"I am very impressed by Mr. Dimchev's musicianship, his virtuosity, and his enormous musical versatility. He is able to meld contemporary Western elements with genuine Bulgarian music, but without doing injustice to the latter which he feels strongly about and in which he is deeply and passionately rooted. One of the most intriguing aspects of Mr. Dimchev's music is his utilization of the tamboura, of which he is a true and acknowledged master. The tamboura is in itself an unassuming, even almost simplistic instrument, but extremely expressive in his hands. Its tone possesses higher presence than a guitar and with its inherent immediacy provides a rather striking contrast against the darker, oftentimes semi-static backgrounds that Mr. Dimchev frequently employs. While the tamboura hitherto belongs to the lesser-known instruments in the Western world, its pleasing characteristics as brought out by a player of Mr. Dimchev's stature are likely to attract wider attention. A case where a similarly "unusual" instrument has been well received by international audiences.

"Thomas G. Ringmayr"

AMG EXPERT REVIEW And the artists here are certainly of this ilk, using their considerable talents not only to perform what is recognizably Bulgarian folk music, but also to get into styles of music that, although pleasantly evocative of folk, blues, and acoustic jazz, don't really fit neatly into any one slot. The listener looking for an easy-to-categorize CD subject may also get confused by this recording, as the music featured on the first few tracks hardly gives an indication of the areas the group will be getting into by the end of day's business. A CD that is fine not only for what it includes, but for supplying intriguing hints into future possibilities.

Eugene Chadbourne