New Age Music Reviews

Contemporary Instrumental/Classical Review: Vicente Avella-Rising

Release Date: April 4, 2018

Label: Pandora’s Boombox Records

There are two facts about music that I am absolutely sure about. Without classical music there would be no other genres and all rock music is blues based (good music).

So, for several years now I have been listening to all sorts of instrumental music with a new age and classical flavor. This exposure has given me a much stronger appreciation of classical music. I have always enjoyed new age back to the days when Will Ackerman’s Windham Hill label was breaking new artists.

So far, this year has been amazing. I have heard several brilliant releases already and those that are very emotionally moving and cinematic. That is where the upcoming Vicente Avella release Rising falls.

Piano is the main instrument that everything builds on. Vicente is very focused and precise with his presentation. The piano leads beautifully in every track. The tracks that have a real impact are several however I believe the title track and “Relentless” befit their titles. That is the most interesting element of instrumental like this, it does not lull you to sleep, it invigorates you, helps you to center and reflect. It is like you are the canvas and the music will then transform into the artist that paints your portrait. It is designed for each individual listener. I realize this is a point I have made several times in my reviews but I feel it so strongly. Especially when I feel so energized and inspired by the music I hear and Rising is no exception to this rule.

This is an extremely prolific release that should garner a lot of attention in the entertainment community. It seems as though the film industry has a lot of great music they can contract to use in their productions and Rising would be a superb choice.

For Vicente Avella Rising is a marvelous accomplishment and he should be very proud to release it. It is a shame there is such a wait for its debut in April. Just keep in mind that time really does fly by if you have a busy life, then before you know it Rising will be in your hands.

There is not one thing I would change about this recording so I cannot see how it could possibly be any better. Musical perfection is difficult to attain but I would have to say this is as close to perfection as it gets from a musical standpoint. Make sure you do not pass up this recording if you enjoy instrumental music with a contemporary classical new age flair and excitement.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

January 14, 2018

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Tracks:

01. Yours
02. For Always
03. Rising
04. Daybreak
05. Relentless
06. Everything
07. I’m OK
08. Turning Point
09. Looking Up At The Sky
10. Beyond
11. Turning Off The Noise

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

Websites: https://www.terryleenichols.com/ http://www.rebekaheden.com

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

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New Age Instrumental Review: Neil Tatar-After The Rain

Release Date: January 19, 2018

Label: Independent

Website

After The Rain is the upcoming release of Neil Tatar. And it comes as advertised on the cover-it is Peaceful, Reflective Instrumental Music.

What does a person do After The Rain? I am not sure but I know what I do during the rain, I watch it and appreciate it. It is the sustenance of life. The title of this recording can mean many things. In life situations for instance, After The Rain comes a little sunshine? Whatever your interpretation is it can fit to this music.

After The Rain features Neil sharing his equal talents on both guitar and piano, and the usual procession of stars in Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Roads Studios. Tony Levin (NS & Electric Bass), Jeff Oster (Flugelhorn), Jill Haley (English Horn) and Tom Eaton (Piano and Keyboards), who also mixes and masters the recordings at the studio, are some of the talented artists that are present to make this recording a work of art. I have had the distinct pleasure of covering all of the solo works of every one of those folks as well. It is a treasured gift and I feel honored to do so.

After, before, or during the rain, it is all a natural force of nature, and whether it is the climate or life situations, this music can put everything into perspective for the listener. The 10 tracks that are offered on this recording are as tranquil as the water that appears on the cover of the CD. It immediately sets your mind and soul at ease. Water is from whence we and all living things came. We need to cherish it, respect it and protect it.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that Neil Tatar is a longtime student of Tai Chi, for the songs – while varying in style - feel instilled with meaningfulness. Many thoughts came to mind for me while listening to After The Rain. It always feels right for me to share my thoughts on the music I am hearing. It moves me in the most prolific ways, and I know I am listening for a reason. The talent that comes together on this album is incredible, and the end result is an album you will want to hear frequently for the many values it holds and the lessons it can teach you. All you have to do is listen, then the heart and mind will follow in step to make it all come together. At least that is how it works for me and I hope it does the same for you.

This is fantastic music, it is like the masterpiece painting that you have been looking for. One listen of After The Rain will bring that expectation to life.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

January 6, 2018

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Tracks:
01. Gentle Steps
02. Sunsets
03. Reflections
04. When I Was Young
05. Rush Pond
06. Nightwalk
07. Freedom
08. Welcome Home
09. After the Rain
10. Sidewalk Jam

New Age Meditation Review: Michael Brant Demaria-AMA

Release Date: January 1, 2018

Label: Ontos Music

Website

People ring in the new year in different ways all over the world. With the arrival of the first day of 2018 Michael Brant Demaria is releasing AMA. This is universal music for the masses to start the year off right. Where I sit on this day in the frigid Northeast, we are experiencing subzero temperatures. I am not letting the physical part of my existence dampen my spirits or resolve. I prefer to let the music take me away and give me a different perspective.

AMA is a beautifully mixed collaboration of sound, textures and spirituality.

Michael spent three years with his mother while she was fighting cancer. As with many, it took her away and she passed into the next realm of existence. There are many beliefs and interpretations of what that new existence could be. The one we know for sure in this journey is that music can be used for many different things. For the artist in this instance, what he recreated for the listener is his interpretation of the time he spent with his Mother prior to her passing.

All the sounds that come together on AMA include indigenous percussion and flutes along with piano and many other atmospheric layers to enhance the core instrument being used.

I found AMA a very relaxing and reflective journey. This is a wonderful tribute to Michael’s mother Jacqueline. Through his music I am sure his Mother’s journey was very special. He was able to give her some comfort and send her on the next journey into the realm of the spirit. For this fortunate artist, a unique and unforgettable experience allowed him to keep her spirit and memory alive for the days he has left on this earth - all through the tracks presented on this recording.

Music is clearly a tool to help all the beings on our plane to traverse different layers of existence in spirit and physical dimensions. The essence of the music on AMA speaks well to that. The artistry and contributions made by Michael over the years are precious and for this listener, it initiates peace and gratitude for life and my surroundings. Through another’s discomfort, pain and or acceptance, something beautiful and eternal is created, another life and music that heals. There is so much more here besides a casual and relaxed listen, this is about life and death and being reborn. It is about the cycles we all go through as we get older. And more specifically, about becoming ready to come to terms with another life that lies ahead. AMA brings the light of hope and the promise of a new day.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

January 3, 2018

Founder of:

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Tracks:
01. Ama
02. Night Voyage
03. Stella Maris
04. Lost
05. Beyond The Veil
06. Between The Worlds
07. Mysteria
08. Renascence
09. Shimmering Light
10. Arrival

New Age Instrumental Review: Matt Marshak – Year’s End

Review by Val Vaccaro for Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
http://www.newagemusicreviews.net/

Release Date: December 12, 2016
Independent Label: Nuance Music Group
Website

If you find yourself waxing sentimental and in self-reflection at the end of the year, and seek solace in the comfort of soothing music, you’re not the only one.

Matt Marshak’s Year’s End CD is a solo acoustic guitar New Age album with 14 new original songs inspired by his philosophical perspective on life and the change of seasons. Marshak’s Year’s End CD offers beautiful, relaxing, instrumental acoustic guitar melodies with the healing power to lift your spirits at any time of year - to provide refuge from a hectic holiday season, or simple solace from the busy demands and ordeals of everyday life.

As proof of the restorative nature of Marshak’s Year’s End music, it has recently been licensed to Healing Healthcare Systems’ C.A.R.E. music channel to hospitals across America for relaxation, healing, and recovery of patients and their families and to provide a pleasant atmosphere for hospital staff.   That is a good example of ‘music therapy’ for the mind, body and soul. Marshak’s Year’s End CD is also on the Top 100 Radio Airplay chart for Zonemusicreporter.com (formerly NewAgeReporter.com).

During a recent snowy winter evening in the New York, Marshak said (on his Facebook “Live” video to friends and fans from around world), “This time of year I get sentimental, more introspective. There’s something about the wintry weather and (playing) acoustic guitar that makes me more creative…the writing process often starts for me on the acoustic guitar.”

According to Marshak, “the introspective music on Year’s End is a big contrast from what I’ve done (before).” Marshak’s Year’s End CD can appeal to both New Age listeners, and to smooth jazz fans alike.   Since 2003, Matt Marshak has recorded 9 smooth jazz instrumental CDs, with his music topping Billboard and other jazz charts. Marshak performs at jazz venues and music festivals in the U.S. and around the world.

On the Year’s End album, Matt Marshak skillfully plays two acoustic guitars- a Larrivee Parlor P-05 guitar and a Taylor S12 grand concert guitar - sometimes sounding like an Indian sitar. Marshak draws upon numerous sources of inspiration for this CD. The pretty instrumental melodies on Marshak’sYear’s End CD are easy-to-listen-to tunes featuring an eclectic mix of influences from new age, pop, country, jazz, folk, medieval, and classical music, reminiscent (without the vocals) of the genre-bending music of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, acoustic guitar riffs from Led Zeppelin, the warm sounds of James Taylor, and a variety of movie soundtracks. Marshak recently said after playing his “Thanksgiving Day” song that: “I’ve always been a big fan of James Taylor… he was a big influence on me… his chords, his movements (on songs) like “Carolina on My Mind.”

The music on Matt Marshak’s Year’s End album also has some melodic elements similar to other New Age music such as Jim Brickman’s Sooth CDs, but without vocals, nature sounds, or a typical new age production. The acoustic guitar songs on Marshak’s Year’s End CD are self-sufficient – they are aural soundscapes which paint their own poetic pictures.

Listeners may also want to check out videos of songs from Year’s End on YouTube. For example, there is a video is of Matt Marshak’s “Baby’s First Snowfall” with some nice photos posted by The SmoothJazzLoft. Another video features Matt Marshak playing acoustic guitar on the song “Rest My Child” - Matt Marshak (Live).

Overall, Marshak’s Year’s End CD can gracefully bring the gift of calm, with its aural soundscapes to enhance your life for any time of year. Matt Marshak’s Year’s End CD is available on various websites including CDBaby.com.

5/5 Stars

CD Review by Val Vaccaro

December 17, 2017

Tracks:
01. Peace and Joy
02. Thanksgiving Day
03. Walk in the Forest
04. Great People
05. Winter's Day
06. The Light of Spring
07. Leave Your Worries
08. Deep Within
09. Rest My Child
10. This Old Barn
11. Echo
12. Harvest Song
14. Baby's First Snowfall

Contemporary Instrumental New Age Review: Richard Dillon-Ring Around The Moon

Release Date: October 15, 2014

Label: Independent

Website

This is my third Richard Dillon album I have covered this year. Previously I had the pleasure of hearing and commenting on Irish Mist and The Land of Nod Lullabies for the Listless.

Now I get to turn the clock back to 2014 and enjoy Ring Around The Moon. This comes at the right time of year. Although you folks that live where the sun is shining and its warm may not feel the same hearing this music, you have my personal guarantee it will warm your soul.

One look at the cover of Ring Around The Moon and you can feel the cold crisp Winter air hitting your face. The moon shines brightly like a nighttime sun and the ring emanates around it like something spiritual and magnificent. This is something so simple yet so beautiful and amazing…only if you take the time to look at it and let it infuse your spirit. The same goes for the music you hear on this recording.

The 13 tracks on Ring Around The Moon are naturally connected just like the moon and the stars are connected to mother earth and all its inhabitants. I know the joy of “Walking Through the Woods On a Snowy Evening” and getting home for “Hot Cocoa By the Fire.” There is some magic and truthfulness in this music. I live in the perfect setting for this music and I found an instant connection just looking at the track list before I listened. New England has four seasons, each one offering its own distinctness.

“Scattering of Stars” I found quite stirring, with its changing paces and sentiments flowing through me. It reminded me of the saying “Stardust We Are.” How pure and true the meaning of all this music came to me. This is the way instrumental music should affect you. Its authority and majesty just glide from one track to the next, owning the titles the creator gave them. It is just the way it was meant to be.

Ring Around The Moon encapsulates the Winter season and everything you can enjoy about it. There is beauty in the eyes of the beholder, if in fact those eyes are clear and see what is in front of them. Sometimes it takes a little nudge from talent like Richard Dillon to make you see it all.

4.5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

December 22, 2017

Founder of:

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Tracks:
01. Groundhog Saw His Shadow
02. Ring Around the Moon
03. December Sunset
04. Dying of the Light
05. Midnight Sleigh Ride
06. First Snow
07. Dreaming of Hawaii
08. January Moon
09. February
10. Walking Through the Woods On a Snowy Evening
11. Scattering of Stars
12. Whiteout
13. Hot Cocoa By the Fire

Instrumental Guitar Review: Gerhard Daum Guitar & String Ensemble-Rural Renewal

Release Date: August 16, 2017

Label: Tone Work Records

Website

Gerhard Daum is an artist that is inspired by his surroundings. The idea is to put yourself in the right place to find that inspiration. I think Gerhard did just that when he recorded his album Rural Renewal. The cover story is staring at you on the front of the CD. It does not take long to see where the man derives the impetus to pick up a guitar and create music.

That is the first part of the story, the second is to focus on the various sounds of the guitar. He does so beautifully on the twelve tracks afforded the listener. As he indicates in the CD liner notes, each track tells a story. He is very good at that and his expertise has been used in the motion picture industry for soundtracks as well. In fact, he is an award-winning film composer. He also adds multi-instrumentalist to that resume.

I would not hesitate for a second to describe the movement and consistency of this recording. It is excellent from start to finish with no apparent weaknesses. I do appreciate instrumental music in general and particularly guitar oriented compositions. It was an easy sell for me but that does not give an album a free pass. It has to be excellent for me to really appreciate it. I am here to tell you that Rural Renewal is superb.

The gentle guitar sweeps that you hear throughout this album are quite inviting and relaxing. There are some other elements mixed in to give it all some layers and color including the violin and dobro. Those are factors that support the delicate yet stimulating guitar work being presented.

I found the title track stunning and picturesque. It was the kind of track the perks up the senses. Actually, every composition had a value and a distinctness all its own. I am sure that is why it was over so quickly. It is the kind of music that has you saying once its over “That’s all? I don’t want it to end.” And that my music listening friend are the keys to the kingdom as far as I am concerned.

When a listener, any listener, takes in a complete recording and enjoys it that much it normally fly’s right by. It is kind of like a job you really enjoy and before you know it the day is over. If you are fortunate to be listening to music like this or have a job where the days just disappear in the flash, well consider yourself blessed.

Gerhard Daum is a very special talent that deserves all the credit for creating a top notch instrumental guitar album.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

December 20, 2017

Founder of:

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