Seven years is a long time between albums, but The Gift have been on quite a journey since Antenna in 2019 with an almost completely new line-up. In Seven Seasons The Gift present a rather different album to previous releases, but it may well one of the most well realised albums of their career. Vocalist Mike Morton has always been the heart and soul of The Gift, and he has recruited a skilled new array of collaborators. As the sole survivor of previous manifestations of this band his lyrical skill and conceptual inspiration has helped shape an engaging release exploring the ‘Seven Ages of Man’, as illustrated so imaginatively by renowned artist Mark Buckingham for the cover art.
Seven Seasons opens expansively with an impressive (and very ‘proggy’) Overture instrumental with guest Stephen Clee’s classical guitar over a dreamy synth background before a more strident electric guitar takes us in a much more adrenalin filled direction, underpinned by some great drumming by Chris Taylor. Alongside him Jon Poole (of Cardiacs, Lifesigns and The Dowling Poole) lays down a fluid bass line following the serpentine twists of this instrumental tour de force. Eliot Minn, from The Far Meadow, stands out on a range of keyboards, dazzling on pianos and synths alike. The most notable contribution on this epic curtain raiser is the lead guitar of Prog legend Steve Hackett, showing his usual prowess and touch. It’s really quite an opening number for the album.
If Overture led listeners to believe they were about to embark on a Progressive Rock Odyssey, they will soon have their expectations changed by Coming Down to Land. The Gift have always been a curious mixture of ‘full-on Prog’ at times, but also the ability to delve into other ‘prog adjacent’ styles of rock music. Their previous album Antenna was probably their most obvious example of this approach but in hindsight, although it had its high points, it was uneven and seemed insufficiently well-formed. That is certainly not the case with Seven Seasons and it appears that this new line up has been determined to develop and polish these songs with great skill and brio over a range of styles. Coming Down to Land is a great example of the assurance in which they convey the concept of a newborn baby with a sense of poetry and feeling for the theme. Mike Morton has shared with TPA that:
‘I wanted to write an atmospheric piece that created the sense of tranquillity in the womb at first. This led to the sparse production… We were aiming for a heartbeat pulse.’
The subtle bass of Keith Buckman and gentle piano perfectly convey a womb-like state, carrying Morton’s soft, fragile vocals. The string synths, drums and guitars kick in halfway, signifying the babe’s entry into the world. Minn embellishes the piece with a skilful jazzy organ break and Cristiano Tortoioli adds a brief but ascendant guitar solo. Morton’s touching vocals adorn this emotional piece which sets the scene for this person’s life journey. That reverie is very soon shattered with thumping drums, discordant mellotron and a crunching guitar riff as Baby Blue Eyes stomps in. Morton has explained that:
‘This is the harsh wake-up call (and arguable trauma) of schooling and conditioning. It educates, but can crush spirit and individuality.’
Morton spits out harsh lyrics as The Gift really rock it out, all rolling along in perfect sync powerfully evoking some of the harsher aspects of education. Tortoioli throws in a brief but cracking guitar motif, but the main stars of this piece include the great organ work of Minn, underpinned by more lithe bass playing from guest Jon Poole. This is a real earworm song with a great riff and a memorable chorus – simply just a cracking rock song.
It is perhaps inevitable for an album which reflects upon the Seven Ages of Man that the creators will be inspired by artists from the era that left an impression upon them in the corresponding periods of their own lives, which is clearly the case with Sweet Bird of Youth. Morton has shared that this song, inspired by ‘a sense of liberation from the education system, prime of youth, testosterone and mischief (!)’ that he wanted the song to echo the sounds that first excited him as a young teenager, such as Mott the Hoople, The Faces and Cockney Rebel. There is a very clear reference to The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again in the opening synth wave before the song careers along on a wave of joyous organs and rocking drums. (Morton has shared that the band vetoed his mischievous suggested line of ‘You won’t be schooled again’… Mike, the band were right!!! 🙂 ) A brief Faces-like guitar passage interjects before the main riff pulls us along at a furious pace, nostalgically oozing adolescent hormones.
After two rather adrenalin filled blasts, it feels apt that The Gift slow it down for the next number… but what probably no-one was expecting from them was some gospel blues in the lilting Lay Your Heart on Me as The Gift explore young love! The title was inspired by Peter Gabriel’s Lay Your Hands on Me but the resemblance to Gabriel ends there. Tortoioli lays down a delicate blues lick over Minn’s atmospheric organ backing, and Morton’s lays out his heart with honesty and feeling. He has explained:
‘I wanted to express my love for Suzy, whom I have met in later life post 2020’s divorce… It was written for her. I placed it in the more expected earlier life phase to make it universal and to honour previous partners.’
Tortoioli and Minn evoke a sensuous bluesy atmosphere on guitar, electric piano and organ. Morton’s voice feels a little fragile, almost breaking at times… but this is emotion. This love song is a very personal song which clearly means a lot to him.
Middle aged regret suffuses the direct and pain-filled Yours Sincerely. A cascade of drums from Chris Taylor kicks the door open and in swaggers Tortoioli’s rampant guitar rocking it out. Morton has honestly shared that this lyric is quite autobiographical, touching on ‘mistakes, marital drift, regret, separation, and ageing. Nuff said.’ Morton’s voice does not feel quite so suited to this rockier piece, but this may also be about the more difficult personal material, and to be fair he does hit some remarkable higher notes later in the song. The Gift flow smoothly in this more straight-ahead rock piece, embellished by fluid keyboard and guitar passages. The latter part of the song becomes more bombastic which Morton suggests echoes ‘the poetic rumination of our autumn years’. Tortoioli excels with an extended guitar towards the end, and Minn and Morton play out a short regretful coda.
The Gift take us in yet another direction as they explore Old Age in Evensong, echoing a 1940’s Torch song. Minn plays late night bar jazzy style to ‘tint it with sepia’, as Morton describes it, and his soft voice expresses the ‘salt of my tears’. John Hackett injects some subtly melancholic but subtly jazzy inflected alto flute to underline the pathos. Another lyric drenched in personal meaning for Morton, he has shared:
‘This was inspired by a poem (‘Of mountains and sea’) by Scottish author Norman McCaig, whom my dad loved. The poem speaks of the ‘salt of absence’ and the ‘honey of memory’. Dad found it helped him in his grief at losing Mum… It also implies the onset of senility and memory loss’.
The Seven Ages of Man inevitably takes us to the end of life, in which The Gift sensitively touch upon in the extended Love is Where We’re From. An orchestral string synth opening crashes into a distinctly Coldplay-esque rhythm before Tortoioli ascends with a triumphant guitar. This morphs into a brief but serpentine synth passage which ends this song’s overture-like opening. Minn’s softly lilting piano enters alongside Buckman’s subtle bass, his bandmate in The Far Meadow, so they are well in tune with each other. Morton produces one of his finest and most poignant lyrics in an album marked by some of the best lyrics of his career, bravely taking on the sensitive subject of Death. However, this is not a melancholy or depressing song as the band approach the inevitable for all of us with a sense of grace and hope. Morton has shared that:
‘It is a hymn of hope for the afterlife. I am agnostic, but like to believe we endure and are safe’.
Love is Where We’re From rises and rises with a sense of optimism and almost triumph, evoked by Minn’s celebratory, almost mischievous synth runs and Tortoioli’s resplendent guitar flights. Morton’s memorable refrain is stirring and touching in equal degree:
But perfect voices call us on, Carried high on shoulders strong
Now we’re home, Love is where we’re from
Love will save us all, Love is where we’re from
This is the lengthiest and most ambitious piece on the album, which does not quite always reach the heights to which it so clearly aspires for this listener, and may outlast it’s welcome a little? Morton’s impassioned voice does sound a little brittle at times, but this may reflect the fragility we will all reach as we reach the end of our lives. On the other hand, perhaps I just need to throw myself in to this emotional and heartfelt piece and go with the feelings it evokes. The guitar and keyboard interplay is excellent and emotive, whilst the rock-solid rhythm section underpins this mini-epic with assurance. It will be fascinating to see how they pull this one off on the stage.
Seven Seasons is a remarkable return for The Gift, reborn after far too long in the wilderness. The Gift have explored a core theme over a series of songs in various different styles, but have somehow produced an impressively coherent, mature, and engaging album which intuitively explores the Seven Ages of Man with great insight. Seven Seasons is suffused with songs characterized by high quality and honest lyrics sung with great passion and touch. The Gift perform these stories with great aplomb, within musically agile and adept frameworks. Welcome back to The Gift… it’s been too long – let’s not wait another seven years until the next one!
TRACK LISTING
01. Overture (7:42)
02. Coming Down To Land (6:10)
03. Baby Blue Eyes (5:35)
04. Sweet Bird Of Youth (4:47)
05. Lay Your Heart On Me (5:38)
06. Yours Sincerely (6:48)
07. Evensong (3:51)
08. Love Is Where We’re From (9:30)
Total Time – 50:01
MUSICIANS
Mike Morton – Vocals
Cristiano Tortoioli – Guitars, Additional Keyboards
Chris Taylor – Drums
Keith Buckman – Bass
Eliot Minn – Keyboards
~ With:
Steve Hackett – Lead Guitar (1)
John Hackett – Alto Flute (7)
Jon Poole – Bass (1 & 3)
Stephen Clee – Classical Guitar (1)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 7th January 2026 (Digital) | 21st January 2026 (CD)
DISCOGRAPHY
– Awake and Dreaming (2006 (re-released 2016)
– Land of Shadow (2014)
– Land of Shadow (2014)
– Why the Sea is Salt (2016)
– Antenna (2019)
– Think of England (non-album Single) (2024)
– Seven Seasons (2026)
