I stayed a minute was conceived by composer Eve de Castro-Robinson in tandem with Auckland photographer, Harvey Benge.

The two compositions on this album form a diptych for piano, voice and percussion featuring Auckland pianist Dean Sky-Lucas. Each piece is divided into three movements with suggestive poetic titles drawn from some of Eve's favourite writers. Both are concerned with a similar range of sonic explorations, from the ritualistic, meditative pulsing of repeated notes, to more restless and dynamic figures on the keyboard and beyond. As Eve often does in her music, the sonic palette is extended to include vocalising, percussion, and interior piano.
Ring true employs metal handbell and tam-tam, while and the garden was full of voices sees the pianist whispering, crooning, and chanting, as well as utilising prepared strings (CD cases on the strings). Each work is allusive rather than programmatic, conjuring the sound of bells (both literal and metaphorical), birds, and voices (real and imagined).

Ring true was commissioned by NZ pianist Dan Poynton in 2003.

And the garden was full of voices was commissioned by Barry Margan for the SOUNZTender project in 2010, and premiered by pianist Gao Ping. The title is from a line of Bill Manhire's: “I stayed a minute/and the garden was full of voices”.