Beautiful sounds and music to soothe and heal the soul. Your inner being will be smiling!
New Age Music Feature: Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman-Winds of Samsara
Beautiful sounds and music to soothe and heal the soul. Your inner being will be smiling!
Adult Contemporary Rock/New Age Review: Russell Suereth-Going Down the Highway
Release Date: April
7, 2014
Label: Independent
Russell
Suereth’s Going Down the Highway is a
conglomeration of adult contemporary rock and new age. The songs range from mid
tempo to a faster paced soft rock that immediately sets you at ease and forces
you to listen to the introspective lyrics. Suereth has an inviting vocal style
that keeps it all real throughout this enjoyable release.
The fact is, if you happen to be Going Down the Highway this album may be your best friend
particularly if you are stuck in after work traffic on the freeway. The opening
track bears the album title and it is a great way to kick off the album. It
gives you a sense of freedom and joy and instantly gets you in the right frame
of mind to take in what is to come in the following tracks.
Suereth is rock solid on this release providing all the
vocals, instrumentation and production. Certainly this must be a difficult task
to go it alone without another set of ears to provide feedback and insight
during the recording process. Regardless of those against all odds factors this
man has produced a fine recording. The balance of his vocals and the
instrumentation are perfectly placed through the entire run of this 10 track
journey. What I heard was crystal clear vocals and suitable musical
accompaniment consistently. I think that about covers it for the ears and when
you start getting into the overall lyrical concepts I think the titles are
clever and the words follow suit.
“So Different” was the most enjoyable track. Musically it
stands tall as the artist pulls out all the stops musically and adds layers of
instrumentation without sacrificing the level of his vocals. That can be a
tricky thing but Suereth pulls it all off and ultimately has success. In fact
this is done on most of the tracks however this was the one that really rose
above the rest.
“Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)” is a quirky number and it sounds
a bit cynical but I suppose it could hold a lot of different meanings depending
on who you are and how your life has unfolded. Some lyrics come with a message
that is certain and straight forward, for example this passage nails it on the
head:
You
sit there on your faded laurels
So highbrow
The paper and esteem it spells
Must reek by now
So highbrow
The paper and esteem it spells
Must reek by now
That is some pretty heavy stuff for this type of music
and it sounds like it may fit the profile of some stuffed shirt on Capitol Hill
but who knows, take it for what it’s worth and see how it fits your life. That
is what music is for right?
If you happen to be interested in exploring more of
Russell’s lyrics you can on his website here http://www.russellsuereth.com/original-lyrics/.
I am the type of listener that is attracted to all sorts
of genres and to be perfectly honest this is not the kind of music that would
be my first choice while rolling down the highway but Suereth exposed me to
another thought process and listening experience that I would be eager to hear
again. To take someone that is not normally interested in hearing this type of
music and to make them pay attention and actually enjoy the experience is quite
an accomplishment in my estimation.
Going
Down the Highway is a good album worth more than just one
listen. There is a lot more here besides the music that will get your interest.
Have a listen for yourself with the provided media player.
4/5
Stars
Key Tracks: Going Down the Highway, So
Different, Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)
Tracks:
01. Going Down the Highway
02. Now It's Time
03. I Can See You
04. So Different
05. Bottlenose
06. Portraits from Living
07. Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)
08. Spread Your Wings
09. I Wonder
10. Talking to You
Tracks:
01. Going Down the Highway
02. Now It's Time
03. I Can See You
04. So Different
05. Bottlenose
06. Portraits from Living
07. Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)
08. Spread Your Wings
09. I Wonder
10. Talking to You
Keith “MuzikMan”
Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder
June 11, 2014
Review
Provided By Write A Music
The ZMR Music Award Winners
Click to see the results from Saturday’s ZMR Music Award Winners in New Orleans. Congratulations to all!
Album Of The Year
Scotland: Grace of the Wild
Artist: Bill Leslie
Label: Capitol Broadcasting Company
Best New Artist
Artist: Masako
Label: Self Released
Best Contemporary Instrumental AlbumDreaming of Now
Artist: Shambhu
Label: Acoustic Shine
Best Instrumental Album – Acoustic
Perfect Imperfection
Artist: Tom Carleno
Label: Barking Cat Records
Best Instrumental Album – Piano
600 Years in a Moment
Artist: Fiona Joy
Label: Little Hartley Music
Best Vocal Album
Dancer And The Moon
Artist: Blackmore’s Night
Label: Frontiers Records
Best Electronic Album
Found
Artist: David Helpling / Jon Jenkins
Label: Spotted Peccary Music
Best Ambient Album
The Shimmering Land
Artist: Meg Bowles
Label: Kumatone Records
Best Neo-Classical Album
Artist: Ludovico Einaudi
Label: Ponderosa Music & Art
Best Relaxation/Meditation Album
Deep Theta 2.0Artist: Steven Halpern
Label: Inner Peace Music
Best Chill/Groove Album
Below Zero
Artist: Bryan Carrigan
Label: Peonies Music
Best World Album
The Maiden of Stonehenge
Artist: Michael Brant DeMaria
Label: Ontos Music
Best Native American Album
Hidden Journey
Artist: Scott August
Label: Cedar Mesa Music
Best Holiday Album
What the Winter Said
Artist: Katheryn Kaye
Label: Overland Mountain Music
Lifetime Acheivement Award
Steven Halpern
New Age Instrumental Review: Jennifer DeFrayne-By a Wire
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Label: Little Hartley Music
“Hope Floats” is a
melodious vision of the inner light that shines within us all. It illuminates
our hearts in the darkest nights of the soul. Hope helps us turn from the
shadows and bear up in the face of despair. As I listened to this piece, I
couldn’t help but think of what it must have been like to have the ability to
play music taken away by a stroke and have to learn the basic living functions
all over again. The force of will and sheer determination to embrace the world
and turn her skill into helping others is a lighthouse in the storm for not
just her, but anyone who has suffered a trauma as DeFrayne has. Do hard things.
Make a difference. Each note is a victory. Each finger stroke a poke in the eye
to giving up.
“By a Wire” is a journey from the bottom of a dark well.
Melodious and inspiring, this piece illustrates the will to prevail over some
of life’s toughest situations. Indeed, sometimes we are only hanging on by a
wire, swinging in the wind with nothing to catch us if we fall. DeFrayne hung
on Tarzan style and came out swinging. Her music became the route she had taken
most of her life-she used it to bring herself back from the brink of despair
and uses it to help others do the same. This piece is artful and the
composition one of beauty and substance.
“Sunrise to Sunset” is a walk on the beach. It is lifting
your face to the sky, heart joyful just to be alive and here. Right now. It is
letting your toes squish in the wet sand and letting the tide rush over your
ankles. Golden rays of sunshine warm your cheeks as the waves of piano music
drift over you like water. Elements of French horn add eloquence to the piece
that makes it resonate. The dusk comes but you are no longer afraid of the
night. You walk on into whatever will come, secure in your place in this world.
The music tapers to a close and you smile.
DeFrayne spans the emotional range with By a Wire. Her music speaks of the
deepest parts of our souls as human beings. After suffering the loss of family
members and a debilitating stroke while she was a young mother, DeFrayne lost
the ability to coordinate her fingers with the music in her mind. She was
determined to grab onto her life’s blood and reclaim it as her own and now with
By a Wire she has done just that.
This debut album is one that shows just what a person can do if they believe
enough. Love really can set you free.
4.5/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Hope Floats, By a Wire, Sunrise to Sunset
Dana Wright, Sr. Staff
Writer New Age Music Reviews
May 22, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Instrumental Piano/New Age/Classical Review: Tim Neumark-Storm
Release Date: April
2014
Label: Indie
Tim Neumark
creates a Storm of emotions with his
piano on his recent release. The CD includes 12 tracks that were released as
singles from 2013 to 2014. The artist has released four previous albums and now
introduces a beautiful tapestry of emotions and tastes through his talented
fingers.
Neumark’s focus is the range of emotions that include
anger and heartbreak and all of the situations that arise during those
feelings. The list is long for the human condition and although the atmospheres
created have a laid back sad tone to them, the beauty of each track is easy to
recognize. This man is tremendously talented. His special touch and classical
new age sounds will soothe and heal a soul just waiting for that moment to
arrive.
As Neumark explains on his website…There is a different
mood than previous albums, Storm
contains almost all minor tracks, reaching a deeper emotional depth including
both anger and heartbreak. In an era where individual tracks are the norm, Storm was composed as a single project
that's meant to be experienced from the first track to the last, while also
providing tracks that are memorable enough to stand alone.
I felt using that passage encapsulates what you will get
while listening to Storm. Right from
the door opener to your soul “Anticipation,” it sets the mood instantly. Anticipation
eventually leads to “Transitions” then to the solace and grace of the heaven
sent “Meditation: Calm.” Every track gently nudges you in the right direction
while inviting the healing process to begin.
What I enjoyed most about this album was its utter
simplicity. The effect is direct and stunning. This is indeed a most beautiful Storm that you will want to experience
over and over. Neumark’s classical influences are everywhere on this recording
yet he is able to introduce it all with a new age flare and precision that
serves a higher purpose. Music so expressive and elegant definitely can be your
own private Chicken Soup For The Soul.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
5/5
Stars
Tracks:
01.Anticipation
02.Ice
03.See You Soon
04.Setting Sail
05.Stolen
06.Transitions
07.Meditation: Calm
08.Storm
09.Waiting
10.Adrift
11.Forgiveness
12.Peace
01.Anticipation
02.Ice
03.See You Soon
04.Setting Sail
05.Stolen
06.Transitions
07.Meditation: Calm
08.Storm
09.Waiting
10.Adrift
11.Forgiveness
12.Peace
Key
Tracks: ALL
May 7, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
New Age Instrumental Review: Peter Calandra-Inner Circle
Release Date: May 1, 2014
Label: pcm
“Inner Circle” is
the title track to the album. Working with the son montuno and tumbao rhythms
of Cuban music, Calandra combines them with String Quartet writing, using the
harmonic language of Debussy to paint a timeless tapestry of sound. I could not
have picked a clearer example of this artist’s stellar musical vision and
application. The light and airy quality of the textured layers is a phenomenal
mix of whimsy and resolute beauty.
“Nightwatch” is a piece drafted from memories of
Calandra’s job as a night watchman at the small village public marina near his
home in Long Island when he was a teenager. Playing his Fender Rhodes in the
booth in between his duties, he was able to get hours of practice, managing his
time and pushing toward his goals. As he made his rounds, he left the classical
or jazz music playing and loved to hear the sounds of the docks intermingling
with the music. It is a sound he has captured in this piece. Piano, percussion
elements, a feeling of walking a beat with purpose all come to life in this
glimpse into the window of Calandra’s past.
“Chorale” has inflections of baroque and sacred music.
Vocals wrap themselves around you in a rapture of angelic proportions. This is
the picture you see in the fine art galleries of angels reaching into cloudless
climbs. The first time I heard this piece I had to close my eyes and just
experience the grand visualizations it brought out. Voices of loved ones
greeting you after your earthly toiling is done combined with light
multi-instrumentation to craft a masterpiece fitting to be the last song on
this monumental album.
Peter Calandra is a composer, teacher, keyboardist and
producer. His music was in large part inspired by jazz greats from the 1960’s
like Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. Inner
Circle was started in 2013 in the Catskills studio and completed in 2014 in
the NYC studio with live players, mixes and sound engineering. The album ranges
from classic, jazz, Cuban and more. Calandra improvises, he composes and he
finds the best medium for his musical voice whether that is a fellow artist or
his own tremendous talent at the keyboard. For any fans out there, this album
is worth the wait. (And on a personal note, the best birthday present a girl
could have. So, I am going back to listen and find myself a cupcake.) Peter
Calandra is an artist seen and unseen. You have probably heard his work in
film, on television or if you take in a Broadway show. Just make sure you check
out this album. It is worth every star in the sky and more…
5/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Inner Circle, Nightwatch, Chorale
Dana Wright
April 28, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Tracks:
01. Clyde and the Pearl
02. Dine's Waltz
03.The Wayfarer
04. Better Angels
05. Inner Circle
06. Faith
07. So Much to Say
08. A Quiet Spark
09. Nightwatch
10. The Dreamer
11. Whispers in the Dark
12. Reflections
13. Chorale
New Age Instrumental Review: John Luttrell-The Dream Exchange
Release Date: May
1, 2014
John
Luttrell is a composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and performer. His
original compositions range from ambient instrumentals to solo piano and guitar
to progressive rock. He is the founder of OtterSong Records and Atmospheric
Music and he has a series of solo releases as well as group projects that has
released over the years. John has written the score and created
original soundtrack music for several films, documentaries, and multimedia
projects.
Label: Independent
The
Dream Exchange is his new release and the best way to
describe what you will hear is auditory bliss and atmospheres to set the mind,
body and soul at ease, a literal musical cloud of beauty and grace. All tracks are
composed, performed, and produced by John Luttrell, except “Interstellar Dust”
co-written by John Luttrell and David Veirs and the album mastering is by Bryan
Carrigan.
For those interested in gear here is a list of what John
used on the recording:
Guitars - Fender Strat w/Roland GR-55 Guitar Synth and
Digitech RP7, Line6 Variax 600 w/Line6 Pod XT, Gibson SJ Kristofferson
acoustic, Aria AK-75 classical acoustic, Alamo Fiesta electric, various
mandolins and ethnic stringed instruments.
Keyboards - Alesis QS7, Arturia KeyLab 61, Sequential
Circuits SixTrak, Moog/Realistic MG-1, Alesis Quadrasynth S4.
Effects - Zoom Studio 1201, Behringer Composer Pro-XL,
Boss Flanger.
This is new age instrumental having one of its finest
hours. As an individual that appreciates many types of instrumental recordings
I was easily drawn into this music. The other factor that I find very appealing
is the ambient soundscapes he creates with keyboards and guitars accentuated by
many other sounds that color the music so beautifully. The relaxing tones and
colors give you immediate pleasure and provide a release valve for any tension
or stress that you may be feeling. Any negativity that may be surrounding you
or taking space inside your head will melt away like butter dripping off a hot
muffin right out of the oven.
In and around the tracks are the sounds of nature as well
- tweeting birds and the whispering winds beckoning you away, anywhere your
heart may desire. You are invited to a place of peace and rest for your soul as
your ears are enveloped in sound, the mind and body follow in short order. “The
Orange Sky” begins the album with pictures of soft light and beauty as the
artist paints broad strokes of sound on his ever growing multicolored canvas.
From that point forward the journey of blissfulness continues unencumbered by
distractions of everyday life. It comes as no surprise to this listener how Luttrell
creates film scores. “On Gossamer Wings” is the perfect track to furnish light
airy sounds that will just pick you up off your feet as you float away on a
cloud of delicate sounds and pleasure. The title track adequately describes
without words what this album is about with its ambient keyboards, gentle
guitar enunciations, which act as an open invitation to aural paradise.
This is music for the senses, the kind of listener
experience that will lighten your load and give you freedom. Your spirit is
free to fly away on The Dream Exchange. The
title says it all; you exchange your worries and cares for a dream like ride
above it all, like a vacation provided by sound so effective that you actually
can be somewhere else. That is music that is doing what it is supposed to do,
transporting you to where you really want to be right now.
Throughout our lives we share our dreams with family and
friends, and they share their dreams with us. If we're lucky we're able to help
them activate and achieve their dreams and also work on achieving our own. How
wonderful it is to experience and share in this Dream Exchange. - John Luttrell, April 2014
4.5/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: On Gossamer Wings, The Orange Sky, The Dream Exchange
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder
April 23, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Tracks:
01.The Orange Sky
02.The Sphere
03.Dreamcast
04.On Gossamer Wings
05.Interstellar Dust
06.The Dream Exchange
07.Somnambulistic Journey
08.Ethereal Raga
09.Away
10.Wandering
11.Inland Returned
12.With You
Tracks:
01.The Orange Sky
02.The Sphere
03.Dreamcast
04.On Gossamer Wings
05.Interstellar Dust
06.The Dream Exchange
07.Somnambulistic Journey
08.Ethereal Raga
09.Away
10.Wandering
11.Inland Returned
12.With You
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