Dodson & Fogg
Album: In A Strange Slumber
Label: Wisdom Twins
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.wisdomtwinsbooks.weebly.com

It doesn't seem long since I reviewed an earlier Dodson & Fogg project, Sounds Of Day And Night, which displayed a healthy degree of artistic confidence allied to a genuine and unpretentious inventiveness, couched largely in the time-honoured folk-psych mould. If anything, its successor is even more redolent of the whimsical acid-folk of the early-70s - not that it's in any way a bad thing! And at its best, equally charming.

Once again largely the creative product of singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Chris Wade, this latest Dodson & Fogg artefact strides the gamut of its chosen genre with aplomb, delivering convivial experiences like the early-Floyd-like When You Were Young (set to cascades of electric guitar), the Latin-inflected Along The Way (early Bolan meets John Martyn?), the late-Beatles (Flying) vibe of instrumental The Wind, and the waltzing, gorgeously string-soaked reverie of the disc's title song. I'm Coming Back floats along most equably with a backing vocal contribution from Celia Humphris.

Two of the disc's most memorable tracks feature the sitar playing of Ricky Romain: opening cut The Dance sounds for all the world like an episode from the Incredible String Band's Be Glad movie soundtrack, while Never Be Alone stomps along like Paint It Black with a heavy Black Sabbath riff before collapsing exhausted into a sea of acid. Aside from string players Thomas Roberts and David Liam Roberts, the other guest musos involved in the project are Kevin Scott (piano and keyboards) and Colin Jones (trumpet).

The album's consistency of vision, mood and execution is compelling, almost worthy of the hoary old "concept" tag, but it's a pity to have to remark that the spell is broken on two occasions, when the musical flow is interrupted by a pair of brief spoken-word tracks (surreal monologues narrated by the one and only Nigel Planer) which have been engineered to resemble a scratchy old storytelling record. Sorry Chris, this ain't Ogden's Nutgone Flake, and I really don't think these tracks fit here - but I'm aware that some listeners may disagree. But you can always skip these, and luxuriate in the remainder of the album's glories, ending on a high with A Sweet And Strange Surprise, which features Mellow Candle's Alison O'Donnell on guest vocals. Job done; and sensibility quotient assured, then…

David Kidman