When you listen to Alexander Dolsky's songs it's hard to put away the feeling that he always sings an endless average bard song. 'Average' does not mean 'bad' or 'dull'. His images, his themes, his tunes - they are all absolutely standard for the bard philosophy. Some lines are really nice, some are terrible (for example, in the song 'Near my heart': 'I've been gazing into the depth of the blueness and my eyes dissolved in heaven'... well, in English it sounds much better). Dolsky distinguishes himself from all other bards only by extraordinary guitar technique. This release, 'Warm Stars', recorded in 1985, seems to be one of the clearest and probably most perfect Dolsky's albums. Maybe he speaks too much about friends and enemies, about honesty and nobleness, still these are standard themes for bards. Seared consciousness is the main theme of the album. There are no tempestuous emotions here, maybe only song 'To my Friends' seems too personal, especially when Dolsky sings about his enemies. In this album Dolsky tries to get rid of sententious manner and to become an observer. The atmosphere of the album is motionless, the author is meditating. Looks almost like lethargy.

Quotes: Some bard leaders reminds me of the members of RAPP association, who've been chaising all real artists. That's an eternal conflict between an amateur and a professional.

Q. So what do you mean by saying 'a professional'?

A. Nothing new: professionalism is an art of doing your job, an art of being a fully developed person, both on the stage and off the stage. I've spent years in order to master the guitar technique, while some bards think that the worse you play, the better. They undersatnd professionalism in the practical sense of the word: they wonder if it is possible to gain money from it. This word is a swear-word for them. When I visit the bard meetings they treat me as an enemy: 'Well, so what the hell are you singing?' (Alexander Dolsky. From an interview)