BRILL

It seems to me that the star ratings on this album have been a little harsh to say the least - especially for a CD which contains such a wealth of excellent playing. Admittedly the vocals are not particularly strong - but to these ears not at all offensive and emminently prefferable to the wealth of growling on offer from so many bands currently. They are accented English, but that's not something I find especially distracting to listen to. Musically the New Groove Project offers some excellent compositions that are both classical and folk influenced - using a refreshing mix of acoustic instrumentation alongside the standard electric fare. The music doesn't fit quite into any of the standard sub-genres used on PA - in fact it reminds me very much of the blissfully non-formulaic music that characterised so much of the adventurous spirit of the seventies era of prog...without sounding like a clone of any the groups from that time. For the instrumental passages alone I would suggest this is would be a valuable addition to the prog collection of anyone who enjoys indiviual symphonic compositons, tinged with the customary Scandanavian hint of melancholy and infused with acoustic sensitivity.