"Promise fulfilled with more to come"
Having witnessed a performance full of promise at the Wangaratta Festival last year, and a performance of promise fulfilled in Sydney a few weeks ago, it was with considerable curiosity that I put on this CD.
The effect is devastating. Imagine the threatening nostalgia of a painting by De Chirico being periodically invaded by Terry Gilliam cartoons. The outcome is simultaneously disquieting and uplifting.
To stem an impending tide of hyperbole, I should explain that Paul Grabowsky has lifted a selection of European songs of yesterday out of their original idioms and "resettled" them. They all appear to be extremely well-adjusted to their new homes.
Listen to Elliott Dalgleish's baritone solo on Spectre of a Rose, Gary Costello's bass and Grabowsky's piano on Unter Dayne Vayse Stern. Ah, if all music was this much fun to review. I'd give it five stars, but with even stronger soloists now onboard, and Grabowsky sharing the load, the next album may be even better. A stunning debut.
- Sydney Morning Herald (John Shand), 8 May 1995
