Soaring Together By Ryan Judd and Kristen Miller

 

Soaring Together

By

Ryan Judd and Kristen Miller

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The combination of two artists in this global pandemic, one that keeps us separated from each other, for them to come together to create a performance that manifests something quite beautiful and soothing, is a rare, yet blissful occurrence these days, yet the partnership of Ryan Judd (Acoustic guitar) and Kristen Miller (Cello) is one of those delightful moments, and it is creatively called Soaring Together.

The opening piece says it all for me, Innocence Lost has indeed that charm filled performance by both artists, one that looks fondly over those happy days of innocence, and with the emphasised moments of a mournful quality on Cello, it really gifts us the reality of the past disappearing over the hills and into the distance.

There is a long and languid essence about the next offering entitled A Child's Wonder, it is the musical equivalent of a young one picking a dandelion and blowing the seeds of growth to the winds; the tones of the composition gifts us a moment of utter reverie, one brought to us by a bliss filled performance by both artists.

The entwining of both Guitar and Cello is at its very best on this next offering entitled Sharing the Joy. The symbiotic dance of the instrumentation is superb and thoroughly enjoyable, and at times reminds me of the quieter moments of classic rock segments throughout yesteryear. The partnership here works with such colour and style, and is a pleasure to bathe within.

Our Hearts Entwined, what a lovely thought, I’m lucky, my heart is held with my beautiful wife, and when I listen to this soothing musical narrative, the ambience created here could very well be the soundtrack to those sunny Sunday mornings, when we wake together to see another hopeful day break onto the scene. There is one word that would describe this track perfectly for me, Idyllic. Judd’s performance on guitar here must also be noted as extremely classy, and reminds me of the old Windham Hill days.

We have now found our way to the mid-section of the release, On Her Wings has to be one of the most beautiful tracks I have heard thus far this year. The artist’s combination of stringed magic pours over us here with a sensitive touch and a delicate musical pathway of peace; this is music to soothe the soul with ease.

As we carefully walk into the realms of the latter half of the release we come across one of the most emotive and pristine compositions on the album, it is called Never to Return, the added harmonics by Judd were lush, whilst the gentle finger picking style and mournful Cello offered up a sanctuary of memory and reflection.

Our next arrangement has a sense of a light hearted nature about its construction, and is entitled A Waltz with Jena Lynn. That obvious sense of movement is nicely contained within the offering, and the tranquil vibes from the Cello of Miller, adds an extra dimension to the overall composition.

Alone Inside took us into the deeper waters of the album. Two sublime and sensitive performances here by Judd and Miller gave our always eager ears something quite mournful and reflective to revel in. The minor chords were used to their ultimate best within this composition.

Cleverly placed as the penultimate track we come across the title header, and Soaring Together does what it says on the can. The energy created here was not only deeply artistic, but craft fully manifested to illustrate musically the benefits of a symbiotic partnership in music and in life generally, the ease with which both musicians performed this piece was something truly special, and much appreciated.

So we have arrived at the final doorway to this lovely release, it is entitled A Look in the Mirror. This is a perfect ending track, one that both artists create many moods and feelings upon, a track filled with emotion and unconditional truth indeed, the reflection of the mirror tells us no lies, and the mournful refrain here is the realisation of that fact to face, quite simply the best story telling offering off the album with ease.

Soaring Together by Ryan Judd and Kristen Miller is an album that is as easy to listen to, as a summer sunrise is to watch rise above the horizon. Soaring Together is one of those albums that has a timeless quality to its refrains, and will be without doubt, a go to album by those who wish to kick back and relax, and to relieve the stress and strains of the day. Here is an album that fits most occasions and moods, and each season of the year we pass through; a guaranteed hit for this crafted pairing with ease.