Encompassing everything from free jazz to standards to covers, this exceptional 16-track anthology provides ample proof why Karin Krog is one of the greatest vocalists that Europe has produced. Made with Krog's own input, and showcasing her stylistic inclusiveness, the album kicks off with a tiny looped collage of Gertrude Stein's stream-of-consciousness ‘As A Wife Has A Cow’. A typically idiosyncratic reading of ‘Lazy Afternoon’, from Krog's 1968 album Joy, is almost oceanic in its languidness. Following the deep electric groove of the Steve Kuhn song, ‘Raindrops, Raindrops’, from Krog's 1974 album We Could Be Flying (recorded with Kuhn, Steve Swallow and Jon Christensen), we're treated to a fantastic brace of songs featuring tenor giant, Dexter Gordon: ‘Blues Eyes’, by the Swedish composer Berndt Egerbladh, with lyrics penned by Krog, and the Bobbie Gentry hit ‘Ode to Billy Joe’. Other highlights include the multi-tracked ‘Images In Glass’ (one of two previously unreleased songs), the hauntingly beautiful title track taken from Krog's 1999 duet album Bluesand, made with her closest musical collaborator and partner, John Surman, and the otherworldly ‘Cloud Line Blue’, with Krog's endlessly stretched out melodic line counterpointed against Surman's dancing, minimalistic backdrop. The 36-page CD booklet includes an extensive interview with Krog about the repertoire by journalist Norwegian journalist Terje Mosnes.