Absolutely brilliant!
DVD buff | Austin, TX USA | 04/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On the surface, this might appear to be another "greatest hits" package, but it is definitely not just another collection...
This is an album of all-new studio recordings. Most are new acoustic recordings of songs recorded by James on previous albums, but a few are songs never recorded by James before. Mostly, the songs are accompanied by just acoustic guitar, with occasional keyboards and percussion. It appears that only "Stranger than Fiction" is not a new recording (it's the same recording that appeared on DESIGN FOR LIVING).
The acoustic versions of James' hits tend to differ quite significantly from the original versions, which makes this album quite interesting. James even manages to turn "Any Day Above Ground" into a ballad... But what makes the album truly stunning are some of the new songs James covers, including songs by Townes Van Zandt, Dan Hicks, John Hiatt and Paul Kelly. There's even a lively rendition of the traditional English folk song (dating to the early 1600's) called "Mr. Froggy Went A-Courtin'."
All-in-all, this is one of James Reyne's best albums, and a must for any James Reyne fan."