Short Reviews [Manna/Mirage - 2021 - "Man Out Of Time"]

When it comes to Canterbury-style music there are few who can compare to Dave Newhouse, who first with The Muffins and now with Manna/Mirage somehow manages to keep producing wonderful songs over a career which is now 50 years in the making. This album is somewhat more diverse, with quite a few different musicians (I note his Moon Men compadre Jerry King is on a few), so I wonder if it was taken from different sessions or if it is a clean-up, but whatever it is, we have yet another wonderful album which contains plenty of jazz mixed in with the Canterbury sounds. Dave is wearing multiple hats on this one, with keyboards as well as multiple woodwind and brass instruments, and even adds some vocals and drums as well. This is less of a band album and more of a Newhouse release, as he is very much at the centre of everything, adding in different musicians as the need arises, and the result is something which is compelling, diverse, fascinating, and full of focus. I have been listening to quite a lot of Dave’s material in recent years, in different bands, and as well as being a consummate musician, he also has a wonderful compositional style which makes for albums which are always intriguing. On the last Manna/Mirage album, 202’s ‘Face’, I said I was pleased that “Fly Away” was at the end of the album as it was so very different to the rest, and yet again here we have another piano-led piece which is wonderful yet removed with the delicate “These Days”. Newhouse produces albums which are timeless, yet current, wrapped in space, delivered with care, and this is yet another wonderful example of his work. Essential for any fans of the genre.