“A woozy cover of The Beach Boys' 'You Still Believe In Me' feels right at home here. Masterfully performed, Phantom Threshold is a joy from start to its Weissenborn finish.”

“Wrapping the release is Whirlwind, featuring Dawson alone on Weissenborn. Alternating back and forth between flat picked melody and slide, Dawson really works the melody for a solid closer for a cool release.”

“A Varied and Intriguing Set of Soundscapes from Canadian Musical Polymath.”

“…a hauntingly beautiful all-original, all-instrumental set on which he plays pedal steel instead of six-string.”

“It’s kind of psychedelic, new age, blues, jazz, and rock blended into a pedal steel country album… sit down and just listen; it’s a great ride!”

“Dawson creates a kaleidoscope of colors, giving echoey radiance when soloing with the pedal steel on “Burnt End” and sounding like a rural version of Brian Eno with Fats Kaplin on accordion on “The Waters Rise”.

“Languorous psychedelic-edged tunes buoy the listener through soothing waters on Phantom Threshold, finding Steve Dawson reunited with Jeremy Holmes, Chris Gestrin and Jay Bellerose. An instrumental album, characterized by pedal steel, the addition of marxophone and Moog synth amongst other vintage technologies, achieves transcendence.”

“… It’s very much the kind of thing that Daniel Lanois has been aiming at away at over the last twenty years or so. It’s one of the best things I’ve heard this year and it’s rarely been off the deck since receiving it.”

“The album has an expansive Paris, Texas era Ry Cooder feel with a pulsing psychedelic undercurrent. Best listened to from start to finish as a complete experience, there’s a story arc that begins with ‘Cozy Corner’s mixture of sliding strings and celestial keyboards with a slight hint of early seventies Floyd.”

“A thread of pastoral, bucolic calm, runs through the first three numbers, reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s early, calmer days, and then a funky clavinet gives Ol’ Brushy a hint of southern sweat, not too far removed from The Meters’ early instrumental sides.”

“The entire album is of interest, but the closing trio of “Lily’s Resistor,” “That’s How It Goes in the Relax Lounge,” and “Whirlwind” (a Dawson solo Weissenborn showcase) elevates the recording into rarified territory.”

“It’s not every album where you can create soundscapes that conjure musical images of the likes of Ry Cooder and Pink Floyd (and seamlessly blend them together), or make The Beach Boys work in an instrumental roots setting. But then Steve Dawson is a musician and songwriter who has long since crossed the threshold (phantom or otherwise), of what roots music can be.”

“This instrumental album, with Dawson backed by Jeremy Holmes on bass, Chris Gestrin on keyboards and drummer Jay Bellerose, has a wonderfully atmospheric almost psychedelic vibe to it…”

“There are so many different styles and textures that ‘Phantom Threshold’ never becomes predictable as it rattles off references to dozens of musical genres and sub-genres using most of the popular music instruments you’ve ever heard of and a few that you probably haven’t. It’s an album that musicians will love, but there’s something here for everyone and you’ll get something new from every listen.”

“This work defies the notion of the current streaming era where single tracks capture one’s attention. To do anything else but listen to this work in its entirety is failing to do it justice. Different textures, moods, and sounds emerge on this sonic journey from the mixture of strings and keys on the opening “Cozy Corners” evoking heady music of the ‘70s from John Fahey to Pink Floyd.”

“This album has a great cinematic wide open skies feel to it. Listening along, it is hard not to picture gunfighters facing off on a dusty main street outside a ramshackle saloon, eagles circling over high peaks, or cattle herds raising dust clouds as they pass across the plains in shimmering heat.  All these scenes could fit into the soundscape that Dawson and his band create.”

“Spectral sonics abound as Cozy Corner opens this relaxed musical ride with pedal steel spookily overlaying an alt-country journey evoking desert plains as it ventures further as do most of the songs on this beguiling release.”

“Appreciating the whole experience is a must, and absolutely essential in Steve Dawson & The Telescope 3’s latest release of Phantom Threshold, for if you dare skip through, if you choose to discount even a part of this tremendously driven album, the disservice you are showing to art is unfathomable, and unconscionable.“

“The improvisation and the interplay across all the tracks is very impressive, and with Steve’s unique ability to vary the mood on the arrangements, we are treated to a really satisfying feast of rich sounds.”

“…the opening cut Cozy Corner could easily be an outtake from some classic David Gilmour session, while the title track is a straight ride into psychedelic C&W.”