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CD066:   New Dawn, an exceptionally fine album of 12 originals penned by the guitarists Neil Stacey and Dominic Miller; is a hymn to the primacy of melody. The fact that two of Miller's tracks were co-written with Sting will undoubtedly create an even wider platform for the album (Miller has been guitarist with Sting's band for 18 years, so it's probably about time he called in a favour)! Introspective yet quietly magnetic, the duo succeed in really getting inside the melodic line, exploring its potentially endless possibilities rather than treating it as a mere prelude to empty pyrotechnics. The title track exudes a distinctly filmic moodiness, its sense of scale and loneliness, its stasis and approach to silence (in particular the wonderfully pregnant pause before the final chord) setting it quite apart from your conventional opener. 'Rush Hour' on the other hand takes the listener on a panoramic tour of guitar techniques: quick-fire unison sixteenth note passages, percussive syncopations rebounding off the beat and subtle washes of guitar synth which serve to underline the sudden appearance of a sun-kissed melody that would have had Jobim nodding in approval. Jazzwise Magazine September 2002

"sounds great....hard to imagine how you are doing all that! .....you are an excellent musician" Pat Metheny - usa

"Neil Staceys new album 'Leave it to Last' takes his mastery of the acoustic guitar and composition to even greater levels. It really is a stunning piece of work.” Greg Carmichael - acoustic alchemy

"impressive chops....lovely playing......commitment to melodicism.... a technically gifted and interesting improviser" cadence magazine

"His playing is highly inventive, full of energy and beauty" Martin Taylor - scotland

"...exquisite playing.....Stacey’s exploration of unusual tunings and extended instrumental techniques can deliver some intensely poetic effects.... a miracle of counterpoint that would have impressed Bach himself" jazzwise magazine - uk

"Neil Stacey’s positive and precise approach throws new light on familiar Django material" jazz in the uk - uk