I am Not from Here

Chris Riffle sings in a frail, wispy, wistful voice that sighs through your speakers like a gentle afternoon breeze invoking reflection and heart's ease tinged with a shade of regret. This 5-cut EP follows after his full-length *Introducing Chris Riffle* (here) and retains the extremely adept Jimi Zhivago as a musical/technical partner (catch his Casio in February—brilliant!; Eno would be jealous), a gent I suspect is destined to become an influential scene mainstay. However, cellist Julia Kent exerts a sometimes subtle / sometimes powerful presence as well, especially in "To a Dream", her instrument alternately lowing and then skirling through storm wrack, brief snatches of neoclassicism contrasting Riffle's writing, the two becoming a museum piece.

With this EP, there can be little doubt that, of all the last generation of musicians paying heed to the landmark beauty of Nick Drake's mode, Chris Riffle is without doubt one of the most talented, if not THE, almost eerie in fidelities that bring out the best in him and then transcend to new territory, the aforementioned February a powerful testament…with that teasing edge of Donovan he manifests sitting midway. Yep, if there's just one EP to buy, despite a rather impressive recent spate of them, this is it.

Track List:

Edited by: David N. Pyles
(dnpyles@acousticmusic.com)