Cherished Dreams By James Michael Stevens

 

Cherished Dreams

By

James Michael Stevens

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

James Michael Stevens has to be one of the most melodic pianists around today; his soft and soothing compositions have relaxed many troubled minds and eased the fevered brow of a vast number of listeners over the years of his recordings and performances.

The great news is that James has a new album out, and this beauty is called Cherished Dreams; proudly this whole project starts with the title track, a calming reverie of majestic solo piano, one that took me back to the early 90’s and artists like Mike Rowland.

This blissful 11 track album flows like the summer sun across the beaches of evermore, and has clever offerings entwined within as well, like the processional Morning Promenade, or the mystical prowess of pieces like Stone Horizons, a strong graphic picturesque composition.

This is solo piano heaven, and differing arrangements greet the ears as we go on further, like the pristine crispness of Midnight Musings, another crafted creation, but with a double edged sword, one of a calmness of production, but also of a busy mind trying to wind down as the clock chimes ever onward past midnight and beyond.

There are also moments of memory packed into this ever flowing album of serenity, like the breath taking opus of Misty Blue, a slow moving yet colourful piece that grows with a depth that is blissful to see in a solo piano manifestation, here is a true classic waiting to be appreciated.

Stevens piano is both his paint and canvas, and this penultimate offering entitled Night Whispers is a prime example of his creative genius, here the musician brings to the world an emotive manifestation that could with ease be an emotional movie segment.

We finish with a further addition to the title track, and with All Your Cherished Dreams, this is simply the best way with which to leave the album, with a composition of great tranquillity with which to conclude the project, it just shows the thoughtfulness of the artist himself.

Cherished Dreams by James Michael Stevens is in my view his best work thus far, and that’s a tough call given the sheer amount of music that he has already brought to the world in his career, but for me the gentle and melodic structures that flow through the entire album left me completely floating on a cloud of calm at its conclusion. Here lays a collection of beautiful music that must remain over the ages, extremely close to the hearts of all that simply adore truly good solo piano music.