Release Date: October 17, 2025
Label: Independent
In addition, there are several other talents on the album,
including Graham Cullen (cello), Premik Russell Tubbs (EWI- wind machine),
Trevor Gordon Hall (guitar), Sara Milonovich (violin), Jennifer DeFrayne
(clarinet), Jill Haley (English horn), and Jeff Haynes (percussion).
The title track,
“Away into a Memory,” marks the beginning of this musical
journey. As the soft guitar lines (note the significance in sound with the
nylon strings) open the track within a minute, other instruments are added to
accompany and accentuate the beautiful notes coming off the guitar’s strings.
The cello and EWI sing their own song to answer Robert’s notes, adding another
layer of ambiance and texture. With 5:51 minutes, there is ample time to
explore how each piece of the composition is built as the movements come
together.
Based on this opening track, there is a lot to look forward to
as you move through each composition. The additional instruments add
significantly to the piece in terms of color and variety of instrumentation.
“Times of Gathering” continues the album’s theme of providing a
calming and immersive experience. The track begins with a tempered approach and
a leisurely tempo, like a gentle warm breeze flowing over you, creating a sense
of comfort and relaxation. The guitars, with their soothing notes, take the
lead on this track, further enhancing the calming and immersive experience.
“Reaching The Field’s Edge” creates a bit of anticipation to
reflect the arrival at the place indicated. The guitar serves as a guiding post
to the eventual destination, while the violin creates its own path and
atmosphere, making the track complete. As they merge and accentuate each
other’s playing, it becomes increasingly beautiful as it unfolds to a finality.
“Covering the Pathway” has a distinctive melodic sense, with the
guitar as the primary instrument, and the cello is added almost immediately to
create a drone-like sound. The clarinet is also introduced. As you think about
the meaning of the track title, it feels like the cello is covering the path as
the guitar glides over the top of it like it were a carpet, receiving the help
it needs along the way. It is instrumental bliss as the story unfolds before
you, igniting your senses and imagination. The guitar playing is very
methodical, and it holds its place well within each composition.
“In the Quiet of the Trees” brings you closer to nature and our
connection with it. The guitar leads the way in each track, and so it does once
again here with purpose and a quietude to reflect the meaning of the song. This
time, Jill Haley’s English Horn brings its elegance to the piece, evoking a
sense of tranquility and beauty. It is the perfect instrument to accompany the
acoustic guitar and make the song complete and gorgeous, like the trees that
are in tribute here. As it ends, you feel you have just walked through a wooded
area, feeling refreshed with a new meaning of nature to hold on to. It is the
longest track at 7:31 and just enough time to allow each instrument its space
to move and grow within the composition. This was my favorite track, as it took
me on a journey of introspection and appreciation for the natural world.
“Aglow in the Windowpane” maintains the gentleness of strings
that have been established in every track. The strength of that is shown in how
there is nothing given up for fullness or melodicism. If anything, you discover
that those factors are present and completed by the guitar and cello.
“Searching for Clovers” is the second-longest track at 7:03. As
the plucking of the strings makes their entrance, the violin joins in. It
brings a new flavor resonance to the overall sound. There is ample atmosphere
here as it takes on more color and emotion with each additional layer. It has a
definitive Celtic hue to it at times and, as such, brings your thoughts and
feelings along with the soundscape to somewhere else besides the space you are
currently in. You can now travel inside and with the music. That is powerful
and impactful. The track follows the same path as “In the Quiet of the Trees”
in terms of its length and constant shifting and building to maintain your
interest until the final note.
“Shaping the Moment” is what good music can accomplish for an
attentive listener. The guitar, cello, and violin begin this journey with drama
and feeling. The cello instinctively possesses a timbre that creates a mood,
with edges of sadness and deep thought. The guitar propels it along with all
its grace and purpose, bringing it to a place of rest, just as it has in all
the previous tracks. Just sit back, listen, and let it shape your moments for
you.
“Flickering of Summer Light” completes the trilogy of more
extended and more complex compositions, clocking in at 6:40. This appropriately
concludes the journey of light, sound, auditory stimulation, color, and
emotion. Every track title has a significant meaning, and the instruments do a
phenomenal job in making each track come alive. The EWI and percussion add an
ambiance and lightness to the guitar’s sound. As the guitar flickers, the other
instruments are the light of summer, making for a perfect blend of sound.
This music will put everything Away into a Memory because of its impact and beauty. It is an easy path to walk through to the end.
Keith
“MuzikMan” Hannaleck-NAMR Founder
October 17, 2025
Tracks:
1. Away Into A Memory (5:51)
2. Times of Gathering (3:55)
3. Reaching The Field’s Edge (5:34)
4. Covering the Pathway (5:42)
5. In the Quiet of the Trees (7:31)
6. Aglow in the Windowpane (4:06)
7. Searching for Clovers (7:03)
8. Shaping the Moment (5:08)
9. Flickering of Summer Light (6:40)
