Hisato Higuchi's "Dialogue" is a creation of truly subtle organic beauty that creeps into space and surrounds the listener with a sustained mood of introspection. This is midnight soul music that effortlessly stretches time. Higuchi's compositions are centered around electric guitar and soft vocal flourishes that take shape with ease. The pieces all work together as one large composition, but there is still enough variation between the tracks to distinguish them as unique songs. The guitar work is highly textural and minimal, and the tonal shifts from track to track give an indication of Haguchi's attention to detail. The playing here is some sort of washed-out, sustained blues that is always spacious and never hurried.

"Dialogue" is an apt title for this release, which immediately puts the listener into a self-reflective space. This is like walking alone through the back allies of a city in the hazy aftermath of a summer storm. There is definitely an aching melancholic quality here, but also a sense of hope. Higuchi's sparse, warmly distorted guitar work plays around in a mode of inexpressible thought and release. This display of masterful restraint and sensitivity is utterly captivating listening for late nights and shut-in days. 10/10 -- Charles Franklin (18 September, 2006)