Reviewed by Stephen Luff

An aggregation from North Carolina deliver an album exploring the merits of. . . er. . . water! Be prepared to be in a state of shock when you listen to this the first time! Nothing on the CD inlay card prepared me for what was coming, namely a glorious mix of rhythms from around the world. Musicians here include Stephen Roach, Martha Richardson (whose playing on "Travail" is so engaging you can feel the emotion!) and Jason Windsor amongst others. Contained here are instruments which are not often heard on your average CD, such as the hammered dulcimer, djembec, doumbec and the knaal alongside the more common violin, drums, trumpet and various guitars. All this adds up to some great music; I love the eastern feel of "Mufafa's Kitchen", the Celtic joy of "When Leaves Are Green" and the Mexican style guitar playing of "Tempest" which manages to create a musical landscape that only particularly skilled musicians could create. This is simply an outstanding recording, which reveals more treasure with each listen!

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.