Secret's Out on Hillside Concerts

The Musical Twilight Evenings at Cloudehill are one of Melbourne's best-kept secrets. A series of concert and garden-art exhibitions run annually from December to March. On Saturday, the a cappella group Coco's Lunch filled the bill. This group of five women is a national treasure. Instinctive musicality, intuitive ensemble, irrepressible rhythmical vitality and impeccable intonation are their hallmarks. They encompass a surprisingly wide vocal range, from angelic heights right down to a warm, "chocolaty" bass line when needed. Jazz, blues and ethnic influences infuse their style, but are fashioned into something entirely their own. Works such as Shifting Time, A Whole New Way of Getting Dressed and Unreserved are testimony to bold originality as well as a superbly blended, harmonious sound, which still allows room to highlight the distinctive timbres of the individual voices.

The Herald Sun
Monday February 25, 2002
Reviewer: Johanna Selleck