"Tom Mank's low-key Lou Reed / Leonard Cohen-ish vocals have a compelling, spoken word quality to them. Mank is one of those singers who could be reciting the phone book and you'd go 'yeah, there's something to that.'" - Corbin Keep, Cello City Ink

Tom Mank’s low-key Lou Reed/Leonard Cohen-ish vocals have a compelling, spoken word quality to them.

"Tom Mank's low-key Lou Reed / Leonard Cohen-ish vocals have a compelling, spoken word quality to them. Mank is one of those singers who could be reciting the phone book and you'd go 'yeah, there's something to that.'" - Corbin Keep, Cello City Ink

Tom Mank’s low-key Lou Reed/Leonard Cohen-ish vocals have a compelling, spoken word quality to them. Mank is one of those singers who could be reciting the phone book and you’d go “yeah, there’s something to that!” The lyrics, thankfully, are a lot better than that though! Sera Smolen’s cello takes us all kinds of places weird and wonderful, while never losing touch with the emotional roots of the songs. She’s soloistic, but always in a way that supports the overall thrust of the music. Her cellistic terrain includes emotive, whacked-out natural sound effects and high-energy solos drawn from many influences, such as 19th century etudes and Indian ragas, to name but a few. Smolen is a passionate player who is clearly intimate with the inherent joy in taking musical risks. Due to their willingness to keep changing things up, the sounds of their instruments are continually fresh and inspiring, as are the arrangements. There is always some cool new surprise poking its impish head around the corner ahead of us as the CD progresses. It is thrilling when artists dig in and craft a work as rich and vibrant and authentic as this. Five stars." - Corbin Keep - Cello City Ink (Sep, 2004)

November, 2004 Recorded July 2004 - November 2004 by Will Russell at Electric Wilburland Mastered by Rich DePaolo Graphic Design by Patti Witten Cover Art by Helena Cooper

Artists: Dee Specker (violin, vocal), Lauar Branca (vocal), Patti Witten (vocal), Ruth Roland (violin), Michael Galloway (trumpet), Danny Birch (sarod), and Paul Fairbanks (banjo)