Critic's Review
Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
An album inspired by Terry Oldfield's permanent move from England to Australia -- imagine a new age version of Rod Stewart's Atlantic Crossing -- Turning Point is one of Oldfield's most personal albums. Unusually for Oldfield, the album opens with "Guardian Angel," an honest-to-goodness pop song that sounds rather like Nick Drake as backed by Victorialand-era Cocteau Twins. The latter comparison fits for much of the rest of the album, as well, as Oldfield's production style here features a newfound fondness for both heavy reverb and subtle electronic drums, as well as the languid tempos and atmospheric keyboards associated with those '80s dream pop pioneers. Other points of comparison include some of Roger Eno's more pop-oriented work, late-'80s Bill Nelson, Enya and -- for the first time -- Terry's kid brother Mike Oldfield. Fans of any of those artists should find Turning Point an appealing point of entry to Oldfield's oeuvre, but be warned: this is not at all typical of most of his work.
