(updated 15 June 2003). The long-awaited solo album from October Project vocalist Mary Fahl is entitled The Other Side Of Time (Sony Music Entertainment (USA) SK 89892, 2003). A 14-track collection with a running time of over an hour, the album includes finished versions of songs on her earlier release Selections From Lenses Of Contact (review), songs included on the soundtrack from Gods and Generals (review), and the soundtrack from The Guys (review).

Let's all just take a moment and thank whatever deity we might worship for singer/songwriter Mary Fahl. There, now go down to your nearest record store and pick up a copy of Mary's new album The Other Side of Time. A million different adjectives come to mind when trying to describe the new full-length release from the ex-October Project lead vocalist: evocative, lush, powerful, thought-provoking, heart-stopping, inspiring, majestic. Superlatives just don't seem to properly do this album proper justice. Suffice it to say that Mary Fahl has created a masterpiece with The Other Side of Time.

October Project fans also have reason to rejoice. Although The Other Side of Time is more orchestral and "folksy" in flavor, the breathtaking melodies of Mary's songs call to mind the best of October Project. While it is hard to forgive Sony for letting October Project go in the first place, we can almost let Sony off the hook for signing Mary Fahl as a solo artist.

So what is it that makes this album so special? First, the production and mixing (Jeffrey Lesser) are impeccable. Mary's voice is so strangely moving and nuanced that it deserves the best sort of studio recording--and fortunately Ms. Fahl's voice sounds like perfection on this album. Second, the vast array of instrumentation featured on the album (including guitars, keyboards, drums, and orchestra) are beautifully recorded and mixed. Third, Mary and her co-writers are expertly skilled at writing incredible music and eloquent lyrics. Combine all of these factors together, and what emerges is one of the best albums to be released this year.

With dramatic and sweeping songs like "In the Great Unknown," "Going Home" from the motion picture Gods and Generals and "The Other Side of Time," Mary expertly pulls the heartstrings, drawing forth a variety of emotions ranging from the poignant to the exultant. In fact, it is hard not to completely loose one's sense of the present when listening to "The Other Side of Time." In addition to these filmesque tracks, Ms. Fahl wisely adds dashes of the exotic with the middle-eastern tinged "Ben Aindi Habibi," whose lyrics are based upon Moorish erotic poetry, and the Donizetti favorite "Una Furtiva Lagrima." Mary even displays her Americana/British Isles folk influences in the jaunty "Annie, Roll Down Your Window," which is about Mary's relationship with her sister.

Like an ever-present beacon, Mary's sublime and unique voice carries the listener on myriad journeys. Enough good cannot be said about The Other Side of Time or Mary's singular and blessed voice. This is an album that deserves to go down in history as a classic. We can confidently predict that "The Other Side of Time" will be listened to by those who appreciate superb music now and far into the future. Get this album and cherish it!--JustinElswick

Read further reviews, listen to soundbites and order the album from amazon.comhere.An album whose exploration is worth a trans-Atlantic journey, Mary Fahl's long-awaited debut is clearly a must-listen!