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Beyond the top-10...
Enya: A Day Without Rain
Enya's first full-length studio album in 5 years will not
disappoint her millions of fans; she stays true to her simple
melodies, beautiful voice, and rich textured production. The
11 tune set, comprised of instrumentals and vocals sung in
English and Gaelic, are well crafted and hauntingly beautiful.
Highlights include the instrumental title track, the sweet
"Only Time"; the haunting Gaelic vocal "Deora
ar mo Chroi"; "Fallen Embers", and the peppy
"One by One."
Yanni: If I Could Tell You
This is the first full-length new studio recording by Yanni in
years, and it’s reminiscent of his work before the era of
his "big" recordings ("Acropolis" and
"Tribute") With this CD, he’s back into the privacy
of his own recording studio, and the results are more modest,
but more intimate. My favorite pieces were the ethereal first
track "On Sacred Ground", and the romantic "In
Your Eyes". Overall, a very refreshing musical work.
Erik Wollo: Guitar Nova
One of the best acoustic guitar records I’ve ever heard. Norwegian
Erik Wollo’s 14-song collection is filled with imaginative
melodies, haunting and charming textures, and well-crafted
performances. Wollo plays a wide variety of guitars and stringed
instruments, and mixes them effortlessly; it’s a well-produced
CD. This is a disc that takes you into a wide variety of mood
places, from the dark and melancholy, to the light & carefree.
Highly recommended.
Bob James: Dancing On the Water
An artist with an uncannily wide-ranging sensibility, James
has built a solid career through his work as the leader of
the contemporary jazz group Fourplay, and his solo albums,
which have ranged from pop to jazz to classical. This new
solo recording is yet another departure from previous works---focusing
exclusively on piano, and doing it in intimate settings. Half
the disc is solo piano, the other half are duets, with pianists
Joe Sample and Keiko Matsui, bassist Dave Holland, and guitarists
Chuck Loeb. James stretches out with his collaborators, and
gets into some of the best moments of improvisation in his
career. This disc is a delicate, intimate, and inspired work.
Patrick O’Hearn: So Flows The Current
O’Hearn is an extremely skilled musician, having played with
jazz legends like Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, and also
with Frank Zappa and Missing Persons in the rock arena. For
the last 15 years he has focused on studio and film work,
along with a series of brilliant atmospheric solo records.
His new disc follows the style and tone set forth in previous
works...lush, spacious, atmospheric, melodic, and totally
mood enhancing. O’Hearn crafts his work with musical detail
that often slips unnoticed. Each new listen opens up more
doors to walk into. The opening track "A Lovely Place
To Be" is simply gorgeous, just the sounds of a slow
synth pad, with Peter Maunu’s acoustic guitar floating around
it. It’s always a pleasure to enter any musical world created
by Patrick O’Hearn.
Various Artists: Chilled Euphoria
There is a new movement going on in the world of electronic
music, inspired by DJ’s, digital technology, ravers and dancers,
and an electronic dance scene in full swing all over Europe.
Although most of the attention is paid to high energy "techno"
music, it’s musical opposite is gathering momentum; a mellow
style known as "downtempo" or "chill".
This is the music that’s played after the all-night partying
dies down. This 2-CD import from the UK is a seemless mix
from artists like Moby, Chicane, and Brian Eno. Each CD is
mixed so it sounds like one long extended 75 minute track.
Monica Ramos: Behind That Light
This is not your average Nordic/Latina harp record. Born in
Chile, and raised in Sweden, Monica Ramos is a young harpist
influenced by the folk harp of her native land, western classical
music, and the contemporary vibe of pop, dance, and ambient
sounds. The CD captures these influences in a very cohesive
way. This is an artist with great potential. The CD is half
instrumental and half vocal, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes
classically melodic. I really like the track, "Mami",
which is simply a solo harp. This track clearly shows how
skilled a player she really is.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: BTTB (Back to the Basics)
The multitalented Japanese musician & actor, who won an
Oscar a few years back for his score on "The Last Emperor",
returns for a set of beautiful solo piano pieces, subtle and
moody, with influences ranging from Debussy and Satie to Brian
Eno. The sound is sparce, thoughtful. The first track,
"Energy Flow", ended up being a bonafide "hit"
in Japan. One of my favorite solo piano records in a long
time.
Eva Cassidy: Time After Time
Eva Cassidy lived a very quiet life in the Washington, DC
area; she played in small clubs around town, and had a small,
but dedicated following of fans. She was also on the shy side
and was not known as very ambitious in the sense of "building
her career". To her, it seemed good enough just to play
the music the way she wanted. She made a handful of recordings,
then very soon took ill, and died a few years ago. After her
death, her recorded work was released, and the rest of the
world finally got a taste of this absolutely incredible talent.
Her first album, "Songbird", somehow got
onto the airwaves in England and became a sensation. Time
After Time is her second release. Check out her great
renditions of "Aint No Sunshine" and "Time
After Time."
Bob Holroyd: A Different Space
If you like music that "takes you places", welcome
to the world of British electronic artist Bob Holroyd. This
CD has a wonderful cinematic quality, and is a pure delight
to listen to while in a quiet room or on the headphones.
If you are a fan of Brian Eno's ambient records, or the work
of Enigma and Deep Forest, this record will not disappoint.
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