From the ectastic chime of the opening chords of "Living Man", "Wide Music", the eagerly awaited debut release by Melbourne's own, "National Living Treasures", offers both an expansive sonic journey as well as an instructive 'how to' lesson for any aspiring song writer wishing to plumb the depths of the soul. While there are many zealots, strumming for the melodic cause, it's a rarified set who bring something unique to such well trodden ground. And across the rollicking terrain that is "Wide Music", Simon approaches the 'art of song' with an intuitive depth that echoes the best of rock's pantheon of intellegensia from Brian Wilson, to Steely Dan, to Crosby Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello and his sir-dom, the big Mac. Fronted by Simon Starr, one of Australia's most formidable jazz bassists, the "National Living Treasures" is a fluid super group that takes its first twist by virtue of the fact that Simon has traded in the sinuous curves of his double bass for a gritty old Fender 'Telly' and the vaunted place, mic central, delivering his wonderfully distinctive and colourful vocals. Bass duties have been seconded to the inimitable Johnathon Zion (Pete Murray) while the other guitar parts are pinned down, tag team style, by the likes of Claude Carranza (Black Sorrows), Willy Zygier (Deborah Conway) and Martin Lubran (Dave Graney). Dave Beck (Suze De Marche) on drums launches a cavalcade of beats which are sweetened by a small army of percussionists including Tabla Sam Evans (Machine Translations).