Michael Joseph adds a new poetic voice to the folk scene. His images are vibrant yet simple. His music is peaceful, yet intense at the same time, whether he writes of simply staring into a fire or about a young woman meeting her ex-convict father for the first time. Some of his songs have no choruses, and are more like poems set to music.Mike SadavaEditorEdmonton Folk Music FestivalThere is plenty of vocal dexterity on this album, but what really touches me are the spaces between the sounds. The instrumentation is deliberate, the voices honouring the spirit of the poetry.This is the music you might want listen to when you are just waking up, getting ready to sleep, or any time in between. For me, Taraba becomes more endearing and lovely with each listen. My personal favourite songs (poems) are The Fire, Ti Amo (Cântico) and Night Sigh.BabaCKUA Radio Edmonton, AlbertaMuch like Allen Parsons before him, Michael Joseph is the mind behind the hired guns. The Ridges are a variety of talents from the Edmonton, Alberta music scene, many of whom have emerging and successful careers of their own.Taraba, while nor entirely thematic, is certainly cohesive. Joseph has gracefully combined original and existing poetry with musical expressions that suit and embellish. Specifically, the voices of Darren Frank and Kelly Alanna personify beautifully the characters and moods that slip from song to song in an almost mystical journey.At first listen this disc almost passed right by me. It is worth a bit of deeper attention.Chris MartinPenguin EggsCanada’s Folk, Roots, and World Music MagazineTaraba is an Arabic word that means “to sing poetry”.