Joe Mannix was between bands "Mannix" and his new "Choking Victim" when he recorded his first solo album. The first song "Silver Girl" sets the tone for the album, with its gentle acoustic guitars and mandolin. The quiet setting emphasizes the impassioned vocal.

There's plenty to appreciate on this album, including more of Joe's great songwriting. For example, "Bellerose Hill", long a staple of Joe's live set, is given a quiet rendering which builds to an electric crescendo. The arrangements are interesting - for example, on "Higher Intervention", the twangy guitars and keyboards seem to come in just at the right time. And I especially enjoyed Joe's typically strong vocal on "Moving On", where he breaks into a falsetto before he sings the soulful bridge about Lorelei.

Joe took a chance doing an album quite different than his epic, loud, "Come to California". This album should find its audience as well, a personal album with printed included lyrics personally copied by hand by the songwriter himself.