Presence - Presence (1976)

Absolutely precious 5-star UK progressive folkrock materpiece from 4-guy 1-girl outfit.  A distinctly British sounding record that combines the usual folk and rock gear with such instruments as mandolin, recorder, bongos, harmonica, organ, Chinese finger cymbals and African pottery drums.  The group's progressive angle is revealed through shifts in tempo, mood and dynmaics, as heard on 'Moment Of You', 'Turning Point' and 'God Is Love'.  Skillful acoustic presence throughout, plus a couple nice electric guitar solos that step in to accentuate the rock angle.  Artful use of percussion adds an edge to several songs.  'Break Down The Walls', 'Peace' and 'Presence' are all lovely delicate acoustic ballads.  'All For You' flows gently along to a wistful melody, while the recorder-backed 'Shepherd Song' fashions a hauntingly beautiful Cletic mood.  'Laws Of God' is passionately strummed, while 'Children' and 'Prayer' supply playful mandolin folk.  Charming fragile from-the-heart vocals (both male and female), coupled with creative songwriting that makes each and every song special.  It all adds up to one awesome record, my personal favorite from the whole UK scene!  (Ken Scott - Archivist)


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