Reviewed by Alan Smith

Dallas Holm has been around for years but has never turned in a better album. Concise, precise, powerful and big. Considering that the credits seem to relate to session players, I'm totally amazed at the things that are going on. The standard of playing alone is worth buying the album for. And blow me down if Phil Naish ain't there again - acoustic piano this time. Perhaps the best place to start is with Dallas' ability as a writer. For me, he has this very rare quality of being able to write mirror images of what all of us feel but most of us can't express very easily. McCartney used to be a past master at this. Sadly, 'past' is the appropriate word here, but for Dallas Holm, his talent is shining here and now. As a musician, I found myself agreeing out loud with so many lines. In "just What I Do", the chorus includes "But sometimes I worry that I do what I do What I do, because it's just. . .it's just what I do." Phil Johnson's production really is quite exceptional. No-one is actually credited with the arrangements, but I would imagine that much of it just grew. This is what is so remarkable to me. Logic tells me that these guys couldn't have spent months just playing this stuff. Or could they? There are uncountable touches of genius which single-makers of yore used to make fortunes at. Like, there's a sudden and totally unexpected 3/4 across 4/4 by bass and guitar. This is where the genius comes in. Me; I'd put it in all over the place. Not Mr Johnson. You have to rewind it and listen out for it again. Although it's a bit unfair to isolate individuals here, space simply wouldn't allow a comprehensive write-up on all participants. Mark Baldwin has to be mentioned for his acoustic guitar work.

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