AMG Review of Wild & Beautiful

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Produced by renowned songwriter Archie Fisher ("The Witch of Westmoreland"), this album presents Silly Wizard doing contemporary songs built on traditional themes. The mixture of original songs and favorite jigs strung together is compelling throughout, and the contemporary songs all have the feel of having been written centuries ago. A gorgeous Andy M. Stewart arrangement of two different versions of the same song, "If I Was a Blackbird," opens the album, and the music only gets more beautiful from there. Phil Cunningham's "The Pearl," written to honor his parents' 30th anniversary, may be one of the prettiest instrumentals ever composed for a modern folk group. The production and recording also give a wonderfully up close image of each instrument's distinctive timbre, imparting the intimacy of a chamber music performance to the proceedings.