DUOCHROME

In 2008, Strawbs' headman Dave Cousins embarked on a month long solo tour of the states and did a kind of "the story behind the songs" presentation. Half of those outings was shared with the incredible Ian Cutler on fiddle. The first 6 songs on this rare limited edition CD are of the sedate Dave explaining his reasons and inspirations for writing such songs as "Hanging In The Gallery" and " Grace Darling". Unfortunately, the pre song expositions are excised from these songs leaving just a sedate Dave playing and singing his famous songs without even an intro. Pleasant enough, but not noteworthy. (These songs, complete with intros and song explanations, are featured in their entirety on Cousins' live CD from 2015 titled Moving Pictures.)

That changes completely with the following 6 tracks featuring Dave and Ian Cutler getting on like a house on fire. Cousins is clearly rejuvenated, incredibly enthusiastic and his voice is in remarkably good form. Stand out tracks are "The Shepard's Song", with Cutler going ballistic on the song's instrumental mid section, and on Dave's old standard "We'll Meet Again Sometime". I wish the entire album showcased these two, but I'll take what I can get. So, half a good album is worth 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.