MARK OLSON Many Colored Kite (2010 UK 11-track vinyl LP - Produced, mixed and engineered by Beau Raymond [Devendra Banhart, Little Joy, Mark Olson and Gary Louris] and featuring the core group of Olson, Neal Casal and Danny Frankel, 'Many Colored Kite' is the follow-up to his 2007 personal milestone 'Salvation Blues', a soul-searching album of loss and change that further cemented his reputation as one of the true heroes of the folk / roots scene. The opening track, 'Little Bird of Freedom' [with backing vocals by Jolie Holland], sets the tone of the album: these are songs by a man who's made it through the eye of the tempest and is looking at the world as if he's seeing it for the first time. Elsewhere, airy & uncluttered songs celebrate life and nature ['Wind and Rain', 'Morning Dove'] and love ['Blue Bell', 'No Time to Live Without Her' featuring Vashti Bunyan]).