Desert of Crystal By Fiona Joy Hawkins

 

Desert of Crystal

By

Fiona Joy Hawkins

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have great memories of pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins, back in 2013 when One World Music Radio was first starting, we interviewed her about her outstanding 600 Years in a Moment album, a release we still love to this day, now let’s skip forward 13 years and we can enjoy the fact that all those years later, we get to dive deep into her latest offering called Desert of Crystal, and what a fine collection of musical arrangements it is.

Starting the ball rolling is the breath taking opus of Desert of Crystal, this is one of my favourite pieces off the album and as a title track it is both powerful and emotive, I particularly like the slight pull back and then shift into a more powerful presentation, like sailing to the shifting sands of a desert, and performed with delicacy and precision.

The next piano narrative has a wonderful repeating theme within its construction which reminds me of my old friend David Lanz in style, this onward progression across the keys is incredibly palpable and called Running on Joy. With the next piece flowing freely after it, we are treated to a lush and fluent offering called Portrait of a Waterfall, this is beautifully played with some key moments featured within that make the overall narrative shine with a radiant tonal delight.

On Escarpment Dreaming there is a darkness that is demonstrable in its almost classical like performance; an element of mystery invokes a moment of a clandestine meeting occurring perhaps, for me this was yet another one of my personal favourite tracks from the release, gifting the listener and cinematic moment of piano drama to enjoy.

Our next port of musical call is To Meet (Yu Jian) a famous Chinese Taiwanese song from the movie "Turn Left, Turn Right".  This flowing melodic structure is incredibly pretty and leads us into the following piece called Falling (Twin Peaks Theme) I can remember years back watching this show on television and Fiona’s version is actually remarkable compared to the original theme by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.

Forgiveness has a tinge of memory caught in the web of a past mistake, one that plays haunting memories, and perhaps the forgiveness needs to be done by oneself! Regardless, this is a truly beautiful offering, one that contains such a mournful disposition about its construction, yet its melodic line offers us the one thing we all desire, hope.

On the composition Twilight Moment one can detect a soft segment being explored, and then a certain familiarity is found within the weave of the composition that is so fluent. The soft yet confident approach here builds something quite heart-warming to bathe within.

A similar creation comes up next and called Calling County Clare, here Fiona flows with the moment and brings forth a lively yet tempered piece with an even paced tempo and a bright and happy overall refrain, whilst on Sonatina in D Major Op.36 No.6 – Rondo Fiona shows her prowess at the classical musical genre with a perfect presentation of the Muzio Clementi piece from 1797.

Our penultimate offering is one of the most moving and emotive pieces for the release, anyone who lives in a hot dry country, like I do, will understand it perfectly, as by the end of July and early August we are usually petitioning Zeus with a Prayer For Rain ourselves. This is an amazingly powerful offering spawned from the first few drops of music, which is a quieter overall narrative, but a very impressive offering indeed.

This final piece follows on perfectly from the last offering and called Tolling of the Fire Bell, again something we dread around this time of year and for another couple of months yet, we had a wild fire only yesterday, but thankfully our troops in Cyprus, they managed to quell it, here Fiona Joy Hawkins pours her heart into a tragic offering I remember from a few years back, based on the same subject matter and manifests something deeply moving and heartfelt.

Desert of Crystal by Fiona Joy Hawkins is an album that fans of the piano genre will adore and worship, it contains 12 tracks, 10 of which are original, and each and every piece is hand crafted to maximise a quality performance in all aspects, whether they bring back memories or give one solace and peace, one can rest assured that Desert of Crystal by Fiona Joy Hawkins will be chart bound sooner than later, and a truly good chart place should be on offer for the artist as well.

Embraced By Janice Lacy

 

Embraced

By

Janice Lacy

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The soothing melodies of another Janice Lacy track pour over my senses today and it sees my musical soul fall literally in love with a pastiche of piano and instrumentation called Embraced, she is joined by Grammy® winning artists Charlie Bisharat on violin and Eugene Friesen on cello, thus bringing the listener a thoroughly delicious piece of piano based instrumental music to enjoy.

Using multi-instrumentation is a wonderful thing when you literally have two shining stars from the genre, and here on this wonderful new single they add so much to the overall narrative of the composition. Lacey’s style on this piece is multi-faceted and offers up musical reflection and tenderness, the combination of cello, violin and piano at this tempo is sublimely beautifully in all of its radiant textures.

The slow and tempered start radiates a feeling of a warm hug, so much so, that when the violin enters the fray a certain delicate posture is manifested, the cello gifts the listener a deeper tone of reflection, and the slowness and symbiotic approach of the composition gives the listener an experience that is similar to watching a summer tide roll in over the sandy beaches of an moody coastal location.

The peaks that Bisharat’s violin and depths of Friesen’s cello juxtaposes are masterfully fluent and craft fully created, offering the listener a fragrance of a tone and timbre like no other before it, and one to remember forever, surely another huge hit is on the cards here for Embraced by Janice Lacy.

The Space We Share By Louis Colaiannia

 

The Space We Share

By

Louis Colaiannia

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It was good to hear from Louis Colaiannia again, for a short time he was one of our presenters here at One World Music Radio, and to this day I still have fond memories of the first piece of music I received from him entitled The Next Stage, back in 2013. From then until now Louis has always presented his fans with some top quality music, and here on this new single called The Space We Share he has continued that theme with ease.

There is something quite ambient about this new single of his, so far to say that it creates a vast oasis of space for the listener to fully appreciate the overall narrative of the composition, one that can be felt most poignantly at the 1:30 minute mark, the track literally pulls back and breathes and then slowly manifests into something utterly glorious.

The Space We Share by Louis Colaiannia is a multi-instrumental haven of utter beauty, moving segments of great exquisiteness and charm, followed by flowing ambient tonal directives, and then a build to a tempered crescendo, which I must say I absolutely adore about this new composition.

Without doubt I can put my hand on my heart and state that in my opinion The Space We Share by Louis Colaiannia is the artist’s best work thus far, and I wouldn’t mind betting that a top 5 slot in the charts will be achieved; this is instrumental music at its very best.

Serenity by Anaya Music

 

Serenity

By

Anaya Music

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It seems a life time ago since I first came into contact with Anaya, it takes me far back to 2016 and an album called Eternity. Skip forward 10 magical years and one can have the delight of witnessing her grow from a beautiful and flourishing instrumentalist, to a new age soundtrack singer-songwriter that manifests such deeply and personal movie like soundtracks and compositions that resonate firmly in his modern era of music we have all had to embrace in 2026.

Serenity is a 12 track album that is one of the most beautifully produced releases of its day, with delicate and empowering vocal structures and full flowing symphonic arrangements like the opening piece called Galactic Journey. Following narratives like the title track Serenity offer up an angelic pathway of tonal beauty, one that also has a beautiful eastern oriental feel to its cadence.

The album is written and produced entirely by Anaya; the arrangements utilize Yamaha keyboards alongside advanced digital production tools like Songer AI Orchestration. Pieces like Celestial Galaxy and Celestial Reverie are prime example of the aforementioned enhanced quality of orchestration, the latter though contains some of the most poignant and brilliant piano from Anaya that I have heard for many a year.

Tracks like the distant Faraway offer solitude away from the crazy world that surrounds us, with once more flourishing sublime keyboard and piano work with added percussion, as well as Enya like harmonies, whilst offerings like the mystical Echoes of Serenity, bring the listeners attention to a more acoustic opening that has all the hallmarks of a soothing folk like reverie.

In the latter half of the release we have several masterpieces of instrumental magic like the track Embrace which could easily be a soundtrack for a movie, and then one of the shorter but prettiest pieces off the album called From the Heart, a symbiotic piano and orchestrated slice of instrumental genius.

The gentle guitar based opening of Strings of Emotion gifts us something soothing to enjoy, playing homage to music in all of its delights, whilst the concluding three pieces follow on a certain theme and are called Whispers and Silence, the shortest cello based and piano assisted narrative, Whispers of Harmony, a deeply moving and wonderfully orchestrated pastiche of piano and cello, and finally into the concluding tale told by the artist called Whispers of the Strings, a clever track to end with, and utterly anthem like in its compositional structures.

Serenity by Anaya Music is a modern example of what can be achieved by utilising keyboards alongside advanced digital production. Anaya as an artist has grown immeasurably, and her keyboard and piano skills alone on this release are a pleasure to swim with, as such I can see Serenity by Anaya Music obtaining a very healthy chart position indeed.

Returning to Our Orbit By Tom Moore & Mike Clay

 

Returning to Our Orbit

By

Tom Moore & Mike Clay

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The paring of electronic musicians Tom Moore & Mike Clay bring us a new single called Returning to Our Orbit, six years after the release of their album Beyond our Orbit, and I still remember writing about it to this day. The new single is a proud slice of electronic mastery from both musicians, as they manifest something that is vastly becoming more popular, thanks to shows like Stranger Things, this new creation is a fine example of EM, and a beautifully created instrumental narrative that flows endlessly and builds and progresses with such a simple and most pleasant ease.

The slow deliberate start is a master class of build and progression for any budding electronic musician; the synths manifest a constant onward tonal discipline that is utterly undeniable in its Berlin Style vibration, whilst the keyboards also build upon that in a way that artists like David Wright and Thom Brennan have done before them.

The creative and artistic notes that drive the piece wend their way through the narrative portraying for us an inevitable return to a home world perhaps, we can then enjoy the 4 minute marker when the orbit has been achieved, the entire piece breaks with the engine room, and orbiting thrusters are used to navigate the remaining journey, in one of the cleverest conclusions to an electronic composition that I have heard for quite some time.

Returning to Our Orbit by Tom Moore & Mike Clay is a beautiful example of two musicians performing from a place of excellence, and in doing so bringing to the audience and the EM fan base, one of the most compelling singles of its style this year with utter ease.

At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman

 

At Every Turn

By

Suzanne Herman

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Of all the female pianists around, one that I constantly enjoy hearing from is composer Suzanne Herman, her use of reflection and the more emphatic tonal structures truly give off a resonance that sometimes is lacking in some piano performers, and now here on her latest album At Every Turn we have a collection of utterly sublime piano based offerings to enjoy at any time of the year or day.

The opening piece on this 10 track album was a single back in ‘24 and is the quite breath taking Where Oceans Meet, here lays a proud and empowered offering that embraces the very energy of the ocean, Suzanne’s steady progression on this track is something to be admired.

It does seem rather strange writing about this subject in mid-July, but A Christmas Sky is our next offering, again a single released in ‘24 and is a reminder of the happier times of those most cold winter nights, and the darkness and cheer to come, this is a pretty piece from Suzanne, one performed with a lot of memories looking over the shoulder no doubt.

First Glance our next offering is an interesting new composition for me, it has a somewhat tentative tone, but one that seeks to gain attention, there is a delicacy I really like about this offering that I find deeply attractive, especially the comforting coda to conclude the tale. Which leads us nicely to the shortest track from the album at just under three minutes, a piece called Clear a Path, regardless this happens to be one of the most flourishing piano narratives off the album and one that you really don’t want to skip over.

Released in ‘25 as a single A Graceful Splash is our next port of musical interest, the tempo of this composition is utterly delightful, it’s like a piano lullaby, lulling one into a gentle caress of peace and simplicity, this is also performed with such grace by the artist that one could let it play on repeat and not notice.

I remember this specific track as a fun single release earlier on this year and called Penguin Parade, for those of us that have seen actual penguins in real time; they do give of an amusing gate and energy when on land, but dynamically graceful and a fine example of evolution when in the water. Here Herman captures that essence and more by bringing us a truly light hearted but enjoyable creation.

Sojourn would turn out to be one of my personal favourite pieces from the album; it had a mournful repose that I enjoyed thoroughly, it had a powerful refrain at times that drew the listener in, and softer segments that had such an emotional and moving tonal construct, that I might go as far to say that in my view this is one of the finest creations I have heard from the artist.

The deeper darker waters of this river of tone are up next and called Like None Other. There is much about this flourishing narrative that reminded me at times of my old friend David Lanz, that lyrical narrative, the softer segments and the very melodious moments of piano magic that can be found on a truly excellent solo piano manifestation.

The high notes that begin our penultimate offering usher in a piece that is truly mesmeric in proportions and called No Darkness. This complex narrative may seem simple, but to construct a minimalistic arrangement like this and holding it constant is a lot harder that you think without compromising the entire song, brilliantly done indeed Suzanne.

Our final refuge from this crazy world is called An Inspired Silence, there is an almost regal sense or energy to this final and concluding offering that is somewhat palpable, without doubt it is the steady progressive tempo, but this anthem like final creation is the idyllic offering with which to part ways with the listener, and leaves them utterly satisfied.

At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman is a solo piano album that the genre has needed for some time, and a huge thank you to the composer for manifesting an album where only one of the tracks was less than three minutes long, bravo indeed. The release is utterly beautiful and at times very moving, the artist’s heart felt and meaningful style is so listenable, and everyone who listens to this sublime album should find something they like with ease on, At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman.

Can't Find My Way Home By Carbe and Durand

 

Can't Find My Way Home

By

Carbe and Durand

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

You know those moments when you have heard something and you can’t just pick out where you heard it before, but it’s there hiding in the annals of your mind, this is one of those. Then the light came on as Carbe and Durand gift us Can't Find My Way Home originally done by the band Blindfaith back in ‘69 if I remember correctly. Back in those heady days of the hippie era, performers like Clapton and Windwood were just starting their accent to glory.

Here Carbe and Durand, a duo I have loved for many years, give us their own version and the performance is breath taking and also live, Can't Find My Way Home is a classic song from Windwood and rated as probably the best ever rock folk song of all time, and indeed Clapton also plays acoustic guitar on it to, here the duet of Carbe and Durand breathe new life into a legendary song.

There can be no doubt that this is a superior version, and a crowd pleaser, the balance that Lisa and JP find is so symbiotic that its breath taking to just listen to, and it’s no wonder their legions of intelligent fans are treated to such mastery every time they perform or release a song, acoustically this is outstanding and a fine example of a perfect combination of the twin powers of instrumental genius, which leaves me in no doubt that Can't Find My Way Home by Carbe and Durand is going to be a massive chart hit with utter ease.

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.