Yesterday, I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers

The album might be co-billed to Alison Faith Levy and Mushroom, but this is pretty much a Mushroom album all the way. Their other collaborations with singers (Caroleen Beatty, Gary Floyd) were covers-heavy, song-based albums. Yesterday I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers is more of a "traditional" improvised Mushroom album. Yes, "vocals and lyrics on all songs" (except eight) are by Levy, but her involvement on some tracks is minimal, and on others it's difficult to understand (almost better to just think of her voice as another instrument). On one track, she merely repeats the phrase "One minute and you're gone." Just as Mushroom is an improvising band, it sure sounds like Levy is an improvising lyricist. Half the tracks are live and come from three gigs over the course of nearly three years. One suspects drummer/leader Pat Thomas liked what he heard when she joined the band on-stage and either thought it was too different for a proper Mushroom album, or he simply wanted to make a new project out of it. So he arranged for Levy to join the band in the studio to augment the live tracks. If you're already a Mushroom fan, you'll dig it. If you're just starting with the band, try Foxy Music or Analog Hi-Fi Surprise before coming to this one.