DODSON AND FOGG

An appealing blend of whimsy and angst, DODSON AND FOGG's first album establishes protagonist Chris Wade as youthful force in a genre that is anything but. As if to accentuate his own anachronistic bent, he enlists the assistance of artists far over twice his age - Celia Humphris (TREES), Nik Turner (HAWKWIND), and Judy Dyble (to name a few). In spite of the all star lineup, notwithstanding Turner's flutes, Wade's songwriting, vocals and both acoustic and electric guitars end up more than holding their own. Just to be clear, nobody in the group is named DODSON or FOGG - those are Dickensian characters.

While DODSON and FOGG casts a few direct nods to PINK FLOYD's acoustic oriented diversions, such as the haunting "Weather Changes" (think a more concise "Hey You", with a searing fuzzy guitar solo), this has more in common with late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelic folk. I think the most accurate point of comparisons would be FUCHSIA ("Just You and Me" and "Footprints", and "Where on Earth") and ALAN HULL's solo work ("Nothing at All"). While we can hear the influences of NICK DRAKE, early STRAWBS, FOREST, and even the pastoral side of KING CRIMSON, this is not all retro - Wade is subtly establishing his own identity in "All Day Long" and "Crinkle Drive", with his strumming and picking overdubs, hypnotically soothing voice, and his lead guitars that seem wisely calibrated at pH 4, just right for the style.

As is often the case on first efforts by unproven artists, the statement is clear and the songs are good but they just don't quite attain the next level demanded by the ever more jaded. Given the potential for future development and the imminent release of a second album, this act might emerge from the fogg sooner rather than later.