Renaissance-Turn Of The Cards (1974)

After Renaissance's 1971 album "Illusion", several founding members, including Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, left the band to pursue other projects. Relf would go on to found Steamhammer, and McCarty to form Shoot. The group then reformed with Annie Haslam on lead vocals, Michael Dunford on acoustic guitars, John Tout on keyboards, Jon Cap on bass, and Terence Sullivan on drums. With this lineup, they released "Turn of the Cards" in 1974, an album that confirmed Renaissance's stylistic maturity. Tracks like the expansive "Running Hard" showcase a Renaissance formula with more orchestral arrangements and elegant sounds, but above all, it highlights the voice of Annie Haslam, one of the most important female vocalists in the history of British progressive rock. The powerful melodic lines of "Cold Is Being" and "Mother Russia", the latter an undisputed classic for the band, are a clear example of their musicality, achieving perfect cohesion with Tout's keyboard work, Dansford's guitar style, and Haslam's refined vocals. Meanwhile, the tense "Black Flame" and the lyrical "Things I Don't Understand" conclude an unforgettable album that would serve as a prelude to their magnum opus, the following "Scheherazade and Other Stories" (1975).