Two Shores By Jim Kimo West & Michael Whalen

 

Two Shores

By

Jim Kimo West & Michael Whalen

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

A once vibrant and fulfilling genre that we lovingly call the contemporary instrumental field had been flagging for quite some time, lately we have seen signs of re-emergence, but after the release of this very album Two Shores by Jim Kimo West & Michael Whalen, we can confirm that its now not only back at full power, but that this very album is expected to have reignited its purpose entirely.

This simply fabulous new release from two of the finest exponents of classy instrumental music in the business today, have joined forces and have brought into the world one of the most vibrant albums of its kind to the globe, tracks like the title header Two Shores, a reflective, chilled and laid back shoreline composition of great quality, and a little 90’s mood starts the project with a beautiful bounce and a gleeful smile.

The release contains 10 splendid pieces, all beautifully produced, presented and performed. As an islander in my corner of the world, I can relate to offerings like the funky vibes of Ocean's Embrace, I can enjoy the fun and laughter of pieces like Sand Between My Toes, and I can understand the next offering called Malibu Breeze, its chilled guitar from the master of acoustic reveries Jim Kimo West, combined with the keyboard maestro we know as Michael Whalen is indeed a partnership that is the epitome of a symbiotic musical relationship.

There is literally something for everyone on this sublime release, a cooling swim in the musical ocean of tracks like Tides of Your Touch, or the track of all tracks that I found incredibly uplifting, A Moment Like Forever, a wondrous composition that installs a feeling of wellbeing into your psyche, at this point listening to the multi instrumentation, it’s worth knowing that all of it, every sound created, was done so by both musicians in an effort that is unparalleled in this genre.

More fluent arrangements now follow in the guise of pieces like Pikake, which in a strange way for me is rather bizarre, in just two reviews I have now written about the Cyprus Jasmine flower, the Pilipino national Jasmine plant, and now the Hawaiian jasmine, but what a beautiful fragrance, and the smooth and serene tones of the song totally emphasise its natural beauty, in one of the most chilled compositions from the album.

Watching The Rain is up next, again something that here in August would be as rare as a real life rocking horse, however it is worth noting the change in style in this arrangement, with the percussion and various percussive sounds giving us the hope of a cooling much needed rain, the keyboard structure and light acoustic string touches make this one for me the most artistic pieces from the release.

The soulful tones of the penultimate track of the album is now upon us, one that contains personification of a truly chilled guitar from Kimo on the offering Rise With The Sun, this one piece also is a masterclass of build and progression that any budding instrumentalist would be well to embrace themselves with.

We can conclude the creation now with the final part of the project entitled Weightless on the Wind, this slice of genius, is one that for me contained a little Vangelis styled anthem feel into its weave of utter class, and created for each and every listener an idyllic end to a simply fantastic musical mission.

Two Shores by Grammy and Emmy winning artists Jim Kimo West & Michael Whalen is without doubt one of the premium albums to have come into the world of instrumental music this decade with ease, here is a release created by two of the genres finest artists, that will be eternal in its musical prowess, and should live across the decades in a timeless reverie as an example of luxurious contemporary instrumental music, and is an album that everyone should have in their collections at all costs.