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After an oud intro from Joseph Tawadros Burke's Lament delivers a cautionary tale based on Robert O’Hara Burke’s last letter. The percussion driven The Cameleers / Soldanza works a treat, and, as indicated previously I’ve got some issues with Lazy Harry's and Ryebuck, though your mileage may vary.

The album winds up with the quite lovely Seisia invoking the settlement at the tip of Cape York that’s becoming known as the "Gateway to the Torres Strait" and the starting point for tours to various Torres Strait Islands. As a commercial (though I’m not sure that’s the way it was intended) it works rather well. 

With a line up of Peter Ella (acoustic and electric guitars, tenor guitar, keyboards, mandolin, violin and backing vocals), Andree Baudet (saxophones, keyboards, cello and backing vocals), David Martin (violin, mandolin, lead vocals), Will Kepa (bass, percussion, ukulele and backing vocals), Nigel Pegrum (drums and percussion and Tony Hillier (rhythm guitar, kazoo and backing vocals) and guest appearances from the aforementioned Harry James Angus and Joseph Tawadros, as well as Jeff Lang and The Bushwackers’ lagerphone player Dobe Newton, the cleverly named Worlds Kaleid delivers an impressive infusion of musical elements from around the globe into traditional Australian folk, delivered by an impressive instrumental lineup.

And regardless of any reservations expressed above I’ll be heading out to grab the third album when it comes out (note absence of any doubts whether this is likely or desirable)...

© Ian Hughes 2012