Olive Grain

This is an intriguing and raw musical selection of 21st century composition that has elements of serene drone, chaotic angst and charming eccentricity. Olive Grain is Bonnie Jean Wisnowski, who contributes her use of the melody maker and a strong operatic voice, and Craig Colorusso, who contributes guitar, bass clarinet and percussion sounds. The use of instruments on this album are often understated, but used with Wisnowski's heartrending voice, it is just as well. I was reminded of Dawn Upshaw's voice on Henryk Górecki's Symphony No.3, on tracks like "Red Light 217" and "Fudd's Ride Home." For an avant music album, this was an exceptionally pleasant listen. Somehow this duo, along with few contributions from other artists, managed to capture the intensity of a cinematic orchestral score with less than a handful of musicians.