THE SEARCH FOR JOY

Bill Gillham takes his sound to the next level on 'The Search For Joy', the fourth and strongest cd to date in the Cirrus Bay catalogue. 'Search' features 8 strong tracks, all with their own identity, with lots of variation not only from song to song, but also within each song, all but two of which surpass 7 and a half minutes. Its an album of second halves, as the first half of most of the songs build the groundwork for a superior 2nd half. The album as a whole also has a stronger second half, and each song sounds new and fresh compared to the previous track. 'Song of the Wind' opens the album, and though it is far from the best song on the album, it works very well as an opener, upbeat, with hints of both Yes and The Sundays, Yes in the chordings and slide guitar work, Sundays in the feel, and of course, female vocals. The instrumental sections later in the song are pretty glorious, making me think of riding a horse on a beautiful summer morning. The third song, 'Me and Wokara' is completely different, an interesting story involving two Native American girls that hide while their family is murdered by bible-sporting settlers. 'Out of the Box' is a personal favorite. 'Joy was hurt while she was young, forcing her inside. Now she must pay to able to step outside again', begins this song of personality layers. 'Waking Wild' features Amy Darby of 'Thieves' Kitchen', whose singing here is breathtaking, to say the least. This is a song of subtle recurring themes and features a Crimson-esque energetic conclusion. 'Learning To Fly' is probably the best song on the album, firmly rooted in 70s tradition, perhaps most notably Camel. Phil Mercy, also of 'Thieves' Kitchen' adds a dynamic guitar solo to conclude the song. Compared to their previous albums, this one sounds less like 'Wind and Wuthering', and is a bit more dynamic as well as original, with stronger guitar work, and better keyboard sounds. The addition of viola in several tracks also is a plus, and fits well with their sound. For those unfamiliar with Cirrus Bay, their strength is certainly in their strong melodies, complex and often unorthodox chord progressions, and subtle arrangements, for whom this album is a great introduction. Highly recommended!