Waiting For Today By Victor Towle

 

Waiting For Today

By

Victor Towle

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Victor Towle describes himself as a Zen guitarist providing chill instrumental new age music, for me this is quite an accurate description, his creations certainly do have a meditative quality about them that bring a somewhat delicious layer of peace to the cadence of the day, and here on this brand new single called Waiting For Today we have such an item of calm and serenity.

The very opening of the performance on this new single is incredibly relaxing and soothing, manifesting a tone that is very easy on the ears and mind, allowing the listener to bliss out into a bed of fine notes with string touches and strums.

The entire arrangement is beautifully layered with some of the most excellent finger style guitar and melodious structures, along with some creative chord structures, especially so at around the 1 minute 20 second mark, with lower strings strums and a beautiful memory pack a reflective segment, one that also contains a few sensitive harmonics as well.

Waiting For Today by Victor Towle in my view, is one of the most artistic and creative creations of his career thus far, and for me that journey started in 2020 and Colorado Zen. Note also the slowing coda and sensitive conclusion to the single which in itself was also noteworthy. So it’s quite easy for me to state that this brand new single should bring a lot of success for the artist and a healthy chart position as well, for Waiting for Today by Victor Towle.

Healing By Monster Taxi

 

Healing

By

Monster Taxi

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Monster Taxi is the alter-ego of Miami music producer and keyboardist Jason Klein, I have been following his delightful pastiche of musical mastery since 2025 and the release of the single back then called Japanese Onsen, but the history of the artist goes back much father, however today I get to take a listen to Healing from the composer and enjoy the smooth tonal picture it paints for the listener.

The soothing key to start this journey is a timbre, so perfect and delightful, and indeed it sets the fluency backdrop for the entire project. The keyboard structures and chords provide an interesting soundscape, one of a simple delight, and a structured onward movement of sound that has fluency and rhythm that is both potent and enjoyable.

There is also a sense of memory and reflection built into the weave of the arrangement, that while it is subtle, it is indeed noticed by a keen ear, perhaps a look over the shoulder at lessons learned. There are some specific changes in the arrangement to that are craft-fully manifested, the 2:03 marker, a clever transition into a more electronic mode and back into the steady onward rhythm again, a seamless segue of musical prowess indeed.

Healing by Monster Taxi is indeed a fine new instrumental creation, one that fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy, but there is a sense of relaxation and a soothing tone that also floats within the narrative of this very cleverly crafted instrumental composition, and one that is so utterly charming, a new single, a new energy, and a new hit for Healing by Monster Taxi.

Dark to Emerald By Sylion

 

Dark to Emerald

By

Sylion

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Taking a moment to pause, I came across a wonderful single today called Dark to Emerald by Sylion. This pause for musical reflection stood in my mind’s eye and I bathed sonically in its realms for a wondrous six plus minutes of great beauty, in a composition that I rate as one of the best new age singles I have heard for years.

The slow gentle start reminded me of the 90’s new age classic material we were used to getting from artists like Medwyn Goodall and Phil Thornton back in the day, but as the composition picked up, and the strings and keyboards began to operate symbiotically, I found a wonderful pastiche of fluency that would birth something more soundtrack in nature and intent.

The arrangement is carefully curated and masterfully put together, so much so that as we reach the half way juncture the entire piece becomes almost regal to behold, angelic at times, but also breathtakingly powerful and moving, thanks to the vocalisations and powerful Kerani like motifs.

There is everything to love about Dark to Emerald, its onward march is like a force of nature from the Elven forests, its drum beat the percussion of the planet itself, and the symphonic fluency manifests a sublime new single, one that I am convinced should reach a very high chart position and possibly more.

There are many artists around at the moment that might do well to take a look at this release, some take instrumental music too lightly, and pray to the mighty algorithm by producing quantity instead of quality. Here Sylion shows them the way, producing a perfect example of new age instrumental music, with not only a perfect performance, but a crafted composition which deserves all the plaudits it gets, this is a master work of build and progression, along with care and attention to detail, and as such I rate this as a fine example of what can be achieved with a little time and a little musical love, full marks indeed to Dark to Emerald by Sylion.

Some Time Ago By Neil Tatar

 

Some Time Ago

By

Neil Tatar

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have long been a fan of the beautiful music of Neil Tatar, it started for me back in the year 2015 when everything was all change for me personally, and an album called Learning To Fly. From that time on, any moment I saw new music available from the artist I just knew it is going to be of a superior quality, and today I have been proved right once again with the release of his latest single called Some Time Ago.

This emotive slice of musical magic has been created at the new age musical Narnia called Imaginary Road Studios, and thus also contains the talents of two fine musicians in their own right in Neil Tatar of course on his piano, and the legendary violin of Charlie Bisharat, this symbiotic partnership brings forth elements of emotion into a piano based narrative that I haven’t heard since the days of Elton John, but this new piece is utterly transcendent in all of those qualities and more.

The imploring violin and the tale woven by Tatar’s piano is simply idyllic and also deeply haunting, the lower notes add a beautiful carpet of tone and timbre, it would be very easy to leave this song on repeat and simply not worry about it for some time. I have a feeling this will be embraced globally by the fans of instrumental music around the world, and become a sparklingly attractive hit for, Neil Tatar with Some Time Ago.

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey By Ellen Johnson

 

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey

By

Ellen Johnson

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I always love it when I come across a new name to me in the genre, and this new album has all the hallmarks of a really good long EP or short album from Ellen Johnson, with a powerful array of compositional structures and a rhythmic pastiche of tone that literally thrills the listener and entrances its audience, the release itself is called Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey and it most certainly is.

The opening offering is a good old traditional ‘90s style new age arrangement, one that balances its desires on a globally fused rhythm and new age sounds. and called Roots Beneath the Horizon, combing various animal noises this is one of the most creative pieces I have heard from this genre this year, and reminds me greatly of UK based new age artist Phil Thornton in style, and indeed in performance.

Amphitrite’s Longing is up next, this is right in my court as a mythologist. Amphitrite is the ancient Greek goddess and feminine personification of the sea. The name translates to "the surrounding sea" She represents the sea's bounty, untamed beauty, and power, serving as the mighty queen of the oceans; she initially fled the advances of Poseidon, hiding in the far reaches of the ocean. Poseidon sent a dolphin named Delphinus to woo her, and she eventually agreed to marry him, earning her title as the Queen of the Sea. This is absolutely on the button; the vocalisations are perfect, as is the floating and graceful instrumentation around it, and as one who lives in the middle of all this in Cyprus. it gives me great pleasure to listen to it.

The more rhythmic energies of Sirius Spirit are up next. The name Sirius derives from the Greek Σείριος (Seirios), interpreted as "glowing" or "scorching," emphasizing its radiant and heat-inducing qualities, and Ellen has done it again, manifesting a glowing track of tonal vibration, one that has many delicious layers and vocalisations, electronic wizardry, keyboard textures, and rhythmic percussive elements that make this piece one of the most fascinating and well-constructed from the release.

The penultimate offering is called Where the Wind Dreams, without doubt the most haunting of reveries, a charming floating narrative that seems to drift on errant passing clouds in a dream like narrative. The drifting vocalisations remind me from time to time of Llewellyn’s album Journey to The Faeries, but the overall feel of the piece is a beautifully lush meditative track that simply creates a safe space for the listener to bathe within.

The concluding tale is an even more interesting talking point and called Threads Between the Stars. This is a far more pronounced electronic based track with some very nice touches in the weave of the piece, there is once again an undeniable rhythm to this track that is palpable, the chimes and bowl strikes are cleverly laid into the arrangement, giving a more hypnotic overall narrative to the composition in a very clever ending indeed.

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey by Ellen Johnson is a really good collection of new age instrumental compositions, the mixture of instrumentation, rhythm and compositional intelligence was beautifully orchestrated. The album itself maybe just 5 tracks in duration, but the journey itself is more than worth the time invested in it, I would recommend this release in a heartbeat, and as such I predict a heathy voyage in the charts for Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey by Ellen Johnson.   

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 By Fred Grenot

 

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2

By

Fred Grenot

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Fred Grenot’s musical prowess and his creations have been nothing short of miraculous, and this year alone some of his finest work ever has not only been greatly received by me personally, but also by the thousands of fans across the new age music genre, and now he brings us another delightful album called Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2.

This journey of great beauty of sight and sound starts with the flowing natural science of the opener entitled Softening the Root. The slow and floating narrative here is almost sensual at times, and creates a lush carpet of tone and timbre to literally sink within; the slight change in chords is manifested so carefully and with great thought and tenderness.

However there is a real change of course with the next offering called Sublimating The Abode, a far deeper resonance can be found here, one that carries with it a higher frequency and tone, and a slightly more elevated energy of awareness too. Fred’s ability to feel what is needed at just the right time is very impressive, especially on this deeper and darker ambient moment.

There is somewhat of a softness of tone on Lustrous Gem that is so very palpable and charming, this is a blanket of literal sound and comfort, Fred’s careful progression on this delicate arrangement contains an almost angelic presence to its proceedings, and is a composition that would be perfect to completely release to, the depth within the tonal vibrations is incredibly intelligent.

Something that we have all had to do at some point is now next, the painful moment of letting go, and on Letting Tears Flow we have the perfect soundtrack for that moment, its tender and respectful tonal structure is a warm sanctuary of sound to release and let go and heal, to move onward ever forward in love. I rate this as to be one of the most emotive offerings from Fred all time.

Next is a personal favourite of mine and a former single called An Embodied Heart, this in my view is the artists best work thus far, the tempo, the depth, the pastiche of chords and structures are utterly moving and breath-taking, and one can feel the emotion within this track, so much so that the hairs on your arms stand to attention, Fred has hit gold on this track, a piece that I hope will remain timeless in the world of instrumental music, as it is a veritable masterpiece.

A somewhat differing more spectral energy can be found on this next piece called Blue Aura. Once more the artist has hit the exact note and tone for the subject matter, that energy field that fluctuates around the body, this is an artist moment of ultra-bliss for Grenot, as he captures the essence sweetly and builds upon a layer of synths to scale up the vibrations.

A Clear Insight is a gentle pathway to peace and calm, but also with a hint of mystery built cleverly into the weave by the artist, one that you may well miss if you don’t listen closely enough, this is beautifully layered and textured opus, and also a track that hovers wonderfully to create a minimal layer of anticipation into the narration of the overall arrangement.

Our penultimate offering is called A Passage For Life, here you can find a slow build and progression up the scale, but underneath a bed of electronic wizardry that reminds me of my track Twin Moons from my latest album. Here Fred allows the piece to breathe and then expand and grow by itself, and the result is a slice of electronic mastery that should be applauded.

The shortest piece from the release is next and called A Sense Of Serenity. However the investment of three and a half minutes on this track is time well used, as this track is the ultimate ending for such a caring and loving release, one that concludes our journey with him in a similar way of watching a summer tide flow in an out with great peace and tranquillity.

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 by Fred Grenot is without doubt the best album from the artist ever, Fred has raised the bar and in doing so brought to the general public and the lovers of incredible peaceful instrumental ambient music genre, a release that should go down as one of the finest new age music albums of the decade, and as such I can see a chart topping position and possibly awards ahead for Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 by Fred Grenot with absolute ease.

Mood Blue By Melany Thompson

 

Mood Blue

By

Melany Thompson

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have fond memories of Melany Thompson, her music and her style struck a chord for me; pardon the musical pun, way back in 2019 with the release of her album Memories of Home, here some 7 years later we are gifted another beautiful piano based release called Mood Blue, and it is some of the most emotive solo work I have heard on the piano for some years.

Our journey begins with the delightfully slow and beautiful opener entitled What We Remember, this passion filled opus is a deeply moving opening, one that will sit with the listener and be their constant reminder of what has passed and can never return.

Offerings like Where The Clouds Dance, gift us with a somewhat more upbeat vibrancy, but listen to the performance by the artist, this is a beautiful composition indeed, but the flourishing notes and powerful progression make this piece one of my all-time favourites from the album.

Bittersweet Skies offers a more contemplative moment of piano, an interesting juxtaposition of tone and timbre can be found here, one that plays with the mind and the heart, whilst on the next offering called Fragments Of Us we have a track that literally paints a delicate pastiche of reflective moods and sombre moments, but does so in such a moving and imploring way.

My favourite season of all is explored next by the artist on Autumn Nights, this is our beloved season of mists and darker days, falling leaves and bonfires, well that’s was how it used to be before I moved to the country of Cyprus, but this song still resonates in a calming and most ambient way.

Painting Waves is a delightful calm moment of solo piano, one that again juxtaposes the soft incoming ocean moments, to the more forceful waves of the other seasons, a musical paradox of life, as Thompsons piano may well reflect on how we deal with the waves in our own lives, and how we navigate those possibilities, her performance here is deeply thoughtful and intelligent.

Waiting For You is a blissful floating piano track that graces the soul, mind and ears, whilst the penultimate offering Shades of Grace, is one of those haunting reveries that seems to have a spectral feel hidden deep within the wave of the track.

The conclusion comes with the arrival of the final track entitled Counting Breaths, there is something quite anthem like about this ending narrative that I find quite moving and deeply palpable, the steady slow march of the piano and the imploring narrative manifest for me one of the stand out pieces from the release, and a sublime way with which to leave the project.

Mood Blue by Melany Thompson is the album that fans of solo piano have been waiting for, something imploring, something deep and moving, with its delightful contents filled with a passion to explore the harder side of life, love and reflection. This is her best work thus far with ease, and I’m pretty certain it should see her climb the charts with utter simplicity.

Mansuria, Planet of the Gods By Steve Sheppard ft. David de Michelle

 

Mansuria, Planet of the Gods

 By

Steve Sheppard ft. David de Michelle

Written by

Andy Rogers

It’s always wonderful when an artist comes up with something that takes their music to a new dimension. This remarkable new album from Steve Sheppard does precisely that. Recorded during a particularly turbulent time in his life, Steve felt the need to create a better, more restful place to escape the waking world with all its problems and troubles. He invented a veritable Nirvana of sorts; a mental fantasy about a planet called Mansuria in an unknown region of space. From that comes this new album, “Mansuria, Planet of the Gods”.

As good as Steve’s previous releases have been, this latest album is a giant leap forward in both musical content and production values. For the album Steve has sought the musical assistance and collaboration of David De Michele on synths and vocalisations plus, on a couple of tracks, some very atmospheric flute and vocalisations courtesy of Steve’s wife Chrissie Sheppard.

The album starts with “Journey to Mansuria” – A tense sounding beginning as we depart on the long flight, this leads to a more tranquil middle section before a dramatic jolt in the music tells us we approaching Mansuria.. Nice use of dramatic synths on this track which reminded me at times of early Vangelis.

“Arrival at Mansuria” opens with a calm pastoral theme as we slowly approach the planet. A gentle rolling piano line leads us further on before a pulsing synth and vocalisations take us down to the planet surface.

Track 3 is “Twin Moons”. There is a darker more mysterious feel here. The synths have a sharper edge, rhythms come and go, mystical voices drift through the mix and there is an occasional haunting flute. In all a very edgy and intriguing piece of music that evokes the light of the two moons beautifully.

Next is “The Living Lake”. Natural sounds of water combine with synths playing gently undulating chords that mirror the ripples on the lake surface. Chrissie’s flute enhances the mood of the piece as the music fills your head with visions of the huge lake surrounded by a deep dark forest…

Track 5 is indeed “The Forest of Darkness”. The music is now eerie and mysterious. The synths are more intense and are joined by nature sounds and more of those slightly unsettling vocalisations. Eventually the music changes to a more positive mood as we reach the centre of the forest, “the Tree of Love”.

Leaving the forest we arrive at “The Marsh of Forgetfulness”, starting with the sounds of wind and water it becomes a chilled almost ambient track encouraging you to stop and rest. It reminded me very much of the Deep Skies series from Steve’s friend, synth maestro Kevin Kendle – high praise indeed.

The penultimate track is “Tyrian Uplands”. The music here has a sense of awe at the sheer size of the vast mountain ranges of Mansuria. Epic sweeping synths and soaring vocals depict something deeply moving, proud and vast, demanding respect yet being utterly beautiful at the same time.

So we arrive at the last track on the album, “A Brave New World”. This is a fitting end to a superb album. It has a truly cinematic feel, like a soundtrack to a film yet to be made. Opening quietly it expands into an orchestral theme that is truly lovely. It gives a sense of rebirth and hope that maybe the true spirit of man will prevail and we will, one day, build a better life on a brave new world. 

In summary, I loved this album. Steve Sheppard, along with David De Michele and Chrissie Sheppard have created something really rather special. Whether your choice of music is electronica, new age or even neo-classical there is something here for everybody and it deserves to do really well.  As Steve himself says: “Welcome to my memory palace, just push open the door and step inside, there are more worlds than this, but today we land on a world filled with limitless possibilities, a planet that crosses the boundaries of probability: Welcome to Mansuria, The Planet of the Gods!” 

Soul Love By Jennifer DeFrayne

 

Soul Love

By

Jennifer DeFrayne

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It’s been good to have bathed in the musical swimming pool of Jennifer DeFrayne once again. It’s been a few years, in fact since 2017, but she is back with a follow up to that Sisu album and a release called Soul Love. Here we have a journey of eleven beautifully performed and created piano based tracks to enjoy, ones that highlight just what a very good pianist and composer she actually is.

The album starts with the opener and one of several singles on the album called Finding You. This gentle narrative is a very good base for us to enjoy her fluency with; note the winding tones of the fretless bass of Michael Manring on this track as well.

The following tale is another example of De Frayne’s vast skill set and called You and I, another former new single, this idyllic chapter in the album has a colourful tonal delight that is most appealing, and also the added violin of Charlie Bisharat is something to be utterly grateful for.

The Ways We Fall is our next location of timbre, this is a somewhat different tale to be told, but regardless, the almost slow dance like ethic of the track reveals a very strong multi-instrumental flavour, which includes the rare flute of Premik Russell Tubbs.

Then ever onwards we travel, and into the opening arms of the delicacy of reflection called Journey of Love, a track that is simply beautiful and one of my favourites from the album, there is something almost mystical about this particular track that caught my attention, whilst the following story of piano called The Beauty Within is starts at a slower pace, but then opens up with a full flowing tale of joy and happiness, and one that contains the English horn of Jill Haley.

One tentative foot across the borderland we find another of my personal favourites, the deep and fragrant title track Soul Love, here Bisharat stands out and creates a very interesting juxtaposition of tone with De Frayne’s piano, adding in the percussive elements of Jeff Haynes, and you have a very compelling composition indeed, and probably my favourite from the album overall.

The lighter side is now expressed within the piece called Sonoran Blue, Haley joins now on oboe, and with the cello of Eugene Friesen, performs a very charming and light hearted relaxing opus, but one that has a delightfully inspiring melodic nature overall.

We are now firmly in the latter half of the album where we will find the pristine and crystalline textures of a light hearted reverie called Playing in the Snow. This beautiful offering has a wonderful symbiotic partnership playing together, in Bisharat and DeFrayne, who manifest something, quite picturesque and stunningly palpable.

In the deeper weave of the album we find a delightfully down tempo offering of Abby's Gift. Here we find the finest solo piano performance ever with the notes literally imploring you to feel the emotion and colours buried deep inside, this piece on its own is almost like an anthem unto itself, and De Frayne allows the offering breathing space by occasionally pulling back.

Caribbean Sunset is our penultimate offering and this is the third of three singles from the release and is one that contains the vocals from another very well-known pianist in Fiona Joy Hawkins, with soaring flutes and flourishing percussion we are gifted a sunset of beautiful colours by any standard, and one of the most attractive tracks from the release.

The concluding tale is the sweet yet abundant Memories of Them. The charming interplay from piano and violin is lush, it is as track that is reflective and deeply emotive, yet uplifting and beautifully flowing, and of course simply the best way with which to leave the release.

Soul Love by Jennifer DeFrayne is one of the standout piano based albums of 2026 with ease, and it is so good to see her back on the recording trail again. Here is a release that is packed with a plethora of quality multi-instrumentalists including Charlie Bisharat on Violin, Eugene Friesen on Cello, Michael Manring on Fretless Bass, Premik Russell Tubbs on Flutes and Soprano Sax and EWI, with the Oboe and English Horn Of Jill Haley, add to that the Fiddle of Sara Milonovich, the wordless vocals of Fiona Joy Hawkins and the percussion of Jeff Haynes and magic is made, if this album doesn’t make it to number one on the charts, there can be no justice in the world of music, as we leave you with Soul Love by Jennifer DeFrayne.

Believe in Yourself By The Song Gardeners

 

Believe in Yourself

By

The Song Gardeners

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The Song Gardeners have now got a vast catalogue of new age styled pop songs to look back on over the many years of abundance. I still remember Altered State back in 2020, a year that we needed their music more than ever, and some 6 years later Corrie and Mary have persisted thankfully in evolving into quite a positive out fit in the new age pop genre with a vast string of hits, but Believe in Yourself brings it back to a more positive self-belief motif.

With the world slowly changing, their message is more powerful than ever, the lyrics of, “without comparison to what others have done, you’re like no one else believe in yourself”, one finds a more free flowing narrative in this new single, it’s almost like the first sticks of the beavers damn that’s been blocking the river of positive energy has shifted slightly, allowing the message of this track to hit the mark beautifully to those who desperately need it.

The percussion is steady and onward, but the keyboards and upbeat vocals pour a literal light funky beat all over the listener, if you are listening to this wherever you are in the world, you need to listen carefully and shake off the self-doubt, turn off the TV and become something better than that. The vocals, it also has to be said on this single are utterly beautiful, and indeed the harmonies and melodies utterly, breathtakingly brilliant.

This could well be the single that takes The Song Gardeners back into the top echelon of the charts, it’s an addictive creation, but it’s a message that has been released just at the right time as the world has reached its tipping point, and Believe in Yourself by The Song Gardeners could well be the song that becomes the new anthem for this slowly emerging new age.

Working Things Out By Craigology

 

Working Things Out

By

Craigology

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Craigology has gone through somewhat of a musical evolution since the arrival of my first musical moment with the artist back in 2021 and the Time To Chill album. Here on this band new EP called Working Things Out, he gifts us some of the finest smooth jazz ever, and each of them utterly sublime.

There is a Reason the opening offering itself is more intricate than you might first think, its light start gifts the listener a funky vibration of tempting keyboard motifs and sultry and teasing percussion, ranging from smooth jazz to jazz funk, and then at the half way juncture twists again into familiar melodies that bands like Spirogyra and Level 42 used to produce in great abundance at one time, in what is a simply incredible start by the artist.

A more mellow progression can be found on the next piece called A1A, that funky feel is there but it is lighter than before and quite beautifully performed, the stylish keyboard performance shows just what an accomplished musician he has become over the last 5 years.

The penultimate offering is full of flavour and called Working Things Out, The Jazz Movement, it has hints of artists like The James Taylor Quartet, but its overall smooth jazz narrative is something that could easily be seen on a US TV show with ease. This is a more complex offering, the pull back to a minor refrain and a progressive build is quite superbly crafted.

Whilst on the final offering from the release called There is more to the story (Jazz Narration), we have a veritable film score of a composition; this is a full flowing jazz narrative that illustrates just how forward thinking and progressive Craigology’s performances have become, and a superb end to a great EP.

Working Things Out by Craigology is a four piece EP of style and panache, four graceful, flowing jazz themed narratives that anyone of good taste and discernment would absolutely love to listen to. Craigology has progressed and as such has delivered the finest collection of music based in the smooth jazz genre you could have ever wished for, with the release of Working Things Out by Craigology.

Four Moments By John Hamilton

 

Four Moments

By

John Hamilton

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This emotional new release from John Hamilton paths a somewhat moving voyage through emotions, love, life and loss, and carefully curated onto one ep called Four Moments. It is great to see him back after a short break as he had surgery on an ulnar nerve in December, so this sees his return to music after recovering from that.

The first track entitled Once is a memory filled opus that everyone of us have felt at some point in some way or another, that scrapbook of memories and moments is touched from the fragmenting elements of time, in a delicate, rhythmic and fluent composition, where love can be gently felt from the piano of Hamilton.

There is a certain more positive element about this next piece, that whilst it is emphatic, it also contains a flickering of doubt and momentarily hesitance, but Hamilton’s performance is buried in the summer of a solo piano performance, where hope and love still burns powerfully in the afternoon sky and in the arrangement called Still.

Almost explores the autumnal effect of a flagging relationship, one holding on by the tendrils of a hope that can never been fulfilled, a piece filled with passion and emotive genius, one that has depth and tenderness and desire in the weave of the track, but highlighting the fall from grace, as the leaves drift down from the tree of love, to the floor of reality, note the coda on this piece, it says it all.

The winter of our season of love descends upon us as it is over, as we listen to Gone. This final concluding offering is a heartfelt narrative of loss, the performance here is touching and incredibly palpable, this is Hamilton at his very best; one can almost hear the words as they part forever. All the times when you are lonely where you are, please don't hate me then, I just could not pretend, it’s over.

Four Moments by John Hamilton is a solo piano EP of four previous singles, giving us the journey of love life and loss, the sensitivity of his touch on the piano is remarkable and deeply moving, there can be no doubt that Hamilton is playing from his heart to yours, making this a beautifully moving opus in four parts, and a collection of piano beauty that should be celebrated by all fans of the genre.

Eagle Eye By Marjolene's Muse

 

Eagle Eye

By

Marjolene's Muse

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This is one truly beautiful offering from Marjolene's Muse and following on from her previous releases Native Flute Traditionals volumes one through to three. Eagle Eye is a story of a voyage to the mountains, a native chant and a deeply spiritual moment with a loved one.

The first thing to note about this whole song is the production quality and the crispness of the overall narrative; it’s her best so far. The scene setting Native chant starts the piece off perfectly, one which breaks and allows a flute and light percussion to join.

The soothing and explorative flute here reminds me of the years I studied Native American nations and there traditions, the performance from Marjolene's Muse is one that would indeed honour the ancestors and bring joy to fans of solo flute around the globe.

The shaker and flute work in a symbiotic way, almost dancing around each other to manifest a slow but purposeful flight, as achieved by the eagle, several of which I have been fortunate to have seen in my life time.

This is a beautiful performance by the artist, one that she should be proud of, and one that I would imagine is going to touch the ears, hearts and minds of all those who listen to Eagle Eye by Marjolene's Muse.

Balance By Paul Avgerinos

 

Balance

By

Paul Avgerinos

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The legend that is Paul Avgerinos has recently been creating some of the most poignant and delightfully serene music of his career ever with his Beloved album released last year, and now this quite amazing new ambient offering entitled Balance, Paul has probably created one of the best ambient new age styled collections of keyboard synth magic for decades with this release, climaxing even Llewellyn’s Journey to the Temple from the start of the century.

The album itself is an 11 track release filled with perfect ambient tones and structures that seem to reform and reimagine themselves as they go, starting with the opener Poise. This was released as a single this year, and is a delightfully delicate opening offering, one that you could leave on repeat for an age and never even notice; this is ambient music at its apex.

Repose, another former single is next and has a wonderfully emotional lilt in its arrangement, but one that is layered and structured in a way that allows the listener to feel, yet not get overwhelmed, reminding me at times of artists like Liquid Mind, whilst the spacious and timeless reverie of tracks like The Comfort of Silence, also another single, breathe a breath of comfort into our realms, and allows the listener to float on a bed of tonal cloud structures.

The next composition called Balance is another more meditative arrangement, this long form swirling synth and keyboard narratives takes the listener on an amazing journey, whilst the piece The Eternal Now manifests a cloud kingdom of a musical vista, a vast realm of spacious ambience with an underpinned tone of mystery and imagination built into the weave.

There can be no doubt that this is an album that is utterly timeless and transcendent, it manifests a spacious environment and allows the listener a sanctuary of sound to just drift within, like the tracks Stream of Stillness, utilising a soft recording of a stream trickling and gentle keyboards, whilst the piece Mindfulness Rising is that very composition of meditative genius that you have been seeking for so long, but yet to find, with reference to the title one could easily see it being used in a mindfulness meditation.

The longest piece from the release is the most galactic Zero Gravity, at well over 10 minutes, it sounds like one of the tracks from my forthcoming album, but more space orientated and dreamy. Paul’s careful progression of this composition is a delight to listen to and this piece alone would make a superb moment of stillness for one to manifest a halcyon moment with.

The more melodic Clear Sky Mind is up next as we tread into the deeper waters of the release, this one is a place of synth mastery, one could imagine waking up to a glorious sunrise in nature to this ambient slice of genius, and reminds me in texture of the more nature based tracks from UK synth master Kevin Kendle.

We move to the penultimate offering Crystal Reflections, a more tender new age styled reverie; this is a charming and soothing musical creation, so delicate in its approach and the concluding tale called Of One Being, here Paul explores the wide realms of sonic sound and calmness and produces the most epic final piece an album one could ever wish for, the flowing keyboards and synths are like watching a summer tide lazily come and go upon the shoreline, and is simply the best way with which to leave the album.

Balance by Paul Avgerinos is an album that I will personally invest a lot of my personal reflection and time into, he holds the ambient line firm throughout the album, and the result is one of the finest ambient new age meditative releases of the century so far, it is that good and deserves each and every plaudit it gets. I can see a very high chart position, and possibly awards on the horizon for, Balance by Paul Avgerinos. 

My Nightmare (Reimagined) By Matias Bacoñsky

 

My Nightmare (Reimagined)

By

Matias Bacoñsky

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The depths of darkness and despair are performed on this brand new single from pianist Matias Bacoñsky called My Nightmare (Reimagined), this has to be one of the most powerful releases since his journey began with my musical soul way back in 2016, with the release of Life And Death, this voyage of deep descriptive genius is heavily baked with remorse, and powerfully played with underpinned palpable emotions.

I would recommend pulling up the art work for this single and listening to the track whilst gazing at it, a moment of sad reflection, a moment of utter loneliness can be felt here, this is a tragic composition powerfully built, progressed and played.

Moments of exploration can be felt in this processional offering, on the 1:20 minute mark an extra energy of tone and timbre is discovered like a damn of tears breaking from the constraints of the emotional wall that is literally cracking around us, this happens again at 2:56, as the ethereal and angelic vocalisations erupt, and this then slowly calms into a more gentle coda.

Powerful deep and moving, this could easily have been written for an Edgar Allen Poe adaptation of a movie “Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.“ My Nightmare (Reimagined) by Matias Bacoñsky is a guaranteed chart hit, and a splendid arrangement from the master of passionate piano.

Dreaming Under the Banyan Tree by Randal L Meek

 

Dreaming Under the Banyan Tree

By

Randal L Meek

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It is always a pleasure to listen to acoustic guitar music; it was my very first instrument as a teenager, which seems like an awfully long while ago, but one that I often reflect upon time and again. Randal L Meek first came to my attention back in ’22, just when we were crawling from the wreckage of the pandemic, and it was a beautiful respite for me at that time, however he is back once more with a brand new album four years later called Dreaming Under the Banyan Tree.

The album itself is 12 tracks inspired by Maui, Hawaiian landscapes and brought to life by the amazing Imaginary Road Studios and the living legend that is Will Ackerman, along with Tom Eaton who mixed and matered the album at his Sounds and Substance Studios. The opening piece is a warm and enriching offering that is utterly transcendent and called Maui no ka 'oi, I can relate to this track having immigrated to the island of Cyprus some 12 years ago and life changed in the most positive of ways ever, and still does so to this day. This is a beautiful way with which to being our journey, a sweet and loving track indeed, and one that contains on second guitar the mighty Jim Kimo West.

Petals Falling is our next port of musical calling, I fell in love with this one when I first heard it, there was some so very emotive yet ambient about this track, that it created a musical safe haven in my mind that I never wanted to come back from, add in the amazing flugelhorn of the immortal Jeff Oster and magic is made, the deliciously slow coda was also a beautiful thing to behold as well.

We drift now to a piece called Ha'iku Breeze, this slow paced, easy on the ears piece is one of those gentle walking along the coastline offerings, that you just cannot resist and one of many tracks that features the angelic vocals of Noah Wilding too.

There is a subtle change of guitar magic in the next piece called Whisper, an arrangement that is enhanced by a stunning piano on the offering, which I believe is played by the incredible Tom Eaton, add the cello of Eugene Friesen and you have a symbiotic composition of great quality and style, Meek has really composed something utterly special and deeply moving on this track, this piece seems to contain an underpinned narrative of a juxtaposition of loss and life in the weave, with the reflective nuances being truly felt.

At the mid-way juncture we find the track Papaya Salad, this is a song so much like my island paradise here, full of rich promise, warm sun and lapis oceans, with fresh fruit that grows and falls everywhere. Note the fretless bass of Tom Eaton here and of course the exotic musical delicacy of a Charlie Bisharat violin. Following this luxurious offering we move to Hokule'a a moving tonal arrangement about a journey and a boat and then utter peace, Meeks guitar here drips of contemplative magic.

The beauty of this next track is incredible and for some reason reminds me of the Black Sabbath track Fluff, I bet you never expected me to say that, but acoustic Randal L Meek, meets acoustic Tomi Iommi here on this offering. The overarching reach of this track embraces the word peace with a warm embrace on a superb performance by the artist.

This 12 track collection has some amazing qualities to it and on the track The Road There, we ae gifted a slow paced reverie of great quality, one that brought Meek to the attention of the wizard of Imaginary Road Studios himself, the pacing here is idyllic and something to utterly enjoy.

'Ahihi Bay is up next and contains the symbiotic genius of the ukulele via John Curtis, and Premik Russell Tubbs on flute, this mixture of a multi-instrumental flavour is incredibly attractive, and is a composition that draws the listener in to a world of beauty, calm and serenity, something that I understand completely.

In the deeper weave of this magical carpet of music we find a more reflective offering called Drifting, however this track has a meditative quality to its construction that is undeniably brilliant, with Ackerman joining Meek and the returning Oster and Wilding, this has to be one of the most spiritually fulfilling offerings from the release.

The penultimate track from this classy album is called Lost; I doubt there is a single person on the planet who hasn’t felt this feeling once or twice; here Meek explores this emotive aspect of life with the skill set up of a Charlie Bisharat violin supporting him in the most uplifting of ways, reflection and inspiration in one beautiful track that reminded me in content to another guitarist from the US in Robert Linton.

The concluding tale told is this almost long form opus called Dreaming under the Banyan Tree, and at over 7 minutes long we have a title track that includes natural sounds, this is a tonal voyage about nature and resilience, it could be a striking metaphor for our human experience and offers us something that we all need every day, hope. This is a beautiful concluding narrative, simply and perfectly made for the job of ending what has been a green and lush voyage of musical genius of Randal L Meek, note the Hopi drum from Will Ackerman on this track as well.

Dreaming Under the Banyan Tree by Randal L Meek is a delightful release, one filled with a deep sense of peace and contentment, it is an album bathed in the gratitude of being able to live in such a charming environment, I relate to that entirely. Here we have a meditative calming collection of beautiful acoustic guitar based reveries, that highlight the very best in acoustic instrumental music in this modern age, if this doesn’t get to number one, then there is no justice in the world.