ESSENCE

Music that draws you in and keeps you there. A lot of it is slow tempoed or subtle on the verge of jazzy, but it is all quite pleasant and emotional--especially the floating keyboard work and acrobatic yet sensitive vocals. Reminds me a bit of a cross between"Rabbit"-era THE TEA CLUB and last year's marvelous newcomer, AUTUMN CHORUS. The music's subtleties are so mystifying and magical. I don't usually like so much electric piano work, but this one works. Kudos for creating such sensitive, beautiful, emotional music!

Favorite songs: the eery, jazzy, and almost liturgical "Insatiable" (5:31) (8/10) and "Pious Greedy Few" (3:55) (8/10), my favorite, "The Conservative" (7:15) (9/10), "Dark Skies" (6:09) (8/10), "Flying" (5:38) (9/10), and "Survivor" (7:23) (8/10).

4 stars for the fact that the songs eventually begin to blend, sound a bit monochromatic. Still, Jason O'Neill-Butler has an awesome voice, and he's singing over some awesome songs/sounds. I'm not sure which I like better: this one or I AND THOU's Speak. Both have great vocals and and are keyboard-driven. Check them out and decide for yourself.