Alesa Lajana - Secret Garden

Alesa Lajana - Secret Garden

2010, Alesa Lajana

We were lucky enough to become acquainted with Australia’s Alesa Lajana last year by way of her debut album, Celtic Gypsy.  Lajana shows a remarkable depth of talent, not only as a singer and songwriter but as a guitarist.  It’s rare to find an artist who shows virtuosic tendencies in three distinct areas, but Lajana is very much the real deal.  Alesa Lajana recently released her sophomore album, Secret Garden, building on the utter beauty first unleashed on Celtic Gypsy.

Secret Garden opens with “Lightning Ridge”, a baroque Americana composition with an unusual mix of sounds.  Lajana doesn’t ease into the album, blending highly complex musical ideas into the guitar part juxtaposed against a darkly beautiful vocal line.  There is a sense of mystery and foreboding here, making “Lightning Ridge” an intriguing and vaguely unsettling start.  “Brolgas Dance” is a beautiful composition infused with a light dance beat.  Lajana sets her voice against a lush electronic/acoustic arrangement that speaks of tension, release and the mystery of nature.  We get the full flavor of Lajana’s guitar skills on “Umubathina (Rain Falling)”, an extremely complex and inspired solo piece that retains a clear theme in spite of its intricacy. 

“Secret Garden” again finds Lajana playing her voice against her guitar, with an ethereal melody dancing over a dark and complex guitar Spanish/classical guitar hybrid.  This is one of Lajana’s finest moments in her short career, which is actually saying quite a lot.  “Get Me Out Of Here” is a kiss off song swept in baroque armament and honed to soft edges with Lajana’s guitar strings.  The mix of power, beauty and grace here is stunning.  “Wild Flower” is a song of longing with intricate and articulate guitar work.  The introduction of strings here is a delicate touch that finishes the song off perfectly.  Lajana busts out a country/Appalachia feel on “The Blind Heart”.  In a sign that Lajana might keep topping herself “The Blind Heart” is easily the best work on the album.  The instrumentation is amazing; giving the song a subtle and refined but incessant feel that can’t be ignored.  Lajana shapes words into pictures like a sculptor working with clay.  “The Owl The Fairy & The Grasshopper” is a dark musical poem constructed with layered sounds and dark edges against a light and airy vocal line.  The instrumental work here is brilliant.  Lajana closes with “Notnehs Monster”, an out-of-the-box guitar instrumental that would make William Ackerman proud.

Alesa Lajana is one of the most impressive, all-around artists to have graced this page in the almost three years we’ve been up and running.  Working in the unusual musical milieu than runs where classical, new age, Americana, Celtic (Irish  and Scottish), blues and pop meet, Lajana is among the most original and inventive young artists in music today.  Secret Garden has the potential to take Alesa Lajana far beyond her native Australia.  Don’t pass this one by.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about Alesa Lajana at http://www.alesalajana.com.au/ or www.myspace.com/alesalajana.  The only way to get Secret Garden is through Lajana's sales staff.  You can reach them at sales@alesalajana.com.au. 

Murray Flint - The Journey

Murray Flint - The Journey
2010, Murray Flint

Murray Flint was called to the guitar like many teenage boys. Strapping on the six string and emulating rock n roll heroes comes naturally to some, and Flint spent sixteen years with the guitar as a major part of his life. Unfortunately tendon pain got in the way and in 1991 Flint put the guitar away for good, or so he thought. Eight years later on vacation Flint came across a guitarist playing Fingerstyle guitar, ala Merle Travis. This style didn't appear to put the sort of pressure on the fingers that had caused Flint so much pain years before, and he made a point of seeking out instruction and trying to learn this new technique. A few adjustments later Flint had found his way back to his first love. Twelve hard working years later Flint is a regular performer for corporate events, receptions, private parties and the like. Now Murray Flint makes the next leap of faith: an album. The Journey was released in July, and features an inspired set of eight instrumental pieces that might make you wonder about the dreams you've left behind.

The Journey opens with the frenetic fingerstyle of "The Matrix". Flint flashes dexterity and speed that are mind boggling in a shot across the musical bow that's certain to gain your attention, keeping it simple in melody and development but more than compensating with an awesome display of technical skill. "Breeze Blues" is something of a jazz/blues hybrid with a bid of William Ackerman-esque ambience thrown in for good measure. Flint weaves a sordid and sorry tale here in the strings, evoking a modicum of theatricality and an intense, lovely melody in the process. Occasionally Flint breaks out in a riff that soars like a voice leaping out of the instrumentation, a sort of exclamation point that quickly resolves back into the wave-like form of the song.

Flint offers a big nod to his idol Merle Travis with "Travis Pickin" while treading lightly in the direction of Django Reinhardt. Indeed, there's almost gypsy flair to this tune, and Flint imbues it with all of the energy and sprightly glee you might expect. "The Journey" is more of a contemplative noodle, with Murray Flint growing the melody in expository passages, pausing now and then as if to collect his breath. "The Journey" opens with a sense of uncertainty, as if undertaken on newly minted feet. In time these baby steps become the hustle and flow of life, the contemplative derivations of middle age and ultimately the spiraling upward of a life on the verge and then passing beyond always returning to a central theme that is both vibrant and comforting.

On "The Bohemian" Flint provides both a walking bass line and a mildly jazzy progression where melody and harmony merge and blend like water and wine. The piece is a pleasant diversion that could easily serve as incidental music in a film. "Highway Pickin" is a brief snack that's more about speed and accuracy than development but is a fun sidebar nonetheless. Think of it as the musical equivalent to an amusement park ride. "Mythic Morning" greets listeners on a fade-in, as if Flint has captured a sample of the music he hears in his mind without cutting it re-arranging it in any way. The song has a "soundtrack of life" feel to it, complex in its course and gentle in feel, and fades back into the ether from which it emerged. Flint bows with "Penelope", a sweet and gentle musing that rises and falls in gentle arcs, fading into the twilight at album's close.

As with many artists, Murray Flint spent a lot of time going nowhere before he found a modality that suited him. The discovery of the fingerstyle method of guitar playing was a eureka moment that has been twelve years in development. Flint has spent that dozen-year cycle developing the technical skill to match the passion and touch he plays with. The musical sensibility on The Journey may not be the most complex, but Flint imbues each passage with heart, and has the technical proficiency to make complicated choices with simple lines of melody, opening up a rhythmic landscape that is only limited by Flint's imagination. The Journey is a very solid effort that's great for a relaxing night at home, but offers enough ear candy to become part of the conversation and not just part of the background.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Murray Flint at http://www.murrayflint.com/.  The Journey is available as single track downloads only on CDBaby and iTunes.

Review: Ann Sweeten - Just This Side Of Spring

Ann Sweeten - Just This Side Of Spring
2010, Orange Band Records

Ann Sweeten is perhaps one of the most decorated pianists of the past decade, winning six NAR Lifestyle Music Awards, one JPF Music Award and receiving ASCAP Popular Awards for eight years running. With significant airplay on both digital and internet radio, Sweeten's compositions have been enjoyed by millions of listeners, and she's good enough to draw Windham Hill founder Will Ackerman as a producer. Her latest album, Just This Side Of Spring, follows in the musical niche that Sweeten has cut for herself over her previous seven albums.

Sweeten opens with December Snow, an atypical offering for a New-Age piano recording. There are serious classical undertones wrapped up in a complex piano part and a melody that feels almost self-determined. Sweeten's play is temperamental but disciplined, full of a fire that surprises. Just This Side Of Spring is meandering and lovely, incorporating subtle shading as provided by acoustic guitar. Sweeten moves through the soft, sweeping melody of Light From A Narrow Window to the cinematic expression of A Light Rain, where theme and mood trump all other concepts. A Moment In Time is a gentle bit of remembrance in song that cascades over the ridges of memory and melody; a very pretty piece. Nikki's Song is quietly dramatic with a melancholy air, with the violin and piano playing off one another in almost magical fashion. Sweeten returns to her cinematic airs for In Gardens Fast Asleep and Hearts Left Behind before closing out with The Melt Warmers. The Melt Warmers begs for an orchestral arrangement, and features the same Cinematic feel that weaves its way in and out of the album throughout.

Ann Sweeten is more than your typical dinner pianist, writing themes that challenge both herself and her listeners to hear more and be more. Just This Side Of Spring works so well because Sweeten never gets complacent, shifting gears and perspective before there's ever a chance to get too comfortable. Just This Side Of Spring is a strong effort and highly recommended.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Ann Sweeten at http://www.annsweeten.com/. You can purchase Just This Side Of Spring as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: HB3 - HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass

HB3 - HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass
2009, Zegnotropic Records

HB3 is back. It wasn't all that long ago that we reviewed The Veldt, his fine collection of songs based loosely on the Ray Bradbury story. After such an ambitious project, HB3 wanted to create something that was simply beautiful. HB3 has played The Piccolo Bass on his last two albums and decided it was time the instrument came to the fore. The Piccolo Bass is an octave above a regular bass and an octave below standard guitar tuning. The instrument was developed by Stanley Clarke and is an amazing supple and expressive instrument in the right hands. If nothing else, HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass proves that HB3's hands are the right ones.

HB3 opens with The Umbrellas, quickly introducing influences such as The Beatles and William Ackerman. There is a pensive feel to the song that periodically boils over into intense movement before quickly subsiding. The production serves to create an atmosphere of a room with wonderful acoustics. HB3 mimics mandolin and even lute on The Kermess, a song with roots in the Breughel painting of a medieval peasant dance. The song is a slow-build energy-wise, rising from a timid start to a sense of whirling timelessness. Haunted Houses is reinterpretation of a song from The Veldt that actually plays better here than in the original form. Stripping Haunted Houses down to its most basic form brings out the simple, subtle beauty of the melody.

Darjeeling Express is a near-eleven minute musical meditation that blends the rhythm of the rails with Indian tonal structures in surprising and pleasing ways. The sense of motion is palpable, as the impending sense of arrival each time the song slows. The key here, as it was on The Veldt, is HB3's phrasing. Regardless of what instrument he wields, HB3 seems to have innate sense for how things fit together, making even the most surprising musical turns seems as natural as breathing. Slap opens as a free-form improvisational peace that quickly degenerates into some of the most delicious slap bass work this side of Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon). Ariel is a meditation on female beauty, built in slowly undulating lines like the curves of a body. This is a gentle listen that's good for relaxation. HB3 closes out with Positive Venus, a conglomeration of two other tracks. HB3 took Positive Violence from his album Luminosity and married it to Venus, a previously unreleased track. The result sounds the rough cut of a movie score element. There's a real sense of life to this tune that is compelling, with an incessant rhythm underlying the plodding steps of melody.

As with The Veldt, HB3 manages the expected in unexpected ways. His phrasing through HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass is flawless. Each song has its own life and energy, cavorting more like children than songs. In the middle is HB3 with his easy smile and cool demeanor, scoring the world around us like he knows all the answers. HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass is probably a niche album, but it’s a splendid offering that should not be overlooked.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about HB3 at http://www.hb3.com/. You can purchase a copy of HB3 Plays The Piccolo Bass on CD from Amazon.com.

Review: Tom Schafer - Cradle

Tom Schafer - Cradle
2007, Tom Schafer

Tom Schafer is New York City born but currently resides in Cooper, Florida. He's an Americana/Blues singer/songwriter with a penchant for Springsteen-esque lyrics and presentation. His album, Cradle, is full of pragmatic, working class observations about love, life, faith and the illusions we gird ourselves in. His music has been played on the airwaves in Florida, on various stations around the US and as far away as Paris, France.

Schafer opens with the title track, a rollicking bit of acoustic Rhythm & Blues with some blistering guitar work. Schafer has a down home, comfortable voice; a bit gruff on the edges but an everyman's voice that fits perfectly in the songs presented here. At seven-plus minutes, Sweet Lullabies overstays it's welcome by a good three. It's not a bad song - it's all about finding someone; it's just done in such deliberate fashion that you'll find yourself reaching for the skip button. Kross By The Road runs into similar difficulty, clocking in over eight minutes in length. The song explores the sorrow, loss and elements of faith of an unexpected tragedy. Schafer runs around his subjects almost endlessly, settling closer and closer to the heart of the matter with each go-round. His stories unravel like an onion is peeled; tiny later by tiny layer. For the listener this is a mixed blessing. Just as brevity is the soul of wit, it's also the key, at times, to a positive listening experience.

Schafer gets pensive on Sweet Dreams For Brigitte, a sleepy but inspired bit of jazz guitar noodling that turns into an ode to William Ackerman without the funky guitar tunings. It's an unstructured tune, sounding perhaps improvised at times, but Schafer returns to the jazz foreground where he started out and ties it all up quite nicely. Schafer heads off on another epic composition with Ain't That A Shame. It's a quasi-free form guitar experience with a bit of an Elvis Presley vibrato in the vocal. At six-plus minutes this one becomes a difficult listen. In the midst of all of this creative over-exertion comes two-and-a-half minutes of musical magic in Sweet Lady. Schafer finds the perfect mix of words, brevity and melody in a love song for the ages. Treat Me So Bad is built around some impressive blues guitar work. Lyrically the song is a bit difficult to follow, but musically it's top notch. We get a taste of Schafer's live sound on Knife Hangs On The Fence; a sound that doesn't vary significantly from his studio sound. This actually isn't a bad song, but you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out just what, exactly, he's singing. Cradle ends with This Little Prayer For Gigi, a solo guitar piece that flows with the slow and deliberate nature of a nascent stream. It's pretty but that's really about all that can be said.

Tom Schafer is, above all other things, a talented guitar player. He can create musical tapestries with six strings that are entrancing, but he also is restricted by his lack of limitations and boundaries. Cradle is all Schafer all the time, and the end result is a highly insular recording that can feel exclusive even to the listener. Schafer is in his own world, musically, creating whatever he wants whenever he wants, but often becomes so bogged down in his creative need that he doesn't seem to know to get himself out. Consequently many of the songs here go on long after they've exhausted their contextual or musical message. Vocally, Schafer is interesting to listen to. It's not a pretty voice, but one you can enjoy; but lyrically he can tend to get repetitive and unfocused and dance around a subject long after the listener's interest has waned. Cradle is an album with some strong qualities and some strong liabilities. There's a lot here for the taking; it's a question of whether you are willing to wade through the rest. Those who enjoy free-form guitar play will definitely enjoy Schafer's instrumental aspect.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Tom Schafer at http://www.tomschafermusic.com/. You can purchase Cradle as either a CD or download from CDBaby.com.

Review: Kori Linae Carothers - Trillium

Kori Linae Carothers - Trillium
2009, iRonkNod Records

When William Ackerman signs on to produce for an artist it creates an expectation of quality and musicianship that can be hard to match. Apparently that wasn't a problem for Kori Linae Carothers. Her third album, Trillium is a breath of fresh air, taking modern instrumental music out of the office and off the phone queue and establishing a high watermark for other artists to follow. A fan of music from the first time she heard The Beatles, Kori was entered into piano lessons by her parents as a young age. Carothers showed love of a compelling mix of musical styles, everything from Beethoven and Mozart to Shadowfax, Will Ackerman and John Williams; even Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and Herb Alpert. The result is an incredibly balanced and nuanced ear; a touch for melody and song construction that goes well beyond her classical training. Playing piano, synth and Native American flute, Carothers weaves magic on her musical loom.

Trillium opens with Crystal Fields, a haunting theme on cinematic scope. There are pianists who are mechanics and then there are artists who can put more emotion into a single stave than the mechanics could put into an entire symphony. Carothers is an artist, bending melody to her will with the subtle touch of finger to key, and when violin or flute come to dance around the piano the sound is magical. From the classical strains of Crystal Fields are born the modern sounds of Blue Ice. Carothers here sounds more like a purveyor of 1980's soundtrack electronica (think Tangerine Dream), creating a pleasing if simplistic sonic landscape for the listener. A Rose's Tale is a gorgeous piece that makes me think of the sort of music Tori Amos might have written if she'd stayed at conservatory. Carothers' subtlety is balanced with bursts of energetic expression at the piano that is shadowed by the dream-like tincture of harpsichord in my personal favorite composition on Trillium.

Midnight follows an interesting path, mixing a pop sounding theme with nearly classical construction. The result sounds like something from a movie score; able to wind in and out of the scenery as an essential component of the picture without drawing too much exposure to itself. The same quality can be found in Nez Perce, with Carothers stepping forward with the Native American Flute. The theme here is haunting and dreamlike, sounding like Carlos Nakai playing with Edgar Froese, as the acoustic and electric blend in mystical ways. Carothers goes a decidedly more modern route on Tangled Up and Dancing In The Clouds. Tangled Up ends up sounding more stereotypical of the new age piano crowd, which Dancing In The Clouds takes an interesting Latin detour, complete with Herb Alpert style trumpet. Carothers offers up a settee piece in The Long View. This is a track that could be a background track but is too busy and full of life to stay there. Rather than blending into the scenery and informing the flow of conversation, The Long View will threaten to become part of the conversation. It's not an overly complicated piece, but exudes its own energy and liveliness that simply can't be put aside easily. Carpe Diem travels in similar circles as Delirium; a Celtic feel pervades over a trippy beat and a Sarah McLachlan-esque vocal part. Carothers says goodnight with 3 Degrees, returning the Classical/Pop hybrid that seems to be her forte (and again sparking thoughts of a young Tori Amos at the keys). It is a fitting end, as often Carothers seems to shine brightest when it's just her and the piano, although the acoustic guitar is a nice touch here.

Trillium is full of magic, ranging from Classical composition to Pop/Easy Listening and even skating onto the ice of Trip-Hop. Kori Linae Carothers writes and plays what she feels, and it's strongly evident from opening notes of Trillium to its last majestic fade. Will Ackerman once again gets stellar marks on production, although he should be lauded also for his ability to select artists who are really a cut or two above the average. Trillium is full of magic and wonder and haunting reverie; sample the fragile yet beautiful magic within.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kori Linae Carothers at http://www.koritunes.com/ or www.myspace.com/korilinaec. You can purchase a copy of Trillium through CDBaby.com. Trillium is available as a download through iTunes.

Review: HB3 - The Veldt

HB3 - The Veldt
2007, Zegnotropic Records

HB3 is setting music free with a sound that combines organic electric instruments with electronic sounds and effects in fashion that might just be unique. Bridging the gaps from Charlie Parker to Eric Johnson to Yes and through Ravi Shankar on the way back, HB3 paints with a broad musical brush that's as interesting as it is hard to predict. HB3's latest album, The Veldt, is loosely based on the Ray Bradbury short story of the same name. HB3 looks to create a musical place of pure imagination and creativity both as a refuge from the world and a means to understand it.

The Veldt opens with Overture (Behold The Sea), sounding a bit like Mannheim Steamroller with Eric Johnson on guitar and Rick Wakeman sitting in on keys. Keyboard, guitar and piccolo bass pass the major and minor themes back and forth in a composition with theatrical implications. Pay Me Pray Me is described by HB3 as a prayer to Eros; the song itself is hard to decipher on the lyric side but plays like a very repressed alt-rocker with progressive tendencies in the chorus. The Veldt plays off of African rhythms and a somewhat demented bit of song construction to create a fantastical vision that crosses cultural and musical boundaries with each sonic breath. Perhaps the most interesting interlude in the song is a bass solo that sounds like it has been amplified with some electronic effects.

Casual Betrayal sews together threads of Brit Rock, Folk and 1980's keyboard-driven New Wave; the song explores the lack of honor in modern society and how it is passed from generation to the next like a social disease. HB3 manages to sound quite a lot like 54-40's Neil Osborne on this track. Manimal! combines Hip-Hop and Electronica with Horror-movie style themes. Manimal! is all over the musical map and is better heard than described. Harmonium takes Dennis DeYoung-style keyboard work (you might pick out distinct similarities to the opening of Fooling Yourself) and builds into something reminiscent of some of the experimental soundtrack work of the late 1980's. Fans of Giorgio Moroder will find themselves on familiar territory for much of the song.

On 007, HB3 pays tribute to Isao Tomita with a composition that runs the gamut Sci-Fi and Space Age novelty. Computers and spaceships as they may have been sonically imagined in the 1960's and 1970's reign here. Close But No Cigar is one of the most intriguing compositions here; I spent a dozen or so trips through this song trying to come up with a "sounds like" comparison and couldn't find anything that quite fit. The closest I came is to think of Pink Floyd as produced by William Ackerman. The Veldt closes out with Lion & Lamb which turns out to be something of a musical reprise of the entire album, in turns. Most or all of the major thematic elements of the individual songs come back in Lion & Lamb; a sort of musical yang and yin that compels the album while drawing all of the pieces together.

It's rare to come across a recording that's wholly original. HB3 achieves this not by fearing or shunning his influences, but by embracing them wholeheartedly and using them to loving create new ideas with old phrases. In a medium governed by eight basic notes it is often the music musicians themselves consume that drives their creations. HB3 takes all of these musical ideas that have entered his mind over the years and resets them as something wholly new and original. The Veldt is brilliant.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about HB3 at http://www.hb3.com/ or www.myspace.com/fromthelaboratory. You can purchase The Veldt as either CD or download at CDBaby.com.

Review: Casey Desmond - Chilly Alston

Casey Desmond - Chilly Alston
2007, Casey Desmond

Casey Desmond is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist destined to be a household name. More than twenty-five songwriting awards and nominations fill her resume, and she's written and recorded with folks such as Tony Levin, William Ackerman (Windham Hill) and producer Anthony J Resta (Duran Duran, Collective Soul, Shawn Mullins). Desmond's latest EP, Chilly Alston is only four songs deep but runs the gamut of popular music.

Desmond opens with Chilly Alston, an upbeat bit of light dance pop that seems a likely commercial radio favorite but is probably the least memorable song offered here. Preacher Man is an intriguing and powerful song about an unexpected attraction to a man of the cloth. The narrator her decides she must have him, and he stands his ground saying, essentially, "only with a ring". Desmond descends into a fury of desire and lust in a gorgeous and sultry vocal performance that's perfectly balanced by the bluesy arrangement. The song is presented in a mix of electric and electronic instrumentation, but I would love to hear how it converts to a traditional Motown/R&B arrangement. Heavy Heavy Heart is a nuanced and mature song about poor self image/self worth. Desmond delivers a knockout vocal performance here flush with the reticent emotions the lyrics imply. Chilly Alston closes out with Any Wonder, a slow rock tune with baroque undertones. Desmond sounds like a cross between Tori Amos and Fiona Apple here and performs some absolutely chilling harmonies in the process.

With a voice like this, it's hard to understand how Casey Desmond isn't a household name already. Add in songwriting acumen beyond her years and you have a recipe for mass success, should the fates allow it. Either way, Chilly Allston is a stunning introduction to an artist I suspect we'll be hearing a lot from in the future. Make sure to spend some time with Casey Desmond, you'll be happy you did.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Casey Desmond at http://www.caseydesmond.com/ or www.myspace.com/caseydesmond. You can purchase a download of Chilly Alston from iTunes. You may still be able to pick up a used copy of the CD on eBay or Amazon.com, but I believe its out of print.

Review: Lawrence Blatt - The Color Of Sunshine

Lawrence Blatt - The Color Of Sunshine
2009, LMB Music

Acoustic guitarist extraordinaire Lawrence Blatt returns with his latest CD, The Color Of Sunshine, the follow-up to last year's Fibonacci's Dream. Blatt teams up again with Producer and Windham Hill founder William Ackerman, whose other production credits include George Winston, Liz Story, Fiona Joy Hawkins, John Gorka and Patty Larkin. The Color Of Sunshine again finds Blatt exploring the lyric and finger-picking guitar styles that have already garnered him multiple awards and accolades in his short career.

The Color Of Sunshine is a collection of fourteen original compositions by Blatt that's very much in the same vein as Fibonacci’s Dream. With a mix of finger-pick and lyric guitar styles Blatt lays down with a distinctive brush under the guiding hand of William Ackerman. Fans of Ackerman and Michael Hedges will find a lot to like here. The highlights of the album come when Blatt's guitar hooks up with the violin. Blatt seems to respond very well to this pairing, finding a chemistry between the two instruments than can be most difficult to achieve. Jaune (Yellow) is a prime example. Blatt's guitar play is plaintive and subdued until the violin kicks in and brings the guitar to vibrant life. Likewise Mars Azul, which combines Spanish style guitar with violin for a chilling effect. InfraRed - The Abyss shows William Ackerman's influence all over it. Blatt even throws listeners a Country/Americana curve on Black Rock Beach. Other highlights include Gray Salt Marsh, White Light and The Color Of Sunshine.

Lawrence Blatt is among the best of a new generation of Classical/Easy Listening guitar plays. Barring some unforeseen circumstance he is likely to be making influential instrumental music for some time to come. The Color Of Sunshine is uplifting and well crafted; make sure you check it out!

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Lawrence Blatt at http://www.lawrenceblatt.com/. You can purchase a copy of The Color Of Sunshine at www.cdbaby.com/cd/lawrenceblatt3, or download it through iTunes.

Review: Timothy Cooper - East Wind

Timothy Cooper - East Wind
2008, New Piano Age Music

While not as inspiring as Light On The Water, Timothy Cooper turns out a solid set of new age piano instrumentals on East Wind. Cooper's latest is a pleasant listen, providing the perfect musical setting for relaxation, good dinner conversation or meditation. Cooper is very adept with the piano at his fingertips, but the energy and urgency of some of his previous works just never quite materializes here. At 30 tracks, East Wind is more a series of musical vignettes than full constructed compositions. There are some interesting excerpts here, but I'd almost prefer to hear Cooper take the ten or twelve most promising pieces and take the time to flesh them out and give them full life.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Timothy Cooper at http://www.new-age-piano.com/. You can purchase a copy of East Wind at www.cdbaby.com/cd/timothycooper.

Review: Fiona Joy Hawkins - Blue Dream

Fiona Joy Hawkins – Blue Dream
2008, Little Hartley Music

Fiona Joy Hawkins turns heads every time she sits down at the piano and starts to play. The Australian composer/pianist mixes classical themes with jazz and world sounds and rhythms in a form of musical alchemy you have to hear to believe. Her latest recording, Blue Dream, is remarkable to listen to, and the supporting cast is indicative of the sort of respect Hawkins commands in the industry. Produced by William Ackerman (Founder of Windham Hill Records); Blue Dream features guest/supporting performances by Luka Bloom, T-Bone Wolk (Hall & Oates), Heather Rankin (The Rankin Family), Eugene Friesen (Paul Winter), Jeff Haynes (Pat Metheny) and Jeff Oster.

Blue Dream plays like a cross between ballet and musical theater. Lyric in composition and quiet in attitude, Blue Dream tells a musical story as if speaking in a dream. Hawkins is fearless in her musical exploration, giving no quarter to musical ideas but pulling them fully into the light of day and embedding them deep in the musical tapestry she weaves. Freedom opens Blue Dream like a sunrise inching over the horizon, illuminating the musical horizon in half-light and shadow. Feeling Sunshine is a vibrant picture of a world waking up. The dominant melody line of Feeling Sunshine kept calling to mind Lyrics from Wicked’s Defying Gravity. Fans of the show will get it.

From The Outside is one of my personal favorites on Blue Dream, with the piano sketching a sad yet hopeful figure standing just out of reach of his/her dreams. Blue Dream is a gorgeous composition buoyed by a lovely yet dark string arrangement. Samite’s Interlude is one of the more intriguing compositions here, focusing primarily on wooden flute, voice and percussion. This song has a disturbing, dream-like quality to it that really stands out. Song Phonique is another strong offering; a piano piece that builds in intensity and complexity until it spills over into a lovely mix of African rhythms, piano and voice. The song resolves back to piano before re-inventing itself as a modern, Eastern-European madrigal carried by violin and an angelic female vocal. Other highlights include Voice Of Angels, Prelude To A Painting and Somewhere.

Fiona Joy Hawkins gas gained the confidence and respect of the folks mentioned here for a reason. She’s that good, and she’s not afraid to take chances in her music. Blue Dream is an epic composition that will stand the test of time. Hawkins has previously been recognized with a Best Piano Album award by the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards (2006) and the best Classical/Jazz Album award from the MusicOz Awards (2008). Her prior releases have all spent time at #1 on the World New Age Radio Charts, but Blue Dream is the album that should cement her reputation internationally. Here you may witness a creative and performance genius hitting the top of her game.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Fiona Joy Hawkins at http://www.fionajayhawkins.com/. You can purchase a copy of Blue Dream at her site or at www.cdbaby.com/cd/fionajoyhawkins7. The album is also available for download on iTunes.