Alan Parsons, "The Secret" (Frontiers)
Magic is one of the themes of "The Secret," Alan Parsons' latest project, and it is best represented by the instrumental opening tune, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Its many moods over nearly six minutes are like an orchestrated soundtrack to a '60s animated Disney film or a magician's stage act, with Steve Hackett, Nathan East and Vinnie Colaiuta helping to embellish Parsons' passion.
On his first solo studio album since 2004, Parsons — without longtime collaborator Eric Woolfson (who died in 2009) — is back with a familiar approach: a handful of lead vocalists, crystal, smooth sounds and pop songs with classical and progressive rock elements.
Parsons recently turned 70 and won his first Grammy this year after over a dozen nominations, picking up best immersive audio album for "Eye In the Sky — 35th Anniversary Edition." His first nomination was at the 1974 Grammys for his work as an engineer on Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," so it's no surprise then that many songs on "The Secret" have autumnal lyrics dealing with the passing of time.
Parsons himself sings "As Lights Fall," which has myriad echoes of "Eye In the Sky," and it sounds autobiographical: "My sword was cast in songs of light/In sparks and waves, enchanted nights."
Former Foreigner singer Lou Gramm takes lead on "Sometimes," a string-drenched highlight that sticks to the seasoned topics — "The older grow wiser/And fall in love sometimes," while Jason Mraz sings "Miracle," another song with precedents in the Alan Parsons Project discography.
Some songs sag a bit, like "Years of Glory," and on "Soirée Fantastique," an otherwise charming duet between Parsons and Todd Cooper, the French pronunciation feels like a parody.
Parsons didn't tour until the mid-1990s, but he is currently on an extended series of international concerts. Though he has a long list of classic tracks to choose from, adding some from "The Secret" to the set lists would be a valid path.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia's weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow find workarounds to earlier penalties, and individuals linked to the death of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The actions by the departments of Treasury and State target Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and companies in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action “will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.”
The Senate, meanwhile, gave final approval to legislation barring imports of Russian uranium, boosting U.S. efforts to disrupt Russia’s war in Ukraine. Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.
About 12% of the uranium used to produce electricity at U.S. nuclear power plants is imported from Russia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said Wednesday that Biden shares lawmakers’ concerns about U.S. reliance on Russia for low-enriched uranium to support its domestic nuclear fleet.
Included in the administration's announcement are importers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose, which are used to produce gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives. The penalties also target Russian government entities and people tied to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs, companies related to Russia's natural gas construction projects and three workers at the penal colony where Navalny died.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has railed against earlier rounds of U.S. and Western penalties, claiming they are “illegitimate sanctions” on his country.
A group of 16 targets in China and Hong Kong, most of which are related to Russian procurement workarounds, are named by the Biden administration.
Yellen traveled to Guangzhou and Beijing last month to warn Chinese officials that they “must not provide material support for Russia’s war and that they will face significant consequences if they do."
China has said it is not providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although Beijing has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow, alongside India and other countries, as the West imposes sanctions.
Companies in China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were accused of helping Russia acquire technology and equipment from abroad. The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.
Biden last week said he would immediately rush badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.
The upcoming uranium ban is also expected to impact Russian revenues by at least $1 billion. The U.S. banned Russian oil imports after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 but did not against uranium, despite frequent calls to do so by U.S. lawmakers in both parties.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the import ban “a tremendous victory” and said it “will help defund Russia’s war machine, revive American uranium production and jumpstart investments in America’s nuclear fuel supply chain.″
“Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and we’re ready to use it,″ Barrasso added.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who heads that Senate committee, said it was "unconscionable” for the U.S. to help make it possible for Putin to “finance his unlawful war against Ukraine” through U.S. reliance on Russian uranium.
Besides the import ban, the legislation frees up $2.7 billion in previously authorized funding to ramp up domestic uranium production.
FILE- This June 6, 2019, file photo shows the U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington. The United States has imposed new sanctions on hundreds of firms and people tied to Russia’s weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese firms accused of helping Russia find workarounds to sanctions and individuals tied to the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny. The sanctions imposed Wednesday by the Treasury and State departments target Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and firms in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
