music on January 21. It's Hackett's first acoustic album since 2005's Metamorpheus. You can see the new album artwork and tracklisting below.

The new album, recorded during lockdown with long-time musical partner Roger King, is musical journey around the Mediterranean.

“A lot of acoustic ideas had been forming over the years, and it felt like the perfect time to create this album,” notes Hackett, “a time to contemplate the places we’ve visited around the Mediterranean with the kind of music which evolved from the world of imagination.

“Because we can’t really travel, substantially at the moment, I hope that the album will take people on that journey. Whether you sit down and listen to it or drift off to it with a glass of wine…”

Under A Mediterranean Sky features Hackett playing nylon, steel string and twelve string guitars, charango and Iraqi oud, with keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements from Roger King. Also featured are John Hackett and Rob Townsend, flute (Casa del Fauno); Malik Mansurov, tar and Arsen Petrosyan, duduk & Rob Townsend, Sax (The Dervish And The Djin); Christine Townsend, violin (The Memory Of Myth and The Call Of The Sea). All tracks were produced by Steve Hackett and Roger King with all tracks recorded and mixed by Roger King at Siren.

“I had a great time doing this album, seeing it take shape, and I’m very pleased with the outcome. I’m very proud of it,” says Hackett. “The nylon guitar has a very individual sound but, within the compass of what the nylon-strung guitar can do, there are a lot of different tones. You can do the full-on attack, the kind of salvo that you expect from the flamenco players but, at the same time, it can also be very gentle, gentle as a harp. It’s shades of black and white. It’s also exciting to play alongside instruments from around the world, as well as a wide range of orchestral sounds.”

Under A Mediterranean Sky will be available as a Limited CD digipak, gatefold 2LP + CD and LP-booklet and digital album.

Steve Hackett: Under A Mediterranean Sky
1. Mdina – The Walled City
2. Adriatic Blue
3. Sirocco
4. Joie de Vivre
5. The Memory of Myth
6. Scarlatti Sonata
7. Casa del Fauno
8. The Dervish And Yhe Djin
9. Lorato
10. Andalusian Heart
11. The Call of the Sea (Steve Hackett)

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.