The Isle of Innisfree by Shere Fraser & John Hamilton

 

The Isle of Innisfree

By

Shere Fraser & John Hamilton

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It is always wonderfully blissful when a suggested duet comes up trumps and delivers a sublime composition for the listeners to revel within; the two musicians in question are flautist Shere Fraser and pianist John Hamilton, both of which I have written about on separate occasions with their own compositions, here they combine flute and piano and bring us a delightful Celtic refrain on their latest single The Isle of Innisfree.

This is indeed a beautiful part of the world as is Ireland itself, the combination of a gentle piano narrative by Hamilton paints the sky and clouds with a tonal fluency, whilst Fraser’s lush flute draws us into the entire locational environment with one of the most charming performances ever.

I have a lot of respect for the work of both artists and listening to this pairing they certainly suit each other’s styles, and it is also a pleasure to hear a little Celtic lilt in a single these days. The land, the country, its legends and its stunning beauty has led to many a colourful, musical composition over the decades; here Fraser and Hamilton bring their A game to the table with this new composition.

The Isle of Innisfree by Shere Fraser & John Hamilton maybe diminutive in duration at just over two minutes, but it is without doubt one of the sweetest and most heart-warming new singles I have heard in this style for simply ages, and thus I have a feeling that a big hit could well be on the cards for The Isle of Innisfree by Shere Fraser & John Hamilton.

Blissful and Beyond By Sharon Chen

 

Blissful and Beyond

By

Sharon Chen

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Sharon Chen is an instrumentalist who with each passing measure has improved, grown and expanded her world view of the genre, here on both piano and strings, she gifts us, the ever eager listener, her best release thus far with the album Blissful and Beyond.

Chen’s sublime touch on both violin and piano can be felt here with such a warm radiance of mood and energy, the opening piece alone is enough to literally raise you from any gloom that the day has dragged you into, and the title of that charm filled opus is beautifully called Beyond the Clouds.

Here the listener will find delicate and sensitive arrangements like the touching and pristine composition entitled Blissful Enchantment, whilst offerings like Sun Never Sets, will take you far deeper than you would have ever imagined, those plunging notes on the piano are so vast and all-encompassing, so much so that when the melody full engages, we are taken towards the sunset itself, to watch the glory of the moment on a true anthem of an arrangement.

This 8 track collection of fluent and heart felt musical narratives is summed up perfectly by my favourite piece off the release called River Runs Through. This melodic slice of reflective instrumental music has a tempo that is deliciously paced, whilst the main segment of the piece takes one on a ride down the river of reflective memories.

That easy on the ears manifestation brings us to our penultimate offering Waves of My Heart, where we can also remember our journey through pieces like the new age piano styled  In Your Heart I Stay, or the positivity of compositions like Hello Love Goodbye Rain.  Sharon then brings the project to a conclusion with her final offering to us entitled Eternity Tonite, this concluding short form narrative with its memory palace of a melody, is the perfect final piece for her extremely beautiful album, one which she should be extremely proud of.

Blissful and Beyond by Sharon Chen is a delightful collection of harmonious creations from the artist, combining synth sounds, and her trusty piano and violin, all of which bring to the listener a release of great colour and texture, one that any serious musical seeker should not miss out upon at all costs, and revere as a little something very special indeed.

12th - Treasures by Rada Neal

 

12th – Treasures

By

Rada Neal

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

There are few pianists around in this genre today that are as descriptive and fluent as Rada Neal, her ability to manifest soothing musical narratives on her piano are palpable, and I can speak volumes about this encapsulating performance after having listened to the entire album and being totally spellbound by its creative beauty, so today we journey through the realm of 12th – Treasures her latest release.

I have known of Rada’s work now for some near on 20 years now, the first release I came across back in 2005 called Timeless Third still lingers long in my mind to this day. Here on her brand new creation she manifests comforting reveries like Come What May, a gentle narrative of acceptance perhaps, this is followed that up with the stunning eloquence of In the Silence, a track I could gaze out of the window in the middle of a quiet day too and simply lose all knowledge of time.

There is warmth to Rada’s style that reminds me of the late but great Annie Locke, she like Annie, brings a comforting cuddle along with her music, compositions that give such a feeling of tender warmth for me were Floating and Sweet Dreams, the latter’s sublime melody was truly special also.

Here fans of solo piano will find 12 tracks of absolute delight and pleasure, offerings like Time Stood Still will add a slight air of mystery into the proceedings, whilst the composition Passages added a dramatic flavour onto the plate of our musical table, perhaps an escape has been made from an unsavoury circumstance.

Rada then concludes the project with the penultimate offering entitled Story of the Night, a powerful performance can be found here, this was a personal favourite of mind, in an almost Phantom of the Opera moment, whilst the endeavour itself is brought to a close with the last piece called Sledding, something I haven’t done for too many years to count!

12th – Treasures by Rada Neal was one of the most pleasurable listens I have had of any album recently, its soothing pastiche of solo piano music was both enchanting and captivating, in my view this album contains some of her best work thus far, and fans of this genre worldwide really shouldn’t miss it.  12th – Treasures by Rada Neal is a musical panacea, a cathartic journey of tone and timbre to be truly valued. 

Ontogenesis By NTHNL

 

Ontogenesis

By

NTHNL

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This is interesting; when I first heard Ontogenesis by NTHNL I was immediately struck by its meditative nature, I am the type of writer who likes to actually listen to the entire project first before setting my sails to compose, and as always I am glad I did, this is a wonderful body of work, one that reminded me in parts of Llewellyn’s Journey To The Temple at the turn of this century, with its aspect of working through the bodies Chakra system, but here is an album that is different and goes much further.

Here NTHNL (aka) Jacob Rudin delivers the first album based on Ontogenesis. Ontogeny (also ontogenesis), this is the development of an individual organism or anatomical or behavioural feature from the earliest stage right through to maturity.

The beginning of this breath taking compilation of stunning music is Welcome Procession, a mood of an increasing awareness can be found within this piece, offering the true beginnings of the one, this multi-instrumental moment is the foundation of the journey we are about to enjoy.

There is much about this release that reminds me of when I give myself a Reiki treatment, working from the bottom up, bringing balance and harmony to the body, the following musical narrative flows with a precise nature and is called Straightening, Dispersing. At this point we can allow our posture to be straighter, thus allowing the energy to flow naturally; the tones here are deeper in nature, the electronic vibrations create a sanctuary of sound to drift into, and the flute is our guide along the way.

The natural sounds of the ocean at the start of our next piece entitled Nourishing, Holding are a welcome addition; I could do with an oceanic voyage right now, bathing in the healing waters of our existence, the textures here are simply beautiful, and once more that meditative sense of tranquillity washes over me, in the same way as Temple in the Forest by David Naegele did back in 1982.

We now swim within the safe harbours of the album, and as we do so we come across the track Reaching, Striving, Praying. It is as if we have found a thermal to glide on within this sparkling composition, the energy here is invigorating and most assuredly palpable, an arrangement of breath, and focus. The electronic tapestry weaved here in combination with the artists flute is both compelling incredibly uplifting.

Approaching the tor of our musical delights, we now reach the mid-way juncture of the album; the keyboards manifest a dreamy sound, whilst NTHNL’s flute hovers like an early misty September morning. Processing, Detoxifying is our current port of call, and its warming and comforting musical caress is delightful.

The return home starts with the piece Assurance, Rising, here the artists gifts us the vehicle to gain determination and strength for what may be ahead, the swirling nature of the electronic elements here are beautifully held in an informal energetic structure by the flute, and the natural ambience of the piece manifests an arrangement that is utterly transcendent.

The depth on Heart is felt to the core, the keyboards drift after manifesting the initial tone and intent of the piece, from the engine room of the body here is a composition that pumps a true sense into life, creating its own musical tidal structures, the vocalisations within this track and the natural sounds most certainly keep the listener grounded.

This album works on many levels, on pieces like Aerating, Billowing, energies of drifting on the thermals of life can be felt, the meditative ambience here is felt with such serenity in the performance of the composition, a light and tranquil pastiche of peace and serenity is so very much appreciated.

We found ourselves in the deeper waters of the album now, and as the vibrational structures alter and increase in intensity, they are beautifully portrayed by the electronic wizardry of the composition entitled Transmitting, Unravelling, Communing. The synth work here adds a layer of pace and energy into the proceedings, whilst later pulling back like a departing tide, from the tones of the composition it feels like we are in the area of the throat, the release of speaking ones truth can be felt here, and the freedom to do so is also wonderfully catered for by this inspiring and invigorating arrangement.

Our penultimate piece is called Synthesis, Memory. A track again filled with multi-instrumental flavours, the flute of the artist brings an opportunity to reflect, acknowledge and most importantly let go. The higher we go the more ethereal and contemplative the creations become, this piece raises the vivacity of the moment in a most caring and expansive way.

Whilst here now on our concluding offering called Return to the Cloud, Thank You, a moment of gratitude can be felt through the tone and timbre of the piece. This is an all-encompassing last composition, one that is born from the electronic, bathed in meditative keyboard structures, and manifests a feeling of once more being grounded in one’s own personal reality.

Ontogenesis by NTHNL is an album that will become a timeless constant in a listener’s collections; there have been many of who compiled great works using the chakra system, or various healing modalities, but this is a unique collection of thoughtful intelligent unconstrained compositions, all which go to creating an exclusive experience for anyone sensible enough to purchase it, a thoroughly glorious release that will remain on my playlist of choice for many years to come.