REVIEWS

"The most striking thing about the collection is its sonic presentation.  Originally held on crackling Shellac 78 records, Wellington mastering engineer Mike Gibson lovingly restored these songs to a contemporary level of clarity.  The results are stunning, expressing the audio experience at a level you'd expect from similar recordings made today, with modern technology.  For young listeners like myself, an experience not unlike stepping into a time machine and seeing a world documented in black and white photos, in full colour.

Every home should own one."

"I grew up listening to the sound of lap steel guitar being played by my grandfather, so when I heard "For the Record", it took me back to my childhood.  There's some classy lap steel on the album but it's Pixie's voice that completely amazes.  It's soulful, earthy and sophisticated.  Amazing to think she was only 21 when she recorded Blue Smoke.  For me, the entire album is a sweet reminder of the past.  Right at the end Pixie adds a few speaking lines about what music means to her.  She says, 'music always lives on' ...

and hers does so beautifully.

"As a teenager, Amelia Costello could never understand why her mum, singer Pixie Williams, was only known for her 1949 hit Blue Smoke. That classic song remains her most famous and enduring tune, but Costello knew she had other songs in her repertoire.  Some of which "I thought were, dare I say it, better than Blue Smoke", she says in the 28 page book that accompanies this excellent album.  And if the exotic and tension-filled beauty of Senorita and the magical Maoriland are anything to go by,

she's right."