I think this CD shows that Colin Mandel has the potential to do almost anything he wants to with his instrument. He portrays a softer side in "Unfulfilled Midnight," "Virginia," "The End of Childhood Summers," and "Jeni." He can play beautifully as these songs display. Also, "Church of Moments" shows off his experimental side, while "Strange and Savage Tales" and "Count Me Out" have him playing complex funky fusion.

One of my favorite tunes on the CD is "Virginia," a nicely written composition which features the bass playing of Jimmy Johnson, probably my favorite electric bassist ever. But unfortunately, a nice bass solo that has that unmistakeable Johnson Alembic sound is too short! I wish I could hear him play more extensively, but according to Mandel, Jimmy doesn't see himself as a soloist, and wanted to keep it succint. I'd love to hear more Jimmy Johnson, and Mandel comments that a 25 minute Johnson solo would be fine with him, he loves his playing that much. Mandel's short quirky sparkplug of a tune called "Count Me Out" is the shortest and snappiest song, achieving in 2:19 what most other guitarists spend a lifetime trying to accomplish.

"The End of Childhood Summers" is also a smashing success to my ears. Mandel effectively uses drummer Chris Wabich's free flowing style behind jazz influenced folky finger picking chordal tapestries. And the solo acoustic guitar tune "Jeni" evokes a kind of Phil Keaggy mood which is nicely done. Not many folks can light up an acoustic the way Keaggy can, so I mean that as a high compliment.

I applaud the effort. It's clear that he was allowed to extend himself and his compositional style with this record, and he achieves some stunning results. He is able to capture some truly unique moments and moods with his songwriting. Check out some of the sound clips below and I think you'll agree that Strange and Savage Tales is a great sounding record.