Echoes of Earth and Sky By Earthsong Voyage

 

Echoes of Earth and Sky

By

Earthsong Voyage

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

A beautifully vibrant album would come my way this roasting June morning, and what a breath of fresh air it was indeed, the release in question is Echoes of Earth and Sky by the artists Earthsong Voyage, a delightful mixture of Native American flute and world percussion, which can be summed up as a true global fused mixture of addictive creations.

The opening piece The Chase in F# Minor is a gentle but forthright offering that dances with a serene energy onto the centre stage of our minds eye, with a subtle percussive beat and a mesmeric flute performance.

Earthsong Voyage members are the Empert’s, with Jamie on flutes and added instrumentation, whilst Joe literally flows fast and smooth on all manner of percussion, on the track Saffron Sizzles that much becomes evident, reminding me of an old friend in Phil Thornton and his world and Egyptian vibe, combined with the late but great percussionist Hossam Ramzy they were unbeatable.

The next piece is a horse of a different colour, as a more tempered and calming beginning is gifted on the piece Unearthed, and although this is slightly elevated by some of the most stunning flute work ever by Jamie, the whole narrative remains steadfast in its calming overtones and meditative fluency, this for me was a deeply moving creation, and something I will be certainly revisiting at some stage in the future.

Tracks like Finding My Way Home gave us a little Celtic lilt and a reflective gaze, whilst the pieces like After the Sun Sets offered up a truly mystical journey of sorts, in an almost east meets west guise.

The remarkable production on this album is also noteworthy, sometimes percussion as a lead, or joint lead instrument of choice can be difficult to get just right, here the Empert’s nail it completely throughout the entire album, also especially on creations like Serengeti Stomp, a true African legend of a composition indeed.

The listener will find the mixture of flute and global percussion compelling, it is quite unique and original, and pieces like Song of the Storm take it up a notch as well, adding some natural sounds, a dreamy and mournful flute with a storm raging outside, this really grabbed my attention, and Jamie’s flute work reminded me so much of an old friend of ours, in the UK’s Nigel Shaw, and yes this would be one of my favourite manifestations from the album, but as a lot of people know, I do so love a good storm.

Joe shines on the rhythmic pulse of tracks like Kool Kat, and again on the Flying in the Wind, where the dance like ethic with Jamie’s flute brings resonance and energy, both Chrissie and I love playing with our frame drums, we have several upstairs in our music room.

The penultimate track from the album was one of the most moving I have heard from many genres so far this year, and called Celestial Echoes. The piece itself had a vast depth to it, passionate flutes that resonated across the eons of time, and into perhaps the very ears of the ancestors themselves. Without doubt this would be my personal favourite from the album, the minor mixture, the moody presentation, and the heart felt energy was incredibly compelling.

I composed a winter track a while back and it took longer than I anticipated getting it right, but seasonal tracks often do, here on our concluding musical narrative Jamie and Joe manifest something not only amazingly wintery, which is a blessing for me right now as it is boiling hot June day as I write this. Solitude of Winter is a perfect ending creation, and ideal for bringing this delightful musical journey to a conclusion, with pure class.

There are times when you get to review an album that you completely enjoy in its entirety; there are no weak tracks, no fillers, just wall to wall brilliance from the artists, beautifully narrated compositions, flourishing with intelligent and fun performances, and all on a bed of a delicious production foundation. There can be no doubt that Echoes of Earth and Sky by Earthsong Voyage is going to be a huge hit on the charts, and the pristine fluency of this great release may even see more great things rolling over the horizon of success for the duo.