Press

"Over the past few years I have been amazed how easily SJane Douglass has been able to assimilate new sounds into her music. She has been able to reinvent herself at each turn and produce music of a high standard in different genres - folk, country, contemporary and ballads. This time on her new cdep, as well as creating a new persona, she has changed tack once again.

The timbre of her distinctive voice remains, but the arrangements and the style of music has changed. She has chosen to present her music with ethereal arrangements. Her voice floats among a plethora of soundscapes, lush productions, layers of sounds, whirling and soaring in the background, reflecting the titles of The Floating Song and Cliffs and Sea.

The lead track, Waterwall is the standout: a lilting melody over a steady pulsating rhythm telling the story of the 2004 Tsunami that affected S.E. Asia. The sublime sounds of a simple grand piano introduces the second track, The Floating Song, that has a nod to country music with the use of pedal steel. Cliffs and Sea, that uses a quotation of artist Joy Hester as the theme for the song, is brushed with multi-guitar tracking in the style of one of Douglass's influences, Daniel Lanois.

The final track, Once Upon A Time, has a terrific, but subtle instrumental hook that adds a little magic. The production is once again superb. I had difficulty in understanding the lyrics, but on this recording the emphasis is the use of her voice as an instrument, so this complaint is not much of a worry.

It is interesting that SJane has not used her personal name on any of her previously recorded work, using monikers such as 'The Gathering' (2002), and 'The other Side' (1999-), for her recordings. Again she has avoided using her real name.

Douglass has indicated she has plans for her next recording, so it will be interesting to hear what she has in store. Whatever, it's time SJane became more exposed to a wider audience."

-- (Chris Spencer, Compiler of Who's Who of Australian Rock)