Autumn Reverie by James Michael Stevens

 

Autumn Reverie

By

James Michael Stevens

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

James Michael Stevens has become somewhat of a legend in the realm of new age piano, with one flowing masterpiece after another, but I believe he may have even out done himself with this brand new album, one about my favourite time of the year, with his latest release Autumn Reverie, an album which is as beautiful as the season itself.

You only have to listen to the opening track of the release called When I Was Young to feel the deliciousness of the theme, here is a gentle reverie that is like a timeless slow moving river, its notes rising and falling back to manifest a memory palace of a composition.

Autumn Leaves Are Calling says it all about this time of year, Stevens utilises a drop back progression on a performance that almost creates a folk like mood into the weave, then the song picks up and wends its way through the coloured falling leaves of an October evening.

The album is packed full of autumnal flavours with 12 full flowing textured compositions, like the grateful energies of the track Breath of the Morning, or the more edgier narrative of vast roaming aspects of the piece Gulf Breeze, then the taste of a mysterious tenderness on the dramatic offering entitled Shadows and Dreams is offered up with great class and panache.

The one major thing that Stevens gifts us is consistency of excellence on piano, pieces like the atmospheric Smokey Mountain Lake are a fine example of the artists thought processes and artistic endeavours, and one that draws a great visual in the mind.

The lake side theme is continued with the piece called On the Waterfront, there is also a clever underpinned cinematic theme within this track as well that needs to be recognised, whilst offerings like the ebullient When Fairies Dream manifest a mood of cheer, with a tender celebratory energy.

We arrive now on the Blue Shore, a composition so beautifully layered and created, that it seems to encourage a delightful sense of anonymity, where we can listen to a fine piano performance in the privacy of our own imaginations.

Sunset Lake is our next port of call; a sun kissed reverie can be found here, one of great exquisiteness, where the piano narrative walks hand in hand over the horizon with the sun itself. The following piece is our penultimate offering and called Wings at Dusk, this is a horse of a completely different colour; its darker waves of tone will enthral the listener, pulling them into its final dramatic coda.

We conclude the album with the track Stars and Silhouette, Stevens sums it all up perfectly with this powerful last creation, once again manifesting what I would call a cinematic styled opus of great quality to bring to a close one of finest releases to date in his career.

Every time I believe that James has upped his game, and with each passing album he seems to do that, on Autumn Reverie though we see a special kindly piano elegance, one that creates moods of mystery, imagination, charm and great beauty, all in a beautifully woven tapestry of great serenity and refinement, and as such perhaps we see here an album which is certainly award worthy for James Michael Stevens and Autumn Reverie.