| CD Review of Never Ending Conversation A founding member of the long-running "folkgrass" group Still on the Hill, Fayetteville, Ark.'s Kelly Mulhollan has an abiding affection for the "Art Song", and previous band recordings have included his elegant settings of poetry by Alan Ginsberg and Langston Hughes (as well as American Indian and Inuit chants) to original music. Years in the making, Never Ending Conversation is a magnificent side-project fully dedicated to Art Songs -- a shimmering, ghostly journey through three poems by Hughes, two by William Blake, one each by Wallace Stevens, W.H. Auden, e.e. cummings and Mulhollan himself, plus verses from the Book of Jeremiah and a funeral chant from the Pygmies of Gabon. Taking on such elevated material could easily backfire, but Mulhollan's voice (similar in tone and phrasing to a young Pete Seeger) is a model of restrained engagement, presenting the words without over-emoting or being too respectful. Likewise, the tunes are delicate without being precious, and the layered arrangements (variously blending Mullhollan's guitar, pump organ, harmonica, ukulele, recorder, mandolin, upright bass, bells and myriad exotic and 'found' percussion instruments) retain a relaxed feel despite their intricate constructions. The artist's partner, Donna Stjerna, contributes some well-placed vocal harmonies and violin. A thought-provoking, astonishingly beautiful triumph from beginning to end. Jim Musser |