Part of Daniel Crommie's Archive Series, At the Waters Edge was originally released in 1993 and is now being reissued digitally on its 20th Anniversary with two bonus tracks. The multi-instrumentalist/composer/songwriter really did a nice job on this release mixing pop, jazz, a touch of new wave, and a healthy dose of '80s Jethro Tull. Yes, you heard that right, Jethro Tull. Those familiar with Crommie are surely aware of his prowess on the flute, and his vocals at times sound a little like Ian Anderson, so when you put them both together on a track like "Climb the Mountain", the results are very similar to Rock Island or Broadsword and the Beast era Tull. Elsewhere, there's some lovely pop-jazz on "Sleeping in a Strangers Bed", which features some lovely sax from Michael Maldonado and a great vocal duet between Crommie and Janiel Mitchell. Both Mitchell and Maldonado return for the Caribbean style jazz of "Shaky House", while the heavenly "Yew (ascension)" is a mostly instrumental synth track but with Mitchell's ethereal backing vocal. "Cool Drink From a Poison Well" again has that Tull flavor, and "Dream of the Lake Dwellers" (great title!) is another neat instrumental, this one featuring nature sounds and Crommie & Co. making frog noises on their instruments. If you love Celtic flavored folk, there's the engaging "Fast By the River", featuring Crommie solo on buche, synths, electric dulcimer, descant recorder, drum programming, and lead vocals. Of the bonus tracks, "Pop Quiz" is the real winner, a fun instrumental that's all Crommie and chock full of wonderful flute melodies and upbeat rhythms.
Overall, At the Waters Edge is a fun mix of many styles, and shows that Crommie and his friends were putting together some impressive sounds back in 1993. If you didn't check this one out the first time, now's a good a time as any to investigate.
Track Listing
1.
Nettles 04:09
2.
Climb the Mountain 04:24
3.
Sleeping in a Strangers Bed 03:34
4.
Shaky House 05:16
5.
The Broken Chain 05:42
6.
Yew (ascension) 03:04
7.
Cool Drink from a Poison Well 03:15
8.
Dream of the Lake Dwellers 05:17
9.
Downstream 05:49
10.
Fast by the River 05:14
11.
Love on the Upswing 06:03
12.
Pop Quiz (bonus track) 03:11
13.
Talk About the Weather (bonus track) 04:11
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