Mp3s english garden protective lotion		MIKE UVA Where Have You Been CE-OO7 "WU-WEI IS THUS the lifestyle of one who follows the Tao, and must be understood primarily as a form of intelligence -- that is of knowing the principles, structures, and trends of human and natural affairs so well that one uses the least amount of energy in dealing with them." --from Tao: The Watercourse Way, by Alan Watts The ancient Tao philosophy may be a most appropriate touchstone for describing Mike Uva's nuanced and deceptively simple songs. With the essential qualities of great, timeless music, Where Have You Been hearkens back to an earlier time in recorded history when solid -- nay, classic -- songs and creative arrangements ensured that the beauty of a composition was true, strong, and never merely facile. Uva's songs are so honestly organic that they could appear underdone. But nothing could be farther from the truth. "Stuck In My Head," the cozy opener, moves from the dreamy to the earthy with Joe Milan’s wonderfully ethnic accordion and Uva’s yawning slide guitar. In "Quickening" (which shifts from stark lo-fi to a lush production in the course of one verse), the bittersweet chords are pushed forward by a haunting synth lead; the spectre of the classic Morrissey/Marr pairing enters the speakers as the song’s melody moves over what seem to be the saddest of chords ("you let this sweet / you let this beauty on the ground"). Matters turn from the melancholy to the darkly sensual with Courtney Christenson’s coy vocal lead on "Dinosaurs," and then to the humorous: the risque bossa "English Garden." The romantic and playful romp "This Is Real" follows, invoking mid-period R.E.M’s clean, chiming guitars. "A Trophy To Bear," set within Spectorian splendor, is a timeless ballad of romantic conflict that could so easily be heard, in a better world, lovingly covered by crooners from Sinatra to Isaak. In the sultry "Protective Lotion," the chilly and jaded protagonist happens upon an eager interest-to-be who ultimately thaws his heart and libido with a happy poolside rendezvous. "Fine Once We Start" ends the album, brooding but lovely, topped by hymnal organ, sweet harmonies, and psychedelic guitars cooing over a repeated folk-guitar figure. The songs leave as humbly as they entered, but with an element of mystery. Economical, eloquent, and rich with craft, Mike Uva's Where Have You Been is nothing less than a minor masterpiece of the singer-songwriter idiom. ORDER BACK