The Montvales Path Of Totality Free Dirt
The opening track, World Of Trouble, on The Montvales’ new record is a marker for what to expect from Cincinnati-based folk duo Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson’s third full-length album. Written while the duo toured extensively during 2024, the twelve-track album reflects the economic and political tensions in America during that period, as well as other developing global conflicts.
Friends since childhood and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Buice and Rochelson’s politically motivated songwriting follows a path similar to that of their much-admired protest folk artists, such as Woody Guthrie, the Indigo Girls, and John Prine. Their talents are not restricted to songwriting; their vocals and mellow harmonies are a delight. Produced by Mike Eli LoPinto (Chris Stapleton, Emily Nenni), the arrangements complement the vocals flawlessly with splashes of guitar and banjo (LoPinto), fiddle (Mary Meyer), and pedal steel (Eddy Dunlap) all in the right places. The other impressive contributors were Jesse Noah Wilson on keyboards and bass, and Aaron Goodrich on drums.
Echoing the classic sound of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, a sense of impending doom surfaces in Hell Bent On Colorado (“Nothing you can do but try and hang on /Everything you got won’t be here long”). Firsthand findings gathered through encounters on their travels inform Plains Of Ohio (“They're saying not to drink the water/And they said Athens County's next”). Overtime addresses belt tightening and the continuing sharp rise in the cost of living (“Darlin’ I just can’t seem to work any more overtime”). That sense of hopelessness also fuels Runaway Horse (‘’And it’s doubles through the weekend/Still barely getting by”).
Without much expectation, Funeral Singer asks for a reset in the full knowledge that ‘the horse has bolted’ (“Well, bless your terrified heart/I know it’s getting dark, but/Maybe we could give freedom another try?”). Lighter moments also feature, in particular, the tender love ballad, Loud and Clear.
The songs on PATH OF TOTALITY sit somewhere between classic electric folk and harmonised country. It’s also a noble effort in political scrutiny and, in doing so, succeeds in keeping genuine protest music alive and kicking.
Declan Culliton
Boo Ray Muscle Shoals Singles Self-Release
Nashville-based Boo Ray has earned a reputation as an artist whose hard-edged country music fuses traditional honky tonk and West Coast country rock. To translate those live appearances in the studio, Ray and his band headed to co-producer Sol Littlefield’s Muscle Shoals Studio in Memphis to record several tracks. One of the most recorded guitar players of recent years, Littlefield has worked with Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Midland, to name but a few.
Reflecting today’s varied approaches to music marketing, Ray opted to release the singles individually every six weeks, each accompanied by a video. This strategy seems to lay the groundwork for a future combined release. To date, five singles are out, and the final two are live recordings of I Got The Jug and One More Round, both taken from Ray’s 2016 album SEA OF LIGHT.
Broken Hearts Are Paint, a co-write with fellow Nashville resident David Newbould, is 1960s Glen Campbell-styled California country laced with pedal steel and a relaxed melody. More experimental, the trippy Birds Don’t Sing depicts an apocalyptic future (“There’s fire in the wind/And poison in the rain comin’ down/It ain’t hard to figure out we got /We got it backwards turned around”).
Big Wheels is a kicking country blues affair with killer guitar and piano breaks, and Western Sky explores breaking out and recharging the batteries before burnout (“I got irons in the fire /I got deals in the works /It’s the honky tonk kills /The pain when it hurts /Bring ya to your knees /Sometimes the juice ain’t worth the squeeze”). The final inclusion, It Ain’t Mine, is a mirror-gazing upbeat affair.
Ray is in fine voice throughout, and his gravelly vocals and guitar skills are well backed by some of Nashville’s finest players. Both Sol Littlefield and Stephen Kocach played guitar. Brett Resnick was on pedal steel, keys were by James Sonetag, Will Moore was on bass, and Cooper Heffley was on drums.
This collection of singles is a taster for why Boo Ray and his band are regular players on the live circuit in Nashville, including twice-weekly shows at Eric Church’s Chef’s on Broadway.
Declan Culliton
Haylie Davis Wandering Star Fire
The debut album from North California-born Haylie Davis is a throwback to the laid-back late-60s/early-70s Laurel Canyon sounds of her home state. Working with producer Sam Burton, who was Davis’ collaborator in her previous solo moniker Lady Apple Tree, the album’s eleven tracks were recorded at Valentine Recording Studios and Love Magnet, both in Los Angeles, where Davis currently lives.
Davis developed her love of music and singing as a child, having been raised with the sounds of her mother’s favourite country music radio, a constant feature. Dropping out of college at nineteen, she moved to Los Angeles, working at restaurants and taking in the local music scene. Hustling her way to opportunities as a backing vocalist for dive-bar bands eventually led to her first solo project, Lady Apple Tree, before she began performing and recording under her own name.
Her influences may very well hark back to a golden age for singer-songwriters in the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, but with vocals that balance vulnerability and confidence, Davis injects her own stamp into the songs. Easy-going folk tracks like Golden Age, Lonely Too, and the title track land somewhere between Karen Carpenter and Melanie, while Country Boy and Lily Of The Valley veer towards classic country rock.
Davis's childhood exposure to traditional country is reflected in Young Man before she closes out the album with the acoustic Mourning Dove. The common denominators throughout are Davis’ smooth, relaxed, vocal delivery and strong melodies as she pours her heart out on a delicate collection of songs that survey love lost and found, alongside the journey from adolescence to adulthood, from a young woman’s perspective.
A hugely impressive debut album from an artist with endless potential.
Declan Culliton
I’m Kingfisher Give Up Together Fading Trails
Album number six in the increasingly expansive career of Thomas Jonsson who creates his musical vistas under the performance name of I’m Kingfisher. The striking song arrangements continue, as does the sense of vulnerability and yearning in the musical arrangements. The dynamic is always interesting, at times sounding like Talk Talk in all the broken openness, other moments capture a more abstract realism in the lyrics.
The overall feel is one of hushed diary entries and a fragility that permeates the songs. First track is Years Of Depression and leans into a state of conflicted emotions, being white and privileged and yet suffering the bite of the black dog of depression. Introspection battling with the hope of new joy in a relationship. Great electric guitar dynamic on this one and introducing the haunting sound of Helena Arlock Wahlberg on cello and backing vocals.
‘Fortification can’t come soon enough’ and on the second track Birds and Beast the sweet cello augments acoustic guitar on a song that channels both recovery and reflection from an accident and a state of mind that is battling confused emotions. The tension in the arrangement is memorable. Isolation informs Your Dad’s Bad Days and the feeling that past upset is always alive in the present. It is a message of support to a friend and there is a reference to an Animals song, House Of the Rising Sun, and a warning not to repeat previous mistakes. Loneliness can form part of the ageing process and on Look What You Made Me Do the emotion of wanting to be closer to someone is never stronger. Bebe Risenfors on cornet and alto horn, along with Johan Andersson on twinkling piano, close out the song beautifully.
Equally, the intro to the title track, Give Up Together, is sublime, with acoustic guitar and cornet blending into the falsetto vocal and the spoken word of Tomas Jonsson on a song about breaking from conformity and landscaping the sense of distance. It has a Folk/Jazz vibe and is both contemplative and yearning. Our Inside Joke (was nightmare fuel) is a lovely drift along sweet melodic lines, highlighted by Roger Gustafsson on pedal steel, and Svante Sjöblom Vrak on subtle drum patterns. It is a song that tackles the challenges in relationships, with the words ‘Remember laughing on the beach, our inside joke was nightmare fuel, You can’t do this on will alone, you better give me some answers soon.’
Trauma Queen changes thing up a little with electric guitar courtesy of Carl Edlom and both the cello and harmony vocals of Wahlberg again adding a poignancy to a song about a deceased friend and the emotions that surface in light of the news ‘I can’t swallow, I can’t eat time, Haven’t got around the truth yet, But I’ve also let the day go to hell.’ The song White Denim references PJ Harvey in the lyric and appears to be a song about friendship and conflict in growing beyond certain things ‘I thought that I would care for you forever, Maybe I lost the track of time.’ Atmospheric saxophone is courtesy of Mats Bäcker on this track.
Winter of ’85/’86 has a co-vocal from Alina Björkén who also plays electric guitar on a song that references both John Cleese and Albert Einstein. Somehow it all works seamlessly, the passage of time, earned insight, anxiety control. The final song Revealing Trailer would appear to be about mortality and the passage of time; our fragile presence as we pass along this conveyor belt of life. The lyrics can be hard to penetrate but that is no big barrier to the enjoyment of this creatively constructed, contemporary music.
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Carl Edlom adds greatly to the album’s sound, complementing Thomas Jonsson’s hushed vocals and acoustic guitar, which remain at the heart of these songs. Several I’m Kingfisher tracks also feature in the Swedish film The Quiet Beekeeper, in which Jonsson makes a cameo appearance. He is a distinctive and compelling artist, and this intimate album offers much to enjoy. Do yourself a favour and discover this interesting artist.
Paul McGee
The Tasty Kings The Kindness Of Numbers Stand Clear
New York City is the spiritual home to this inspired group of rotating musicians known as the Tasty Kings. Named after a now disappeared local Chinese restaurant, the musical collective is comprised of gifted and vastly experienced players who come together to create lots of magical moments, with a liberal amount of fairy dust sprinkled across the collective.
Even if founding member and creative guru Andrew Morse spends his time these days commuting from Austin, Texas, this music is both vibrant and vital, spanning the miles between, and uniting both the head and the heart in the delivery. This time out, on album number four, we are treated to the musical royalty of Darryl Jones (bass), Charley Drayton (drums, backing vocals), Stephen Barber (piano), Kevin Trainor (guitar), and the dynamic duo of brothers Charlie and Will Sexton.
Across ten tracks, the lead vocals are shared by the brothers, with Will taking the microphone on six songs, while Charlie sings on four, adding dynamic guitar colour also. Other additional players grace individual songs, and their talents sit easily into the collective, with Juliana Sheffield, Sally Allem, Georgia Bramhall on backing vocals, Milo Deering on viola, Tony Garnier on bass, and Wade Schumann on harmonica.
Released at the end of 2025, the album was overshadowed by the pre-Christmas media rush. It delivers an infectious mix of R&B groove and cool rock textures. Andrew Morse and David Boyle produced the album at Churchhouse Studios in Austin, Texas, where Boyle also recorded and mixed it. Mastering was handled by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Words and music are all created by Andrew Morse, who also contributes on both acoustic and electric guitars, organ, and backing vocals. Just for the record he stands shoulder to shoulder with Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Shawn Colvin), Will Sexton (Amy LaVere, Charlie Sexton Sextet), Darryl Jones (Miles Davis, Sting, Rolling Stones), Charley Drayton (Neil Young, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones), Stephen Barber (Natalie Merchant, David Byrne, Bonnie Raitt, T Bone Burnett), and Kevin Trainor ( college friend and original mentor).
The influence of NYC permeates the songs, and the opening numbers set the tone for the album with Old Ford, a soulful take on the story of a weathered car, and New York Times, a rock groove right out of the Stones playbook, on a tale of youthful love. The creeping danger on Something In the Subway displays a menacing rhythm where the sewer rats, both human and otherwise, creep around in the night. Tess Of Soho is a memory of a larger-than-life character who used to parade about the city, while Sunset is a relaxed take on chilling in the early evening sun with sweet company and waiting on the joys of sundown to arrive.
There is a great Billy Idol vibe to Fix My Head and the tale of picking up hitchhikers in a hedonistic rush of enjoying the thrill of the moment. Breakup song End Of the Line has great guitar riffs and harmonica in the mix, and on After You’re Gone, we have a sense of both pleasure and pain in the wake of a girlfriend who has departed. A highlight is New York Girl even if the outcome is the sad tale of a drug overdose. It is also a celebration of being alive in that vibrant city and has a cool Lou Reed influence running through it. Closing song Just Like Home is about missing the familiarity of your city while abroad, even if there are similarities to be found in some small contrasts. It has a reflective feel, and the slow acoustic arrangement brings everything to a satisfying conclusion. The music of the Tasty Kings is more than worth your investment and across their previous albums the quality of musicianship and top-drawer songs is something to be admired and celebrated. Fancy a taste?
Paul McGee
Kris Drever Doing This For Love The North Sound
Kris was born on the island of Orkney and there is a strong thread running through his music that echoes down the pathway of Scottish Folk traditions. Ever since a debut album back in 2006 he has been an ever present in contemporary music, his superb musicianship coupled with an astute writing style, bringing his reflections and visions to life. By embracing this songwriting tradition Kris takes a seat at the table of those whose gifts celebrate a rich cultural identity and history.
It’s hard for artists to make a full-time career from music these days, with the changing landscape of technology taking away any potential to receive commensurate payment for their talents. Local community support can only go so far, and the toll upon the travelling minstrel these days is often paid by with unsupportable debt. This is album number five, something of a feat in these challenging times. There is a passion that drives this music and the joy of creating these songs is very evident throughout the new album.
The opening track is also the album title, and if one were to question the motive behind any musician that has survived as long as Kris, it’s evident that he’s Doing This For Love. In looking at the quiet routine of people in everyday life, the abiding motivation is one of selfless acts of love. Just being present and standing up for the ones we love so that a decent life can be achieved. Another song Every Time is clearly a love letter to his wife with observations on the seasons changing and his unflinching devotion to the message - I’ll just tell you that I love you every time.’
Nature has obviously had a considerable influence of Kris and on Catterline, a small coastal village, he pays tribute to the rural landscape. On Pilot Whales he laments the stranding of so many on Scottish beaches, mainly due to behavioural and environmental factors. He looks back down the road of his youth on Still the Boy and the personal growth achieved over the years in coming to know yourself and feeling comfortable in what has been achieved. The sense of community and inclusion is at the core of Save A Space For Me, while we are reflecting upon inner doubt and fears on the song Does Your Sleep Feel Like Rest ‘Dark riders on the road again.’
The unrelenting passage of time is considered on Change and the ticking clock ‘Change is never going to change, Nothing else will ever stay the same.’ On Magic Friend Kris looks to capture the ‘vibration in the room’ and perhaps define the creative process that sparks the soul to create. In Flamenco music there is a traditional handclap called Palmas, and on the track Bring Back Hanging Around the rhythmic beat is captured in this addictive style, a standout arrangement, and a highlight among many memorable moments on this recommended album.
The superb production is courtesy of Euan Burton and Kris Drever at GloWorm Studios, with Kris writing all ten songs during the Covid pandemic and the intervening years. The musicians that play on the album are comprised of some very talented people and we have the pleasure of listening to Kris Drever (vocals, guitars), Euan Burton (bass, organ), Louis Abbott (drums, percussion, vocals), Rachel Lightbody (vocals), Michelle Willis (vocals, pianos, organ), John Blease (drums), Rachel Sermanni (vocals and swanee whistle), Trent Freeman (fiddles), Matthew Herd (mellotron, saxophone), Sam Mabbett (accordion), Ian Carr (guitar), and Cahalen Morrison (banjo). I mention all these players as a mark of respect and a tribute to the wonderful results they have delivered. The ensemble playing is a real joy, and this is certainly a contender for inclusion in albums of the year consideration.
Paul McGee
Ed Snodderly : ES Pearl Presents - Baggage Flies Free Majestic
One must go all the way back to 1977 to find the debut album of this fine singer songwriter. Born in Knoxville, Ed grew up with a family tradition of playing music and was learning guitar by the age of twelve. His natural environment was rooted in bluegrass, folk, old-time and blues music, and he honours the family name of Pearl with his newly adopted moniker of ES Pearl. On this new release of thirteen songs Ed employs all his finely tuned talents in laying down some seriously excellent music.
Starting with the Bluegrass style of Coming Down This Road, the musicians are out of the gate in fine fashion with mandolin, acoustic guitars, upright bass, pedal steel, and fiddle joining in the fanfare. Ed recalls old friendships on some songs, with the tribute to Malcolm Holcombe – For Another Time particularly memorable, and there is another tribute on When Doc Watson Come To Johnson City with the gig bringing recollections of meet ups with Merle Haggard or ‘big talkin’ Jack Williams.
There are love songs such as See You In the Morning and That I Need You More Than I Have Ever Now and both are fine examples of the sophisticated songwriting that has been honed over all these years of developing his craft. He teaches songwriting at East Tennessee State University these days, and the evidence is here for all to enjoy.
Songs like Fixing This Old Gate and Will Your Down Home Be Unbroken are performed in the ageless tradition of country music; enshrining the message of community and taking care of life’s simple pleasures, such as looking out for each other and lending a helping hand where needed. With the song Fixing This Gate we are given the instructions required in hanging a gate correctly, attention in the detail, and just another example of the keen eye at play when it comes to nuance in writing. A real highlight is the song This Old Guitar that brings plenty of respect for an ageing instrument that has given so much pleasure to so many hands that played it over the years. Elsewhere The Place captures the essence of countless venues, hidden away in communities, where comfort and music is dispensed on a regular basis, in equal measure. High In the Rhyme is a song played with precision and care, the longest song included and has recollections of days spent in the Tennessee countryside, steeped in old traditions, absorbing the surroundings. Amythyst Kiah, an ex-student of Ed’s, contributes on harmony vocals.
Ed is joined by Tim O’Brien (mandolin, vocals), Steve Hinson (pedal steel), Kenny Vaughan (guitars), Lisa Pattison (fiddle), both Brandon Story and Danal Kimbro on bass instruments across different tracks, Verlon Thompson also contributes on guitar and vocals, with Pete Wasner (piano) joined by vocalists Eugene Wolf, and Amythyst Kiah. It’s quite a line-up of premium talent and when you add Ed Snodderly on acoustic guitar, piano, Nordic whistle, and lead vocals you get a compelling listening experience. Coupled with the exemplary musicianship on these songs, there is every reason to believe that this will be included in many album of the year lists.
Paul McGee
Satellite Inn From Nowhere Revisited El Cortez
The back story to this album release is one of those marvellous stories that come along every now and then. It frames the nine songs that make up this impressive record.
Back in 2002, Satellite Inn were supporting an Italian tour by Willard Grant Conspiracy, at the time darlings of the Alt-Country scene, with their contemplative, introspective mood music feted by critics everywhere. Founding member Robert Fisher took an interest in Satellite Inn and their emerging sound, something he captured at the time by acting as a producer on a selection of songs that were subsequently lost, due to the demise of the record label that the Italian band had signed with.
Many years later, these original songs reappeared in a box of old master tapes, and Satellite Inn decided to honour the original intent and write some new material to accompany what they heard as a still-vibrant example of their work back then. It is interesting that their current record label, El Cortez, is home to The Delines, the band formed by Willy Vlautin, as a step away from his previous songwriting with the iconic Richmond Fontaine. In these songs I hear these influences, but also the dynamic of Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt in the delivery and in the writing.
Very much rooted in that 90s sound, the space and hypnotic melody in the playing, the crisp guitar sound, augmented by lap steel, violin and viola, resonates across these tracks and induces a feeling of quiet reverie. The opening song Faded By Time is a window into the album in that the plaintive vocal delivery and laid-back groove establish the atmospheric template. Lap steel, violin, and acoustic guitars interplay with the words ‘Isolated, locked up in your pain’ giving insight, with a lyric that could describe the fragile beauty of Robert Fisher at the height of his creative flow. Sadly, he is no longer with us having passed on in 2016, but the album has a sense of his presence throughout.
There are songs reflecting contrast, such as the acoustic flow on Feeder or the more rock-based arrangement of Cigarettes ‘Touching live wire with my bare hands, I was trying to make amends.’ Fall River is an almost-apology for coming from some hick-township and wanting to be cool in new-found company, perhaps a rite-of-passage song. Come Back, Kid is very atmospheric and has reflective memory as a theme with both viola and clarinet adding great colour.
Three of the songs here are remastered from the original tapes that were created in Italy, with the remaining six songs captured in late 2025 at Ebbw Vale in Wales. Hey Mister, What’s the Matter Now? has a great rhythm with a stop-start melody that sparkles, highlighting the excellent musicianship, with banjo, piano and lap steel interweaving. Traveller Of These Times highlights Stiv Cantarelli on lead vocals, and there is a quiet power mirrored in the rhythm of Antonio Perugini (drums) and Fabrizio Gramellini (bass), as choppy guitar strains, lap steel soars, and the mood builds.
The most memorable song is Tacoma Girl and a loose feel, with the band in a great Stones-like rhythm, and the vibe of just having fun. From Nowhere closes the album on a simple acoustic guitar strummed by Stiv Cantarelli, and there is sense of loss and pain that is captured perfectly in the delivery.
Stiv Cantarelli (vocals, guitars, piano, banjo, harmonica), Antonio Perugini (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Fabrizio Gramellini (bass), are joined by other musicians across the recordings with Dario Neri (lap steel, keyboards, piano) and Denilo Menti (violin), from the early 2002 songs, united by Dave Curry (viola), Steven Honeywill (lap steel, electric guitar), Edward Abbiati (vocals, electric guitar), Roberto Villa (clarinet), over the timespan of years.
From a debut album back in 1998, COLD MORNING SONGS, followed by a second album and various solo projects; all the way through to their reformation in 2024 for the recording of their self-titled relaunch, Satellite Inn - this core trio of Cantarelli, Perugini and Gramellini, has remained in waiting for the fates to align. That this has now occurred is a liberating moment to savour. An excellent album that has much to recommend it.
Paul McGee
The Cousins Project Child Of the Hills Thunder Ridge
The title of this album really sums up everything that you need to know from the thirteen songs that feature on this second collaboration from cousins Kristina Stykos and Steve Mayone. A previous album appeared back in 2013, titled BEAUTIFUL BLOOD, and it has now led to further musical exploration on this new project. The songs revolve around messages of love, being present in nature, and treasuring the moments that we share, in both joy and pain, as connected beings upon this beautiful planet. The music is very much based in the roots/contemporary folk space, and it is most impressive.
An instrumental opens the album and the lovely melody on Green Mountain Moonrise is heightened by the subtle lap steel of Steve Mayone and the understated drumming of Jeff Berlin. Following on is This World Is Broken, a song about the fallout from all the hate in the world, the abuse of power, and falsehood. Kristina plays bass and keyboards with great nuance while Steve’s electric guitar soars. The risks involved in loving the wrong person are wrapped into Your Bitter Love as danger signs get overlooked in the rush of passion ‘Oh your bitter love, Lingers on my tongue, Leaves me wanting more.’
The beautiful acoustic playing on Traveller is a real joy as the call of the open road is too much temptation for a lover wanting to escape a worn relationship. In contrast, the story-song And the Love Came Pouring Out relays the tale of falling into a relationship over time, only to lose the presence of the person who has died ‘I will always hear you in my memory, Leaving messages on my machine, It would be at least six months before I could, Bring myself to erase anything.’
The superb What’d Ya Come Here For is a fun tale of an old heist that goes wrong when an unwanted reunion takes place. Patrick Ross guests on fiddle along with Neal Massa on organ, with guitars and mandolas joining in the infectious rhythm. Another fun song is Shows To Go Ya and a pun on the old catchphrase, in this case, the end of the road for one of life’s great chancers who has played all the cards in his deck for no positive outcome. Woods Road is a song about trying to get home, while surrounded by nature, driving at night in remote areas of Vermont, which is home to Kristina.
Give It Time is the longest song included, and it defines the key message that runs through the album; believe in the human spirit and in all that nature brings, and that we are stronger together when we fan the flames of the fire within. Lead vocals are shared between both musicians and the interplay on various instruments is a real pleasure throughout. As the album winds down, we are given the song Wandering and it is a message of being present in the moment, and of enjoying all that surrounds us in nature ‘We’ll hit the store when it opens, Get coffee, on the way, Flip a coin between us, And throw the map away.’ Seamus Egan plays low whistle to set the atmosphere, Moira Smiley guests on backing vocals, and Kristina provides lead vocals, mandolin, mandola, key, bass, and acoustic guitar to the song.
This Green Valley again celebrates nature and a family gathering surrounded by all that is important ‘My sister is here, and my brother is too, Welcome back home, from a year at school, We’re pulling the chairs out, And sweeping the room.’ Such a fine image of daily life in nature’s valley and an understated song, like many of the thirteen tracks featured.
The album title follows and on Child Of the Hills Kristina takes lead vocal and illustrates the magic that life holds in the everyday. The song could well be written for her own children ‘Many are the routes that I have travelled, Looking for just one to bring me home.’ The final song is The Story Tree and speaks of a true friendship, with Steve on lead vocals ‘A friend who never makes you do wrong, Who climbs up high, and takes you along, To listen to the wind rustle the leaves, Inside the branches of the story tree.’
Both Kristina and Steve have successful solo careers outside of these occasional collaborations and retreats. Kristina owns her own recording studio and has produced numerous albums, along with releasing six solo records. Steve has released six solo albums in addition to collaborating with other artists from his base in Brooklyn. The third core member on this album is Jeff Berlin on drums and percussion. He lives in the Vermont area and has played with artists such as Jeffrey Foucault, Meg Hutchinson, Catlin Canty and Catie Curtis as a veteran of the Boston music scene. The album is a very enjoyable experience and great testament to the creative playing and writing of this ensemble. It comes very highly recommended.
Paul McGee