R.S.V.P.

A solid album, almost better than the already good Caravan Of Dreams. Very laid back yet always engaging thanks to Richard Sinclair's voice illuminating the compositions.

Album opens with What's Rattlin, a song about being asked about people who haven't been in touch in years. A quaint classic Richard song with memorable lines like "What's doin Mike Ratledge".

My Sweet Darlin is an energetic number with scatting and crystalline piano work.

Videos is a song with a slightly mad opening which leads into a humorous song on certain human behaviours. Lovely.

Barefoot is a short clarinet workout with Hugh Hopper on bass, one of the more average tracks on RSVP

Outback In Canterbury is a didgeridoo almost ambient soundscape.

Over From Dover is one of the albums highlights. A beautiful song with Richard Sinclair's scatting alongside saxophone creating a timeless song of the highest caliber, wonderful.

Out Of The Shadows is a twelve minute epic with an quasi eastern flavour, courtesy of bass guitar and guitar interplay. Opening up with a hymn like section, then going to bass/guitar (all with jazzy piano softly playing and back again until heading into a jazz jam. Piano and bass drive the jam while various instruments get their hand at leading. Then the bass/guitar theme reappears, this time an eclectic piano solo provides an exhilarating climax.

Where are they now is a bass dominated instrumental with melancholic guitar accompaniment.

Bamboo is Malherbe playing their woodwind heart out in a duet with Richard's singing.

What In The World shows a more thoughtful Richard Sinclair lamenting mankind's failures. For me, one of the less compelling tracks, yet still not below 2/5. I really dislike this song and it brings the album down for me, far to preachy.

Replete with fret less bass, tasteful acoustic guitar, saxophone and the quintessential Canterbury Scene scatting, this is a great album that infuses slight world touches with Canterbury Scene for a lovely work.