Collins' Fade offers a range of emotional tracks that move seamlessly from hammering anger ("Loud") to painfully pretty lines that want to keep replaying in your mind long after the end of the disc ("Rise, Set, Fall). Strings on "Lake George 1983" and the title track deepen the textures even more, giving the album's slate of original compositions a dreamy, cinematic feel.

Even the music feels narrative, like the unyielding counterpoint in "Stop or I'll Throw My Keys," which forges ahead for bars and bars with the same level of propulsion, refusing to climax or let one melody have the last word.

Meanwhile, the pensive and beautiful "Cave Dweller" evokes a head-down, heavy-heartedness that makes being out fron a lonely endeavor for the vibes. But Collins' loneliness is the listener's treat.

- Jennifer Odell (DOWNBEAT Magazine, April 2009)

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