Transcendence By Shambhu

 

Transcendence

By

Shambhu

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Today I allowed the cadence of the day to wash over me; the morning had started in glorious aplomb, the birds sang on high, a soft warm spring wind blew through the tress whilst walking my dog, and for me in that instant everything in the world was as it should be, I was completely in the moment, and this is exactly the energy I get from a Shambhu album, which is good, as today we journey together through the medium of the artists latest release entitled Transcendence.

The opening piece should be familiar to all who follow the artist’s work, as Heart Awakening was earlier offered to the world as both a single and off an EP from 2021 of the same name; here we revisit a slow gentle soothing guitar narrative that eases the listener into their day, and a track that gifts us some nice harmonics too, in what must be described as a splendid start.

The slight elevation in tempo may be tentative, but here on the track Edge of Eternal we have an exciting narrative that flows with an expectancy of abundance, the presentation on acoustic guitar here is both sublime and sun kissed, this is an arrangement that features a couple of my favourite instrumentalists as well in, Eugene Friesen and Jill Haley on Cello and English Horn respectively.

Such beautiful memories are evoked on this next offering, one that originally takes me back to 2017, and I am of course referring to the track Soothe from the album back then of the same name, such a wonderful experience to bathe in this mix of electric guitars and a little synth, raised and highlighted further by the outstanding contribution of Michael Manring on Fretless bass, an instrument with such a distinctive texture.

The gentle slow river that is the piece Revelation is now upon us, the artist’s tranquil and meditative style here fills one with a deeper sense of emotion, whilst the inclusion of Tony Levin on Bass and the aforementioned Friesen and Haley’s contributions here, elevated this specific track for me, as one of the most heart-warming and emotive compositions from the release.

Nirab Amare is an interesting one for me, I live in a quiet area, and all of the time we have various bird sounds, which is delightful, today I had a couple of crows sitting in a tree nearby, but I was to find out that the bird sound was actually coming from this track not from my winged buddies here in Cyprus. The flute made this track special for me, Premik Russel Tubbs presentation was simply transcendent, and was one that symbiotically partnered Shambhu’s acoustic guitar to perfection.

So we drift into the welcome arms of the second half of the album, and as we do so we come across a serene creation entitled Imagine. To me this must be like one of those fantasy moments in music, to have two acoustic guitars from two of the stars in the genre in Shambhu and the great Will Ackerman on the same track, then add into the mix Manring on bass and magic is made.

I adore the reflective creations of the artist, and we have one of those moments right now with the track, Pondering When. The tranquil and ponderous presentation is utterly beautiful; it truly reminds me of when I used to take my self-off into nature, to hide from the ravages of conflict, and in doing so, would find peace and harmony in a sanctuary of trees and hillsides, this composition is simply divine and could have been a soundtrack for that very event.

We find ourselves now in the deeper waters of the release as we reach the charming musical narrative of Knowingness, once again with Premik Russel Tubbs but this time on Soprano Saxophone, and the inclusion of Frank Martin on piano, and a blissful performance from Shambhu of electric guitars; one that is only enhanced further by the fluent Kristin Hoffman on vocals, whose work throughout this album has been a soothing timbre to enjoy.

The penultimate offering is entitled Windows of Time, fans of the artist would have found this some 13 years ago on the release Dreaming Now. Here the composition is taken further, and its proud jazz styled contemporary instrumental flavours can be enjoyed once again, kudos to both Charlie Bisharat and George Brooks, their contribution on violin and soprano saxophone respectively to this piece has to be applauded.

The aforementioned Dreaming of Now, this time the actual track concludes our voyage with the artist on this occasion, one of the most chilled offerings from this release and indeed from Shambhu. The listener through the medium of this track is left in total peace and calm, with the addition of Tubbs of flute gifting the final composition that almost lullaby status, in what is a caring and tender way with which to leave this quite beautiful album.

Transcendence by Shambhu is a charming and loving look back at all that is good and gold in the musical catalogue of musician as the years have rolled past. This world is a better place for artists like Shambhu, we need calm, tranquil lives that are enhanced by positivity, and music like this will always be the panacea to cure those woes of everyday life. This is without doubt one of the most reflective collections of contemporary instrumental music out there, and as such should be lapped up by those needing a sanctuary of soothing sound to escape into.

Check out the links below to where you can find the music:

STREAMING:  https://ffm.to/transcendence-shambhu

SHAMBHU MUSIC SITE: https://www.shambhumusic.com/transcendence

BANDCAMP: https://shambhumusic.bandcamp.com/album/transcendence

AMAZON: https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DXT26VHP?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_T51g7gqQrUyCoChPsn7sMPnt3

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/3s4kK4jHUicJRcHKhvWfzb?si=HE_7i3rVSEyfASPSQa7k7Q

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/transcendence/1798280269

PANDORA: https://pandora.app.link/aM4cJA9nJRb

Heaven By Eric Tingstad

 

Heaven

By

Eric Tingstad

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have very fond memories of the music of Eric Tingstad; I surrounded myself back in 2007 with the ever timeless tones of Sunrise in Four Corners from his 2007 release entitled Southwest. Here today some 18 years later I have the pleasure to write a review for his latest single entitled Heaven.

This lush and textured new creation has an abundance of guitar, as you would of course expect from the composer, but here we can enjoy electric, acoustic and slide, and an ever onward progression of a song that is utterly beautiful, and I guess heavenly.

The gentle approach here from Tingstad is well received; there is a tender build and progression, but one that manifests a timbre that flourishes in every new stage it reaches, this is a crafted and cultured release, one of sublime high quality that you might expect from the performer.

Each note and each string is manifested with a soft backdrop of sound, and a slight but pertinent crescendo to birth for me one of the best guitar tracks I have heard this year with ease, and one destined to be a very big chart hit indeed.

Unidentified Ambient Phenomena, Vol. 1 By Piscean Daydreams

 

Unidentified Ambient Phenomena, Vol. 1

By

Piscean Daydreams

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I had the great pleasure this afternoon to immerse myself into an EP that was just the musical panacea I needed, that collection of sublime arrangements is called Unidentified Ambient Phenomena, Vol. 1, and has been released by the artist known as Piscean Daydreams.

This, as some might know, is my stomping ground, I adore electronic ambient music like this and produce my own music in this genre as well, so for me its inspiration that I am seeking, and I got a plethora of that through this amazing release.

The opening piece Neptune’s Embrace is a powerful, yet floaty construct, and is a track that immerses the listener fully; one can truly feel like they are swimming in the lapis seas of mythological deities, in fact only yesterday I was walking along Poseidonos Avenue in Cyprus, the home of the Greek equivalent, and at eventide this music would have represented this area perfectly, this is a submerging offering that creates a warming and caressing sound around the listener, and in the most beautiful of ways.

The natural sounds of the ocean leads us into track two entitled Transmedium, I must state now that this was my personal favourite from the album, there is a real “as above, so below” feel to this creation that is undeniable, at times the synth electronic performance reminds me of both the more mellow side of Andy Pickford, and perhaps the more fluent aspects of Brian Eno, regardless this is a composition of utterly high quality.

The third of our four manifestations is the penultimate offering entitled Like Tears in Rain, and is indeed a grittier piece, one that has elements of the movie Bladerunner contained within, think of the original movie only, and the Vangelis music that accompanied that moment, he gazed out of the window to look upon a rainy night and the constant flickering of the neon lights and advertisements below, and you will no doubt see where I am coming from. A stunning locational reverie indeed, and one that has a defined sense of emotion contained within as well, thanks to that wonderfully embracing sweeping synth.

How could you not like the opening of this piece, it was like placing an old 45 on a turntable again, immediately drawing one back to a past life of static, dust and great music, my first Tomita album sounded like that, but here the artist adds a delightful eastern vibe to the weave of the composition called Echoes of a Forgotten Past, and goes onto build an arrangement that in truth you never want to end, if this track had gone on for 20 minutes I wouldn’t have minded, and what a sublime way with which to conclude the project.

There can be no doubt that Unidentified Ambient Phenomena; Vol. 1 by Piscean Daydreams is a quality release, up there with the best of the ambient electronic genre, one can only look forward to Vol 2, but here on this collection the listener will find a thoroughly intelligent and professional recording, one that not only captures the subject matter perfectly, but brings them some of the finest examples of modern day EM, Vangelis would indeed be proud.

Dancing in the Storm By Geez Louise

 

Dancing in the Storm

By

Geez Louise

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It was a time for a new chapter for me, as we recently moved house to a far better area and dwelling, and for a while I pondered on what album I would review first in my new home, as it happens it was a new artist to me, but from a familiar source as we feature Geez Louise and her new release Dancing In The Storm.

Geez Louise aka Louise Dimiceli-Mitran, now I am sure now that some will have already recognised the final last name there from my previous reviews, and you would be correct, here Louise steps up to the proverbial plate and produces one of the most vibrant vocal albums you will have heard for quite some time.

I have always been told that you need to start off any album with a truly strong track or intention, and the artist certainly does that with the full flowing narrative of Being With You, this flourishing light rock creation reminds me in compositional structure, to the music of The Travelling Wilburys, remember them? Then we move onwards to another favourite of mine called Already Gone, no not the Eagles track from the album of the same name, but a smooth ballad that does actually have a little Eagles or Don Henley feel to its overall mood, the overlaid harmonies here are delicious.

The rhythmic progression on this next piece is simply smooth and called Mexico. Now whilst this is a country I am very unlikely to ever go to, I can do so vicariously with this composition, one that also has a clever hook of a chorus as well.

The listener will find something to please them in all ways within this 13 track creation, perhaps offerings like If You Do, which contain some quite amazing guitar that reminded me of Chris Rea in tone, and performed brilliantly by Kraig McCreary, or they may find solace in the title track Dancing in the Storm, kudos to the artist for their beautiful acoustic guitar presentation, and the amazingly powerful and uplifting vocals on this piece.

The tempo picks up once more as we get to the mid-way track of the album and the song called Hell in the Hallway; this is a classic driving song, full of rhythm, passion and undeniably addictive lyrics. Whilst on After All These Years we can bring a little folk into the scheme of things, this touching composition is so heart felt, and it must be said for those of you who love the nuances in an album, contains the cello of the ever talented Hans Christian.

Five Hundred Ways is one of those offerings that will engage the listener with its immediate chorus and hook line, and indeed it’s possible to say unusually, that 90% of songs of this album could easily be hit singles, perhaps even this one coming up now called Stand Up, now background vocals are just that, but the added tonal inclusion of Annie Mitran Brennan on them was nothing short of genius, as they created a tapestry of tone and timbre that was so symbiotically lush and textured.

We move to a locational track and a place I nearly ended up in by default, but that story is a little strange to recant here! However on the piece Chicago Song we have a personal tale told, and this is certainly one to pull up the lyric sheet to, it is so very moving, and sadly still relevant to the current day, on a musical note I adored the inclusion of Andy Mitran on piano on this heart felt manifestation.

We now move into the deeper waters of this release, and as we do so we come across a track called Connection, now here is a theme that reminded me fellow American new age band The Song Gardeners in content, and yes, another song I would recommend as a possible single release, and perhaps one that may even become a bit of an anthem for the artist in times ahead.

The penultimate offering is entitled Free, and here the artists gifts us a song that in a way is a reminder for us all to embrace life while we have it, and then to conclude the album we have a true classic last composition, and this final musical gift is called You Are A Light, another anthem like offering that is as easy on the ears as an early sunny Sunday morning is on the senses, and a sublime way with which to leave the album, one that contains a wonderful feeling of positivity and hope, something we all need now more than ever before.

Dancing in the Storm by Geez Louise is a vocal based album that will take the listener on a voyage of musical interest; it will explore heart felt narratives and also have that sublime sense of rhythm that the feet will not be able to resist tapping to. Dancing in the Storm by Geez Louise breathes a breath of fresh air and hope into the hearts and minds of the listener, and as such I can see this album becoming a bit of a big hit on the charts for the artist.