May 2007 - Soundcheck Magazine (by Emily Strong)

Folk music, like most other genres, is only as good as the person who writes and performs it. Thus, in this age when just about anyone can pick up some instruments and build a following through the Internet, it is one of the genres to have suffered most from the upsurge of mediocre talent who litter the web with their inane drivel. Fortunately for folk aficionados, there is some gold in the ore: bands like Praise the Twilight Sparrow, who have risen with the tide of online DIYers and make the whole phenomenon worthwhile. Hailing from the Netherlands, PtTS frontman Pascal Hallibert has a unique perspective on the American folk tradition, and therefore has an uncanny ability to cut straight to the heart of what made legends like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens so special while still bringing something fresh and distinctly European to the table. Writing songs that would sound just as good being sung in front of a campfire as they would being performed in a concert hall, Praise the Twilight Sparrow meets people from all walks of life at their level and travels with them to the end, the way any good bard would.