PCH

After initially hearing a version of Liquid Amber on 'Sounds of Wood and Steel 1', I was instantly captivated and became a fan of the melodies that Laurence Juber is able to craft. The jazzy songs of Laurence's are usually my favorites ("Private Dick" and "Trashy Passion" are some from previous albums). This album has a wonderful song, "Temple Bar". He also gets his electric guitar and a band in the mix on a great bluesy-noir tune, "Wayfaring Stranger". Another full band, compelte with an organ for subtle chording in the background, is "Lat's Say Together." Using a band on a few of the tracks on this album is great for mixing it up, and gives us the opportunity to mear the multi-facetted compositions. The originals on this, like his other albums, bring many thoughts and feelings to the listener's mind. The cover versions of songs he does are always an amazing thing to listen to - "Layla" gets a tasty dose of acoustic guitar here. Some of the songs on here, such as PCH and Gardenia, appear a second time as a solo piece - you get to hear the naked guitar without the other band tracks. I say "thanks for another season of great music!"