When you look in your history books, you will notice that a great deal of the most expensive albums ever were those that gave you a mixture of both folk and symphonic texture. The most obscure releases could always be found in the rich folk tradition, they knew how to absorb your interest by telling stories of everyday life. People like Anthony Philips, Gordon Giltrap and Mike Oldfield tried to translate that everyday pattern into instrumental music. On Amnesty For Bonny Things And Sunny Days, Robert Andrews gives us exactly that whilst the orchestration makes us think of the better sounds The Enid has ever produced. "Autumn" is very minimal and sometimes gets close to a sort of "enriched" cosmic landscape whilst the acoustic guitar continues to flow like an unpolluted river through the wonderful heather. Mediterranean, minimal guitar sounds fill "Indian Summer" whilst little flamenco-like influences embellish "Amnesty". Then again "Landfall" is 100% authentic Anthony Philips, fragile like the thinnest piece of glass, whilst "Sunlight On Leaves" shows some gypsy blood. In fact it's all rather tame, yet the ideal companion to get through those endless traffic jams! Reviewed by : John 'Bobo' Bollenberg |
