Reviews: Port of Dreams Click to read what these folks have to say about Port of Dreams:   FAO CASA Gazette, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Dirty Linen Magazine Harbourfolk News, Nova Scotia Dave Sear, WNYC Radio, New York, NY Robert Rodriguez, WCCR Radio, New York, NY Rock 'n' Reel Magazine, England, Issue No.15, Summer 1993 Paul Hartman, editor, Dirty Linen Folk on Tap, England         "Wunderbar, bravo, great, fantastic, and other similar descriptions." Robert Rodriguez, WCCR Radio, New York, NY top of page  William Pint and Felicia Dale - Port of Dreams "Having been born and raised by the seaside (albeit the beautiful Aegean Sea rather than some stormy, moody ocean) I am a sucker for sea shanties and songs that speak of faraway adventures in gloomy, mysterious ports full of danger and rust. The problem is that most sea shanties are either too "folksie" or sung in languages that have long been extinct. So it is a great pleasure to find a set of recordings with loads of great sea songs sung in magnificent harmonies and bedecked in superbly expressive music.  William Pint and Felicia Dale sing of tall ships and eccentric personalities with a vitality and harmony that make the listener taste the salty air, sharing the passage on a schooner to some distant port. Their other CD's are also higly recommended to the lovers of acoustic-folk nautical music: Round the Corner and Hearts of Gold." Stavros Moschopoulos, FAO CASA Gazette, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. top of page "EXCELLENT!" Radio Limerick, Ireland top of page  "Having been stranded once again upon my beloved desert island, I thought I'd alert you in on some of the music I brought along. I found myself listening to a lot of nautical music (no doubt in hopes a passing tall ship would come to the rescue). One of the most wonderful nautical tapes ever to cross my deck comes from Seattle's William Pint and Felicia Dale. Entitled Port of Dreams (and also available on CD), it includes seven traditional songs of seafaring life, three fine contemporary songs, and a few instrumental pieces. There are songs in several genres, including shanties and ballads, and they are performed in various styles; some are unaccompanied, while some have impressive accompaniments by up to 10 different instruments including guitar, hurdy-gurdy, mandola, whistles, and various drums. Outstanding tracks include the French shanty "Roulez," C. Fox Smith's "Tow Rope Girls," and a wonderful, recently composed ballad by Jerry Bryant about Harbo and Samuelson, two Norwegians who rowed from New York to France at the turn of the century. All the tracks are enjoyable, and the high level of energy and enthusiasm displayed by the performers, as well as a great deal of talented musicianship, make the tape great fun. In addition, production standards are very high, and this tape really stands out for excellent sound as well as excellent music. This comes with my highest recommendation." Steve Winick, Dirty Linen Magazine top of page "Positively Stunning." Victory Music review top of page  "This CD package sports a tall ship under full sail, and upon closer inspection you will notice that the "body" of the vessel is in fact the body of a hurdy-gurdy. For those who do not know what a hurdy-gurdy is, it superficially resembles an over sized violin, with a sound somewhat like the bagpipes. Port of Dreams is an acoustic album featuring William on guitars, mandolin and keyboards, Felicia on hurdy-gurdy, penny whistles, bodhran and keyboards. They also enlist the help of Tom Lewis, John Peekstok and Jill Kennon to fill out the sound. If you thought that the sea never gave up her treasures, then think again. Port of Dreams is just that, a treasure chest of traditional and contemporary songs with nautical themes.  There are sea shanties, two sung traditionally a cappella, as well as a french shanty "Roulez" featuring Felicia on lead vocal, (William does most of the lead vocals). Other songs include a very nice easy listening version of Tom Lewis's "Inside Every Sailor", as well as three instrumentals. This is a difficult recording for me to single out weak or strong tracks, because from the opening "The Saltpetre Shanty" to the final track, they are all gems. If you had the pleasure of hearing this duo perform for the HFS in the late Spring/early Summer of 1990, or heard William's first release Change of Fortune, then you will find that this recording is a natural progression for him and lives up to the high standards set in his first cassette. A must for all lovers of sea songs! If you wish to purchase a copy of Port of Dreams or Change of Fortune you can write to either William or Felicia at the following address. It's worth the wait and you won't find them in a local record store." Harbourfolk News, Nova Scotia top of page "…one of the best (self-produced or otherwise) recordings I've heard for a while." Paul Hartman, editor, Dirty Linen top of page  "William Pint and Felicia Dale take a bunch of sea shanties and inject them with a contemporary vitality rendering them a rewarding listening experience on ‘Port of Dreams' their self-produced CD album. Pint's voice is reassuringly strong exuding a smooth warmth, that is aided and abetted by the harmonious gelling with Dale's vocals.  Together they feed on the ancient melodies and tastefully embellish them with their instrumental wizardry bringing together the sounds of guitar, mandola, whistles, and bodhran to create the desired atmosphere. The inclusion of some sparkling hurdy gurdy led tunes adds to the overall attraction and proves there's far more than the grunge movement coming out of Seattle!!" Rock 'n' Reel Magazine, England top of page "Congratulations! (Port of Dreams) is a beautiful album. I think Harbo & Samuelson is one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard and a great performance as well. …keep up the fine work." Dave Sear, WNYC Radio, New York, NY top of page  "From Start to finish (Port of Dreams) shines. It is a collection of sea songs and tunes (some not from the sea) arranged by William Pint and Felicia Dale. The harmony singing and range of instruments used on this recording are impressive, but one instrument must have special mention; the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument enjoying a deserved revival in the UK and used with great skill and effect on this recording. Their singing and playing bursts with energy and quality throughout; the recording quality is very good but suffers, to my ear, from a slight over-use of studio effects. Best track has got to be "Port of Dreams” - over five minutes of splendour, including Bransle De Bourgogne, George Sands and Last Chance.  Currently on tour in the UK with Tom Lewis, this duo should not be missed. This is professional stuff, performed professionally by two exceptionally talented people. Although perhaps irrelevant to the recording, the sleeve note cover art credit says "Vielle-a-Voile" by W. Pint & F. Dale. This cassette has the most stunning library case picture I've seen in a long while, and would appear to be an original painting; a delightful touch." Folk on Tap, England top of page "Gusto is the order of the day…enthusiastic, enjoyable…" Folk Roots top of page