Annie Haslam - Annie In Wonderland (Reissue) (1977/1996)

While Renaissance started to veer from prog rock to new wave pop, Annie Haslam and Roy Wood concocted this little gem to hold over the prog fans. Annie in Wonderland is whimsical, fanciful, and verging on precious. One of the highlights is the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic "If I Loved You" (which acts as a precursor for Haslam's One Enchanted Evening album). It is interesting to compare the version of "Nature Boy" on this CD with her post-Moulin Rouge interpretation of the song on One Enchanted Evening. In both versions, Haslam gets right to the heart of this beautifully soulful song. Haslam brings the pipes, Wood makes sure to keep it weird -- and the result is something for early Renaissance fans who missed the band's far more interesting swing toward the mainstream. Interestingly, it would be 22 years before Haslam would release another solo album.