BILLIE BOTTLE'S TEMPLE OF SHIBBOLETH

From Devonshire, Billie has been making her presence felt since the late Naughties working with the likes of David Sinclair, Mike and Kate Westbrook as well as several versions of her own as a bandleader. Her affinity and allegiance for Canterbury Style music is without question yet she continually rides an edge that could fall into pop, jazz, indie, or even folk traditions.

1. "In the Temple" (4:42) opens rather straightforward piano-support but then turns electro pop with drum and percussion machine giving Billie's voice and music a very ROSIE VELA-like sound and feel. (8.75/10)

2. "Cantus" (5:35) though the music here is quite pleasant, the lead vocal and its lyric feel a little too adult contemporary or even religious oriented. It reminds me of Heather Findlay's 2016 breakout MANTRA VEGA album, The Illusion's Reckoning. (8.75/10)

3. "The Wash" (5:06) a song containing and expressing far more Canterbury quirk, humor, and musical sound and inclinations than any of the preceding songs--reminding me of Kavus Torabi's work. Now this is more of what I was hoping for. I love the "Northettes"-like b vox and crumhorns. (8.875/10)

4. "Ironing Days" (5:19) an absolutely beautiful female vocalist (Perhaps Viv Goodwin-Darke?) steps into the lead over this EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL-like jazz-pop song. Everything about this gently flowing song washes over me, into me, feeds me and melts my soul into a state of blissful detachment. (9.75/10)

5. "The Melting" (0:31) piano, cymbals, horns and reeds, and toms basically warming up and/or detuning with one another.

6. "The Mending" (9:43) a brilliant suite of light, melodic jazzy themes. I love the soundscape, the aid-back yet technical proficiency of all of the instruments as well as the lead female vocals. (18.75/20)

7. "The Brewing" (1:44) a heady, breathy sax warm up for the next song.

8. "The Mead" (5:48) more highly melodic spacious music uniquely blending multiple musical styles. Such great music-- stuff that could've very well come from the likes of GILLI SMYTH, ANNETTE PEACOCK, HANNAH MOULE, or JULIA HOLTER. (9.5/10)

9. "Black Swan" (5:16) a disco beat! A song that sounds a bit like something from STEELY DAN's Gaucho or ROSIE VELA's Zazu (both produced by Gary Katz)--though there are also TREVOR HORN and even SWING OUT SISTER elements as well. Quite melodic and earwormy despite also being quirky. (9.25/10)

10. "The Harvest" (0:35) all-female choral arrangement with piano accompaniment. (4.5/5)

11. "The Wolf" (6:58) full-on Canterbury both in instrumental sound choices as well as melody lines and odd, shifting time signatures used. Really clever, fun lyrics as well. I love how the mood can remain light and even humorous even in the eerie section of little-girl-backwards-speak and crazed, dissonance. (13.5/15)

12. "The Rest" (7:28) this pretty straightforward lounge jazz song in which Billie returns to the odd "shibboleth" theme is my least favorite song on the album. (12.5/15)

Were it not for the rather inchoate "shibboleth" theme that Billie latched onto and expresses outwardly in the opening and closing songs, this would be a glowing collection of jazz-pop sometimes-Canterbury infused songs that I'd shout out as a masterpiece

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of creative, fun progressive rock music coming from a worshipper of Canterbury Style music and musicians.