If you delve into the memoirs of the band known only as Cush, you can truly see history being formed in front of your ears. Cush is a group of musical geniuses headed up by the powerful Michael Knott. To name a few, the likes of Andrew Prickett, Wayne Everett, Frank Lenz, Tim Taber, Eric Campuzano, Chris Colbert, and the late great Gene Eugene dabble in the creative efforts for this one special purpose. With many musical masterminds working on a project, the past has shown that egos can clash. But with this self-titled release, the planets and egos have seemed to align to make an unforgettable awe-striking debut.

"Heaven Sent" gets the ball rolling with a catchy late 60's mellow rock masterpiece reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix while "Crush Me" jumps a decade and soars with the soothing radiance of 70's Brit pop that hits all the right spots. "Angelica" gets the synthesizer going into the spacey post dance era where "Good Times" marks a memorable cheerful illumination that sounds familiar enough to call your own while "The Clouds Are All The Same" fills the area with conceited dirty guitar riffs but when dusted off, brings pure joyous hope.

"Starry Starry Seas" mellows a dirty following that goes to the brink of calamity but turns to untainted optimism where "Arching Heart" adds the beautiful newfangled nastiness of The Who or Cream as "Shining Glory" pounds out a highlight that screams for habitual listens to fill the void of the beautiful ring that the song engages into the psyche. "The Touch" begins with a soothing soul filled mellow baseline adding falsetto courtesy of Mr. Knott where "Porpoise" pulls a blues filled path while "The Bomb Was Brighter Than The Stars" evokes pure musical joy in the dirtiest of Bob Dylan fashion. "The Smallest Part" situates the disc to a close with a song that only compares to John Lennon's "Imagine."

Cush is every Northern Records band (Violet Burning, Frank Lenz, Honey) with a big helping of Mike Knott and a dash of The Prayer Chain and Gene Eugene. I see pieces of The Beatles and Elvis Costello as well as every groundbreaking rock classic you've ever known to adore. This is about as good as it gets, folks.

Take one listen to Cush and fall in love again, or at least for the first time.

- Review date: 4/20/02, written by Blake Garris