Sometimes you have intentions that ultimately come to nothing; a curse rests upon them. For years I have meant to see 16 Horsepower, the band of the enigmatic David Eugene Edwards, and each and every time it doesn't work out. Fortunately there still are the CD's. And since a couple of years not only from 16 Horsepower, but also by Edwards' solo/side-project Woven Hand. With Consider The Birds (Glitterhouse/Munich) Edwards releases the third CD - counting the in-between dance album Blush Music (2003) - of this project. And once again the man does not disappoint.

On a number of tracks he called in help from Daniel McMahon (piano), Ordy Garrison (drums) and Shane Trost (bass), but mostly it is Edwards himself who understandably is very prominently present on Consider The Birds; he wrote the lyrics & music (apart from the traditional Down In Yon Forest) and he played most of the instruments himself. It goes without saying that faith crops up in the lyrics, in a way that is often rather hard to follow.

Edwards sometimes sings as if he has started to fight his last battle. At times he comes across desperate and somewhat heavy-hearted; the pace, which on average is slower than that of 16 HP, nevertheless has a certain driven quality. It is as if something is constantly close upon Edwards' heels, demons?

Opener Sparrow Falls is a particularly exquisite track. Next Bleary Eyed Duty may definitely pass, but the following tracks are slightly over the top; too much snake-charming, let's put it that way. From track five, Chest Of Drawers, Edwards recovers and he fills the CD with beautiful, sometimes very brooding music. With Oil On Panel, The Speaking Hands and Tin Finger Edwards demonstrates his class, songs he constructed with a hectic arch of tension. The fragile closing track Into The Piano finishes the album magnificently; I must try to put a stop to that 'curse'.