Helen's Willow Wind & Friends By Helen's Willow Wind

 

Helen's Willow Wind & Friends

By

Helen's Willow Wind

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I think Helen's Willow Wind holds a rare and possibly unique title in releasing two debut albums at the same time; I have already reviewed her solo album called Notes From The Heart, so go and check that out, today I am taking a voyage of plenty with a remarkable collection of fine melodies on the second album, Helen's Willow Wind & Friends.

This is an 8 track creation that contains some of the best new age instrumentalists around, and joining Helen of manifesting one of the most compelling flute albums I have heard for a while, the opening foray finds none other than Randy “Windtalker” Motz, himself a flute performer of great skill and passion, but on synths and keyboards this time, and in doing so adding a whole new layer of tone to the offering, A Study of Intonation and Undulation.

Exploration ft Sherry Bunch is up next, and this mesmerizing piece could be turnabout is fair play as Helen features on her RAV drum to Bunch’s deft and stylish performance on flute, I remember this one in the charts last year and it was a soothing and healing music narrative of a composition.

An old friend returns on the next offering When Caves Sing and features none other than Lady Bird, the artists parrot, who indeed gifts us a fine performance, whilst this next opus features one of the finest flute performers of his day in my view, in the legendary Timothy Gomez, on the composition Northern Lights Wind, this is a stunning reverie, a true dichotomy is explored as we juxtapose the cause and effect of the Northern Lights themselves, Gomez is supreme on his trusty flute, whilst Helen’s drum poses a lush melody to enjoy.

Time Is a River ft Jim Bellows on drum is a truly meaningful composition, whilst the flutes of Helen draw us to this moment of poignancy. Bellows rhythm is a reminder that a river always flows, unceasing, unabated by time, always onwards, this is a beautiful piece as a dedication to a dear friend now gone, the heartfelt sense of that creation is also not lost on the following one called The Dream, a sublime slice of flute magic that not only contains the talents of the aforementioned Gomez, but also the multi-instrumental skill set of Tommy Graven into the mix as well, in a totally blissful slice of instrumental magic.

We now draw into orbit of the penultimate manifestation from the release and this gem is called Out There, Lady Bird in Outer Space, she is back folks, and beaming into a home near you, the sheer enjoyment one can have by having a pet (or as I call them) a family member upon one of your recordings is simply great, our dog has been on our radio shows many times, and his contributions add a certain organic flavour to the proceedings!

It’s time to take on board our concluding piece and this magical moment features the illustrious Timothy J P Gomez once more on the offering Conscious Meditation. This fluent and charming manifestation is simply idyllic, and leaves one with a true meditative energy, the breath work, the drum and gentle flute, creates the best ending creation on an album you could ever wish for.

Helen's Willow Wind & Friends by Helen's Willow Wind does exactly what it says on the can, and features a whole host of multi-talented flute performers and instrumentalists alongside the artist herself. This release is an artistic and creative collection of wonderfully orchestrated compositions, showing many sides to not only the musicians skill sets, but also her abilities as a composer too, it’s a celebration of all that is good in the world of flute and instrumental music, and one that should yet again see Helen and her friends back on the charts.