Songs on 2001’s Magnification are credited to Yes as a band, yet “Soft As a Dove” has all the trademarks of a classic joint effort from Jon Anderson and Steve Howe.
Musically, the track contains a repetitive finger-picked acoustic guitar, which is complemented by flute. Orchestrator Larry Groupe’ added touches of recorder and harp, but the sonic power of “Soft As a Dove” is created by Anderson’s earnest vocals.
This song acts as an effective contrast to the two surrounding it, “We Agree” and then “Dreamtime.” Howe’s splendid playing resembles that on his then-recent solo album, Natural Timbre, combining Chet Atkins-like tones and Howe’s own Travis picking-inspired playing.
“Soft As a Dove,” another fantastic Anderson/Howe collaboration, stands the test of time.
