Reviews:

The Washington Post - January 2002
KOSHARI "Disenchanted" Independent

Five tracks and nearly 25 minutes long, Koshari's debut CD "Disenchanted" serves as a calling card for a progressive rock band with considerable promise. The local quartet kicks things off with "Applaud the Fraud, a neo-psychedelic ballad that combines pin-wheeling imagery with a layered and languorous sound. Singer Barbara Western has a flair for seeming both scolding and empathetic in the same breath, especially when the recurring guitar gives way to a wash of overtones. From there, the rhythmic tension rises, dissipates and rises again, as Western unfolds a series of curious tales and scenarios. The best of the lot is the after-hours encounter "Freeze." When Western isn't hooking you with lines like "He followed me from the club and pulled me aside again," her bandmates—guitarist Bryan Baxter, bassist Jeffry Cudlin and drummer Danny Ralston—are busy creating interesting sonic diversions. Judging from the CD alone, it's impossible to tell whether Koshari will develop a truly distinctive sound. But for now at least, they appear to be headed in the right direction. —Mike Joyce