It's rare to find something this good on a first listen. Then you fear it was just that moment or that mood or whatever. With "The sky is mine" it just keeps getting deeper and better as well as breathtaking.

1. Stargazing
2. Surely
3. Brood
4. Push
5. Burn Me Again
6. May
7. Given Time
8. For the Wages
9. Home
10. Stumbled
11. Silver Bullet
12. A Little Poison
13. Brasier Ardent Theme
14. Ariel
15. Morbison
16. Till You Drop
17. First Day
18. End
19. A Little Poison (Languis remix)
20. Burn Me Again (Cato remix)
21. Stargazing (Thomas Blondet remix)
22. Stumble (Languis remix)
23. Burn Me Again (Wendy Stubbs remix)
24. Song of Silence (instrumental)

From the start of the album with "Stargazing", Alpha capture the 60's lounge vibe that Air, Zero 7, Koop and countless other hope to find. Heavy reverb floats the vocals along at just the right moment along with strings, piano and backing choir that build emotions and hopes up for the album. If you are even a casual fan of the bands mentioned above or dig acts like Beth Gibbons, Massive Attack or Alice Russell then you MUST OWN THIS ALBUM!

It is almost cruel to pack this many unbelievable songs into one release. Normally you have to search through countless albums to find a set of moving John Barry-esque compositions. Alpha puts it all on the line with the twelve songs on The Sky Is Mine and makes it tough for me to do more than hit repeat and stare off into space dreamily.

Using one vocalist this time around, Alpha keeps the focus tight and work the arrangements to not just complement, but take the vocals from "guest" status into a dominating force. Wendy Stubbs draws on her inner Shirley Bassey and commands you to listen to every breath uttered. Wendy had been featured on songs on past records, but they only give a glimpse of how far she has come as a vocalist. Corin Dingley's production is jaw-dropping and his string arrangements are complex but never overwhelm the songs.

"Burn Me Again" teases each chorus into something bigger as the intensity builds and the tension climbs into soaring heights, it all results in a final climax that would fit the dénouement of the next James Bond movie. Guitars rock, cymbals come crashing in and Wendy rips her soul out.

"May" slows it down a little with it's flamenco guitar and slow groove. Fans of Bebel Gilberto and Thievery Corporation will glow warmly when this one warms up the speakers.

"For The Wages" has a dusty piano and slo-mo beats that hypnotize as the choir chant comes in until unwittingly, you've become mesmerized. Wendy then pumps out vocals that chill the spine as a French horn strolls through a counter-melody and dub hits bounce from speaker to speaker.

The album closes out with "Silver Bullet" and "A Little Poison" as the Bassey-styled spy-tinged tracks swells the album to a close, you finally let out a gasp for air and ease back in disbelief that this is a reminder of how music is meant to move someone.

Another bonus is the inclusion of a second disc with alternate mixes, remixes and other rarities. With mixes by Languis, Cato, Thomas Blondet and Wendy Stubbs herself, ranging from tensely smooth, to richly buttered, you just can't lose, or want for more. Usually this type of disc would show up six months after the album was released. Alpha do us a favor and make it not only affordable, but instantly gratifying, since we have both now.

To summarize my humble opinion (which is usually right as noted by my other reviews), The Sky Is Mine is the album of the year. I know it's early in the year but it'd be hard pressed to find a better album from last year that would stack up. I'd say Bonobo and Amon Tobin came close but this is the money. Just listen to For The Wages and you'll be hooked.

~ Dedric Moore

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