AMG Review of All Systems Gone

Matthew Greenwald
All Music Guide

The brainchild of Englishman Charles Webster, the architect of Love from San Francisco, Presence is more of a soul collective than a traditional recording project. Similarities to such projects as Style Council and Innocence are inevitable, but Presence is a wholly unique and fresh undertaking. Combining classic soul songwriting with some futuristic dance/house grooves, All Systems Gone is also buttressed by several fabulous vocal performances, most notably ex-Massive Attack's Shara Nelson, who's reading of "Sense of Danger" is truly magnificent. Probably the first classic record of the 21st century.