It’s often said that two heads are better than one. In some instances four (or perhaps even five), along with special guests, is a better prospect still.
Geoff Downes and Chris Braide formed Downes Braide Association in 2012 with fairly modest ambitions of a studio-only project. However, slowly but surely things became more serious and Celestial Songs, a new, appropriately titled album, is their fifth studio set.
Both men have much in common. As sons of Cheshire, they share a fascination with the craft of creating three-minute pop hits, but also an appreciation of the broad church of rock music, resulting in what the pair term as “a delightfully accessible brand of progressive rock”. No self-respecting reader of this magazine should require an introduction to keyboard wizard Downes, who started out a Buggle, joined Yes, co-founded Asia and is now 12 years into a second stint with Yes. The Ivor Novello award-winner and Grammy-nominated singer and multi-instrumentalist Braide has co-written, produced and collaborated with a wide array of artists that include Hans Zimmer and Thomas Dolby at one end of the spectrum,
