Songs for Elodie By Philip Campbell

Songs for Elodie

By

Philip Campbell

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

There is always a time when solo piano fits the bill perfectly, that moment for me came this afternoon, after listening to an album of dark intent and then gazing at the news headlines of 2020, that’s never a good idea, so I gave myself to the moment and decided to dive in deep with the debut album from Philip Campbell, entitled Songs for Elodie, and was extremely happy I did so.

Now while there is a strong link to the U.S style of what can be described New Age piano, I actually found Campbell’s style and performances refreshing and absolutely original, with warm musical narratives like the opener Sweet Dreams, the artistic deep and reflective moods created by No Way Out, and the stylish and mesmeric performance of arrangements like Strange, the latter with a little classical flair in the weave as well.

This is what is special about Campbell and what he has to offer, the traditional solo piano and those much loved New Age overtones and motifs are all there, but masterfully brought up to date with a little classical styling, and pieces like Daydream and Gentle are but two fine examples that will back up my aforementioned statement.

Campbell also has a talent for manifesting a fluent narrative into a song as well, Almost Home was my composition of choice with respect to that comment, and a piece I never wanted to leave, it is both powerful and tender at the same time.

Songs for Elodie from the Northern Irish composer Philip Campbell, is a delightful collection of new solo piano music that you must really add to your music collections as soon as possible, especially if you’re a seeker of truly beautiful and moving music, and this being the artists debut album, makes this even more exceptional. I am sure that his daughter, whom the album is named after, will be proud of her father’s first musical manifestation, it is certainly a winner for me.