Showing posts with label New Age Contemporary Instrumental Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Age Contemporary Instrumental Reviews. Show all posts

New Age/Contemporary Instrumental Review: Terry Lee Nichols and Rebekah Eden-We Have Only Come To Dream

Release Date: January 1, 2018
Label: Soundscape Productions

We Have Only Come To Dream is a stunning release from Terry Lee Nichols and Rebekah Eden. The collaboration is literally a match made in heaven. Once you hear this recording you will think you just arrived at the pearly gates. The premise of the album is not about the heavens above but how we have come to treasure the land below.

This cinematic journey is a tribute to our National Parks in the U.S. and the early explorers of the Americas. The music contained here is the most colorful and moving journey one listener could experience in one sitting. The orchestration, sounds of nature like water in stream, birds singing and horses and wagons moving along a trail, are all part of this presentation. You even hear the sounds of the piano from an early Western saloon and a patron asking for a “stiff one.” 

The poetry of Phillip Spevak is included in the informative and entertaining CD booklet. This gives the music more life and a feeling of the times that are emulated in each song. This is all top of the line instrumental music just perfect for the big screen. I can think of some of the Western films I watched with my father as a child and the music that would accompany it. Those sweet carefree memories were relived in this music. My love of nature and the need to protect it also was enhanced by listening.

We Have Only Come To Dream is the complete package - history, a storyline, and the most lush and gorgeous music you could possibly imagine. From the opener “Phantasmagorical Voyage,” which is so powerful and picturesque, to the relaxing tempo changing curtain closer “Canyon Sunset,” this a very impressive release.  

We Have Only Come To Dream is destined to receive awards this year for the music and production values that are A+ from start to finish. And what a way to kick off the new year for Terry and Rebekah, they could not have been more concise and impactful than this amazing group of tracks. I would expect this recording to be considered into the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian Institute at some point, and hopefully as soon as possible as it deserves inclusion into one of our American Institutions.

If there is one album to make sure you get this year it is We Have Only Come To Dream. Anyone that enjoys instrumental music that immerses you in a soundscape and the atmospheres of days long past, this is the recording to listen to!

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
January 10, 2018

Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

New Age/Contemporary Instrumental Review: Erik Scott-In The Company of Clouds

Release Date: November 1, 2016
Label: Independent
I covered Erik Scott’s Spirits two years ago and I was very impressed with it. Anyone with the experience of Scott can accomplish some breathtaking jaw dropping sounds. And it all starts with his bass.

After a long period of illness and his eventual recovery he found the true meaning of faith and resiliency. His music has that kind of warmth and resilience as well. In The Company of Clouds gives you a hint what this music is all about.

The title of the first track puts it into perspective if you did not know what he went through on a physical, spiritual and emotional level. “Nine Lives” squeezes out as much emotion and god given talent the man has. He makes his bass an all purpose tool to create ambient and contemporary instrumental music. In other words, new age with some spice to keep it sharp and focused. The track serves as an introduction to what is coming next and it certainly warmed my soul. It is significant because of the title and meaning it holds for the artist but the music is poignant as well.

“Seven Veils” is another incredible track. I featured it on Rate The Tracks. Erik’s bass is hypnotic and Jaco-like. Yes this man is one of the very best bass players you will ever have the pleasure to hear. The spiritual connotations are evident by the track name. Once the masterful Scott takes the bass and becomes one with the music he begins transferring his heart and soul into the sounds he creates.

“Women of Avalon” (the longest track coming in at 5:45) is another stroke from the master on the canvas of your life. With the great Steve Hunter on guitar and Scott leading the way with his finely tuned instrument, it is an unbeatable combination of talents. When I say tuned in I mean more than just a guitar tuning, I mean dialed in, laser focused and purposeful use of his chosen instrument. 

So three tracks in and I am feeling as light as a feather, my energy level rises and my faith in the process of life is once again restored. There should be a genre called contemporary restoration music. As the music continues it does not waiver for a millisecond, it just keeps offering you more tastefully well done instrumentation. The effect is like the high tide of an ocean pulling you out and you are willing to go along for the ride. The tracks are dissimilar and that is what keeps you tuned in to all the wonderful sounds and feeling this fine release can offer.

You it did again Erik, you are a star among stars, your light will never dim it will just keep getting brighter with each successive release. Perhaps now that he is back full strength we can look forward to another album next year, I hope so because In The Company of Clouds was another chance for me to get to know the artist via the music. This is a superb rendering of contemporary instrumental music.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Nine Lives, Seven Veils, Women of Avalon

Tracks: 
1. Nine Lives
2. Seven Veils
3. Women of Avalon
4. Breathing Room
5. Victory
6. Open Door
7. First Cup
8. Waves
9. The Long View
 
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 29, 2016
Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews