PAINTED SKY

The third in a series of albums from the mid 2000's Acoustic Strawbs trio featuring Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert and a rejoining Chas Cronk replacing the recently departed Brian Willoughby. Recorded mainly to ingratiate the arrival of Cronk on 12 string acoustic guitar, bass and foot pedals, the group once again goes over past favorites, as well as a few new surprises such as a stellar all acoustic version of "The Antique Suite" first found on their live Just a Collection Antiques and Curios album as well as some very good versions of "Oh How She Changed", "Grace Darling", "Benedictus", and a good version of "Autumn", This version of "Autumn" features some washes of synthesized bass peddles from Cronk but is not as good as the version found on the previous acoustic album "Full Bloom". However, what makes this acoustic outing so pleasurable is that Cousins, Cronk and Lambert weave rich tapestries of these stellar song's melodies that almost weave a hypnotic spell over the listener. Another plus is the fantastic vocals of Lambert, who is light years ahead of co-founding member Toby Hooper, who he replaced for the Bursting At The Seems album. Lambert's touching and emotional vocals really compliment those of Cousins and makes "Oh How She Changed" and his verses in "The Antique Suite" so spectacular. His lead guitar playing is stellar, as usual, and he really is the star of this album. 4 stars seems about right for another great acoustic offering from the venerable Strawbs.