Reviewed by Martin Emerson

The album, originally released in 1986 with limited distribution, is 100 percent acoustic. The first two tracks "Way Back Home" and "A New Star" are an excellent demonstration of what can be achieved with acoustic instruments. It would be easy to believe that electric instruments had been used. The sound is so rich in a way not normally expected of acoustic tracks. Phil has achieved this by the use of woodwind and string sections combined with his excellent arrangements and not forgetting his Olson acoustic guitars which are the musical centrepoint for this album. Two of the tracks on the original release have previously been released in electric versions, "Let Everything Else Go" on Town To Town' and "Noah's Song" on Matthew Ward's 'Toward Eternity'. One track on the original release "The Reunion" has been cut from the re-release (though it was released on The Wind And The Wheat'), but there are four new tracks "Father-Daughter Harmony" which is the best of the new tracks, a quite effective duet. "It Could've Been Me" and especially "She's A Dancer" are not up to the standard of the original album. The last new track "The 50th" is about Phil's grandparents' golden wedding anniversary in 1948! It is an instrumental interpretation of "There's No Place Like Home", the guitar playing is great but snatches of a recording made at the actual event break in at irregular intervals which is rather distracting. The original release was excellent, but the new tracks are a bit of a let down.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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