Rattle Records 2010
Poems and song lyrics by Bill Manhire set as songs by Norman Meehan and performed by a quartet with small choir. This beautifully captured CD|DVD set has enjoyed considerable critical acclaim and it’s release was complemented by Keith Hill’s film Persuading the Baby to Float.
The principal performers, Norman, Bill and Hannah, made this collaboration really work, because all three are at the top of their game – the best they have been. I particularly enjoyed the sense that these new song-versions of Bill’s poems/lyrics weren’t a million miles away from the work of Leonard Cohen, that wry humour, that slightly wicked wink, and the verbal rhythms. This impression has stayed with me since the performance, and I just wanted to tell you how special it was.
—Simon Sweetman