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MILES TO GO ALBUM - CRITIC REVIEWS - PHIL BENNETT Album review, Nova Magazine February 2000: Featuring an intriguing mix of local talent, a world spanning array of instruments from mandolins to Uillean pipes and french horns, and an array of influences from Celtic to New Age. David Hyams' third solo release sees this extremely talented instrumentalist commanding your attention with a series of imaginative pieces inspired by his travels throughout Australia and the UK. Watching The Wheels is underpinned by a hypnotic propulsion reflective of the road train that it depicts and some tastefully understated interplay between Hyams' acoustic guitar patterns and the haunting pedal steel lines provided by Lucky Oceans. Fitzroy River Running is based around a particularly graceful dobro that glides, swan-like, over the placid waters of sound washing beneath. Delightful stuff indeed, being not only pleasantly attractive to the ear but also strikingly evocative of the landscape it describes. The aural technicolour of Something For Nothing, coupled with its spirit of free improvisation, is one of the notable highlights of the album. Surprisingly, it is one of the only tracks not to address a specific theme, but its infectious melody motors along on such a vivacious canopy of sound that it is simply irresistable. New Year's Day is a joyous toe tapper reminiscent of Steeleye Span's Mooncoin Jig, while The Old Speckled Hen brings the Scottish highlands into your loungeroom with its plaintive bagpipes and traditional guitar tuning. Another fine local recording that showcases the abundant talents of some of Perth's classiest homegrown talent, Miles To Go is a delightful album that travels many roads through a variety of soundscapes. A journey well worth taking. |
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