Helping Hands By Shambhu

 

Helping Hands

By

Shambhu

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This inventive new single from Shambhu may at first appear to be a simple easy on the ears piece when first listened to, but within the weave of the narrative it touches many emotions, points to emotive references, and also provides the listener with a backdrop, and reflective nuances, and all in 158 seconds, this crafted new offering is called Helping Hands, something we all need from time to time.

The strum start is as gentle and tender as you can imagine, while the piece unfurls like a petal, 50 seconds in the first major change occurs on a track that features acoustic guitars, bass and Dobro, and this is the first time that he performs on a custom-made Oracle Guitar crafted by master luthier Todd Johnston.

The uplift on that aforementioned mark breeds a moment of deep emotional healing and reflection, whilst constantly moving onward, in the same way and style, that US instrumentalist Holland Phillips used to do back in the day. The picking of notes and constant strum, breed beautiful layers of warmth and tenderness.

Shambhu is one of the finest contemporary instrumentalists of his day, and here on this new single he proves that to be the case with ease, this is one of those singles that once you have listened to it once, you just can’t stop, there is so much to enjoy from its happy refrains and pleasant heart felt tenderness, and what fan of acoustic guitar wouldn’t love to have this brand new single called Helping Hands by Shambhu.

A Sky That Knows Our Names by Terry Lee Nichols

 

A Sky That Knows Our Names

By

Terry Lee Nichols

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It seems almost unbelievable that some 10 years ago my musical relationship with Terry Lee Nichols would begin, amazingly so almost exactly to the day when Terry would release his album At Peace Beneath the Shade of My Father's Tree, from then onward our eager ears have been treated to a fantastic array of great historical narratives, and today in 2026 we greet anther new masterpiece of an album called A Sky That Knows Our Names.

This amazing project is a 10 track release of great power, beauty and genius, in his beautifully layered information that comes with the album Nichols quotes one of my many heroes in Carl Sagan, I will to begin this narrative with a quote from him "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star-stuff” he would also note that "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."

This for me brings me great comfort that when I die, my passing from this planet will reconstitute into the great green recycling plant in the vast realms called the cosmos.

The level of musical prowess it takes to achieve an album like this is immense, listen to the opening piece for an example, a mesh of rhythm jazz, a percussive delight emphasised in a globally infused manner, with some of the most fluent and attractive vibrant piano from Nichols to boot, there are many other instrumental magicians on this album, all of which will get a mention at the conclusion of this review, but here on The Celestial Traveler, one of the most vibrant starts to an album of all times can be found.

The following musical narrative is deeper and more introspective and called In the Beginning, Light Danced. One should pay homage to one of the most remarkable vocals performances I have heard on an album for decades from Rebekah Eden who with Terry literally take this emotional and powerful composition to heights unfathomable. Perhaps Laurence Kraus summed this up perfectly when he emphatically indorsed Sagan by saying “One of the most poetic facts I know about the universe is that essentially every atom in your body was once inside a star that exploded. We are all, literally, star children, and our bodies made of stardust, if ever a piece of music was destined to be a soundtrack for that truism this is it.

Eden continues her powerful vocal march on this next offering entitled Hadean Fire, in fact even more so, and with ease that I would say this track is transformative and transcendent and emphatically powerful, certainly life changing and deeply moving, it is important to note that the Budapest Art Orchestra bring home the deeply passionate soundtrack and orchestration on this track and the entire album, but here on this piece, the strings alone create a blissful juxtaposition of tone with Nichols piano, one that paints the picture of the beginning of Gaia some 4.54 billion years ago.

This album is literally the history of everything Earth wise, as we near the half way juncture we come across Snowball Earth. One can feel the darkness and the cold descend on and around us, but from ice comes water and from water life, perhaps best expressed by scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi when he said that "Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." Here Nichols starts the construct with a hovering narrative and manifests one of the most beautiful piano performances to bring the listener one of the most attractive codas to a creation of his ever.

The Dawn of Life is also our half way marker, perhaps as far back as 3.5 billion years ago is the oldest widely accepted fossil evidence of life that appears, including microbial mats called stromatolites. Here is another favourite piece of mine as everything so delicate is brought to life from the pen of Nichols, and one can revel and enjoy the harp also of Hanna Rabe, before a fade and another utterly transcendent piano presentation from Nichols, one that will lift the roof with its supreme fluency and blissful majesty.

The very essence of everything comes from the abundance of Devonian Dusk, it is a wonderful illustration when the earth could have been truly called green, this is another beautiful composition, but for me it emphasises just what a talented and artistic composer Terry Lee Nichols is, the piano of the master here is breathtakingly lush and utterly transformative.

On the next track we have a horse of a different colour entirely called Babel, this is a clever arrangement indeed with its fast paced segments, perhaps illustrating this alleged mythical building being built, the hint of sounds and words forming illustrating the very beginning of words as we know them today, the entire track reminded me of something that Tim Burton might use in one of his movies, but the ethereal soundscapes and pauses were another brilliantly layered ethic, in a truly clever piece indeed.

We draw to the darker waters of the release where we will find a crystalline offering called From Stone We Built the Sky. Nichols piano is the chief story teller here, the core of the piece and of course the album, the multi-instrumental nature of the track allows for a wonderful example of build and progression, and a sublime coda to be weaved within the last few minutes of this remarkable piece.

The penultimate offering from the album has the most amazing vastness of quality to its structure, and called In Grateful Silence. This starts in such a reverential and meditative way, and at the 1:40 minute mark, the piece expands further with the inclusion of a Nichols piano into the most ambient and reflective offering from the album, perhaps illustrating that humans are inclined to assume that events are caused by intentional agents. This tendency can make it natural to infer gods, spirits, or a divine intelligence behind natural phenomena, regardless this has to be easily the best three minutes and 37 seconds I have spent listening recently.

We finish with the concluding narrative of A Sky That Knows Our Names, which of course is the title header of the album; this lush and creative movement is like a dance in energy, perhaps the dance of life itself, this contains a momentary slice of a peaceful reverie, perhaps to take us once again into the mind, and recognise that all that we have learned on a last final and concluding composition, simply amazing.

A Sky That Knows Our Names by Terry Lee Nichols is a landmark album and with ease the artist’s best work thus far, so let’s credit the following musicians for their exemplary work Dave Manington – upright bass, Dan Waldron – English horn, Guadalupe Ravenos – scat vocals, Hanna Rabe – harp solo, Joasia Cieśłak – cello, Katrina Penman – flute, Larry Aberman – drums and percussion, Nick Bisesi – flute solo, Rebekah Eden – vocals, and of course the Budapest Art Orchestra.

This is a release of superior quality and I doubt we will hear the like of something so grand again, A Sky That Knows Our Names by Terry Lee Nichols, is a standout legendary release for the ages that sums existence in 10 specially hand crafts tracks of pure genius, if this doesn’t get to number one, there is something wrong with the reality we live in.

Desert of Crystal By Fiona Joy Hawkins

 

Desert of Crystal

By

Fiona Joy Hawkins

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have great memories of pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins, back in 2013 when One World Music Radio was first starting, we interviewed her about her outstanding 600 Years in a Moment album, a release we still love to this day, now let’s skip forward 13 years and we can enjoy the fact that all those years later, we get to dive deep into her latest offering called Desert of Crystal, and what a fine collection of musical arrangements it is.

Starting the ball rolling is the breath taking opus of Desert of Crystal, this is one of my favourite pieces off the album and as a title track it is both powerful and emotive, I particularly like the slight pull back and then shift into a more powerful presentation, like sailing to the shifting sands of a desert, and performed with delicacy and precision.

The next piano narrative has a wonderful repeating theme within its construction which reminds me of my old friend David Lanz in style, this onward progression across the keys is incredibly palpable and called Running on Joy. With the next piece flowing freely after it, we are treated to a lush and fluent offering called Portrait of a Waterfall, this is beautifully played with some key moments featured within that make the overall narrative shine with a radiant tonal delight.

On Escarpment Dreaming there is a darkness that is demonstrable in its almost classical like performance; an element of mystery invokes a moment of a clandestine meeting occurring perhaps, for me this was yet another one of my personal favourite tracks from the release, gifting the listener and cinematic moment of piano drama to enjoy.

Our next port of musical call is To Meet (Yu Jian) a famous Chinese Taiwanese song from the movie "Turn Left, Turn Right".  This flowing melodic structure is incredibly pretty and leads us into the following piece called Falling (Twin Peaks Theme) I can remember years back watching this show on television and Fiona’s version is actually remarkable compared to the original theme by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.

Forgiveness has a tinge of memory caught in the web of a past mistake, one that plays haunting memories, and perhaps the forgiveness needs to be done by oneself! Regardless, this is a truly beautiful offering, one that contains such a mournful disposition about its construction, yet its melodic line offers us the one thing we all desire, hope.

On the composition Twilight Moment one can detect a soft segment being explored, and then a certain familiarity is found within the weave of the composition that is so fluent. The soft yet confident approach here builds something quite heart-warming to bathe within.

A similar creation comes up next and called Calling County Clare, here Fiona flows with the moment and brings forth a lively yet tempered piece with an even paced tempo and a bright and happy overall refrain, whilst on Sonatina in D Major Op.36 No.6 – Rondo Fiona shows her prowess at the classical musical genre with a perfect presentation of the Muzio Clementi piece from 1797.

Our penultimate offering is one of the most moving and emotive pieces for the release, anyone who lives in a hot dry country, like I do, will understand it perfectly, as by the end of July and early August we are usually petitioning Zeus with a Prayer For Rain ourselves. This is an amazingly powerful offering spawned from the first few drops of music, which is a quieter overall narrative, but a very impressive offering indeed.

This final piece follows on perfectly from the last offering and called Tolling of the Fire Bell, again something we dread around this time of year and for another couple of months yet, we had a wild fire only yesterday, but thankfully our troops in Cyprus, they managed to quell it, here Fiona Joy Hawkins pours her heart into a tragic offering I remember from a few years back, based on the same subject matter and manifests something deeply moving and heartfelt.

Desert of Crystal by Fiona Joy Hawkins is an album that fans of the piano genre will adore and worship, it contains 12 tracks, 10 of which are original, and each and every piece is hand crafted to maximise a quality performance in all aspects, whether they bring back memories or give one solace and peace, one can rest assured that Desert of Crystal by Fiona Joy Hawkins will be chart bound sooner than later, and a truly good chart place should be on offer for the artist as well.

Embraced By Janice Lacy

 

Embraced

By

Janice Lacy

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The soothing melodies of another Janice Lacy track pour over my senses today and it sees my musical soul fall literally in love with a pastiche of piano and instrumentation called Embraced, she is joined by Grammy® winning artists Charlie Bisharat on violin and Eugene Friesen on cello, thus bringing the listener a thoroughly delicious piece of piano based instrumental music to enjoy.

Using multi-instrumentation is a wonderful thing when you literally have two shining stars from the genre, and here on this wonderful new single they add so much to the overall narrative of the composition. Lacey’s style on this piece is multi-faceted and offers up musical reflection and tenderness, the combination of cello, violin and piano at this tempo is sublimely beautifully in all of its radiant textures.

The slow and tempered start radiates a feeling of a warm hug, so much so, that when the violin enters the fray a certain delicate posture is manifested, the cello gifts the listener a deeper tone of reflection, and the slowness and symbiotic approach of the composition gives the listener an experience that is similar to watching a summer tide roll in over the sandy beaches of an moody coastal location.

The peaks that Bisharat’s violin and depths of Friesen’s cello juxtaposes are masterfully fluent and craft fully created, offering the listener a fragrance of a tone and timbre like no other before it, and one to remember forever, surely another huge hit is on the cards here for Embraced by Janice Lacy.

The Space We Share By Louis Colaiannia

 

The Space We Share

By

Louis Colaiannia

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It was good to hear from Louis Colaiannia again, for a short time he was one of our presenters here at One World Music Radio, and to this day I still have fond memories of the first piece of music I received from him entitled The Next Stage, back in 2013. From then until now Louis has always presented his fans with some top quality music, and here on this new single called The Space We Share he has continued that theme with ease.

There is something quite ambient about this new single of his, so far to say that it creates a vast oasis of space for the listener to fully appreciate the overall narrative of the composition, one that can be felt most poignantly at the 1:30 minute mark, the track literally pulls back and breathes and then slowly manifests into something utterly glorious.

The Space We Share by Louis Colaiannia is a multi-instrumental haven of utter beauty, moving segments of great exquisiteness and charm, followed by flowing ambient tonal directives, and then a build to a tempered crescendo, which I must say I absolutely adore about this new composition.

Without doubt I can put my hand on my heart and state that in my opinion The Space We Share by Louis Colaiannia is the artist’s best work thus far, and I wouldn’t mind betting that a top 5 slot in the charts will be achieved; this is instrumental music at its very best.

Serenity by Anaya Music

 

Serenity

By

Anaya Music

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It seems a life time ago since I first came into contact with Anaya, it takes me far back to 2016 and an album called Eternity. Skip forward 10 magical years and one can have the delight of witnessing her grow from a beautiful and flourishing instrumentalist, to a new age soundtrack singer-songwriter that manifests such deeply and personal movie like soundtracks and compositions that resonate firmly in his modern era of music we have all had to embrace in 2026.

Serenity is a 12 track album that is one of the most beautifully produced releases of its day, with delicate and empowering vocal structures and full flowing symphonic arrangements like the opening piece called Galactic Journey. Following narratives like the title track Serenity offer up an angelic pathway of tonal beauty, one that also has a beautiful eastern oriental feel to its cadence.

The album is written and produced entirely by Anaya; the arrangements utilize Yamaha keyboards alongside advanced digital production tools like Songer AI Orchestration. Pieces like Celestial Galaxy and Celestial Reverie are prime example of the aforementioned enhanced quality of orchestration, the latter though contains some of the most poignant and brilliant piano from Anaya that I have heard for many a year.

Tracks like the distant Faraway offer solitude away from the crazy world that surrounds us, with once more flourishing sublime keyboard and piano work with added percussion, as well as Enya like harmonies, whilst offerings like the mystical Echoes of Serenity, bring the listeners attention to a more acoustic opening that has all the hallmarks of a soothing folk like reverie.

In the latter half of the release we have several masterpieces of instrumental magic like the track Embrace which could easily be a soundtrack for a movie, and then one of the shorter but prettiest pieces off the album called From the Heart, a symbiotic piano and orchestrated slice of instrumental genius.

The gentle guitar based opening of Strings of Emotion gifts us something soothing to enjoy, playing homage to music in all of its delights, whilst the concluding three pieces follow on a certain theme and are called Whispers and Silence, the shortest cello based and piano assisted narrative, Whispers of Harmony, a deeply moving and wonderfully orchestrated pastiche of piano and cello, and finally into the concluding tale told by the artist called Whispers of the Strings, a clever track to end with, and utterly anthem like in its compositional structures.

Serenity by Anaya Music is a modern example of what can be achieved by utilising keyboards alongside advanced digital production. Anaya as an artist has grown immeasurably, and her keyboard and piano skills alone on this release are a pleasure to swim with, as such I can see Serenity by Anaya Music obtaining a very healthy chart position indeed.

Returning to Our Orbit By Tom Moore & Mike Clay

 

Returning to Our Orbit

By

Tom Moore & Mike Clay

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The paring of electronic musicians Tom Moore & Mike Clay bring us a new single called Returning to Our Orbit, six years after the release of their album Beyond our Orbit, and I still remember writing about it to this day. The new single is a proud slice of electronic mastery from both musicians, as they manifest something that is vastly becoming more popular, thanks to shows like Stranger Things, this new creation is a fine example of EM, and a beautifully created instrumental narrative that flows endlessly and builds and progresses with such a simple and most pleasant ease.

The slow deliberate start is a master class of build and progression for any budding electronic musician; the synths manifest a constant onward tonal discipline that is utterly undeniable in its Berlin Style vibration, whilst the keyboards also build upon that in a way that artists like David Wright and Thom Brennan have done before them.

The creative and artistic notes that drive the piece wend their way through the narrative portraying for us an inevitable return to a home world perhaps, we can then enjoy the 4 minute marker when the orbit has been achieved, the entire piece breaks with the engine room, and orbiting thrusters are used to navigate the remaining journey, in one of the cleverest conclusions to an electronic composition that I have heard for quite some time.

Returning to Our Orbit by Tom Moore & Mike Clay is a beautiful example of two musicians performing from a place of excellence, and in doing so bringing to the audience and the EM fan base, one of the most compelling singles of its style this year with utter ease.

At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman

 

At Every Turn

By

Suzanne Herman

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Of all the female pianists around, one that I constantly enjoy hearing from is composer Suzanne Herman, her use of reflection and the more emphatic tonal structures truly give off a resonance that sometimes is lacking in some piano performers, and now here on her latest album At Every Turn we have a collection of utterly sublime piano based offerings to enjoy at any time of the year or day.

The opening piece on this 10 track album was a single back in ‘24 and is the quite breath taking Where Oceans Meet, here lays a proud and empowered offering that embraces the very energy of the ocean, Suzanne’s steady progression on this track is something to be admired.

It does seem rather strange writing about this subject in mid-July, but A Christmas Sky is our next offering, again a single released in ‘24 and is a reminder of the happier times of those most cold winter nights, and the darkness and cheer to come, this is a pretty piece from Suzanne, one performed with a lot of memories looking over the shoulder no doubt.

First Glance our next offering is an interesting new composition for me, it has a somewhat tentative tone, but one that seeks to gain attention, there is a delicacy I really like about this offering that I find deeply attractive, especially the comforting coda to conclude the tale. Which leads us nicely to the shortest track from the album at just under three minutes, a piece called Clear a Path, regardless this happens to be one of the most flourishing piano narratives off the album and one that you really don’t want to skip over.

Released in ‘25 as a single A Graceful Splash is our next port of musical interest, the tempo of this composition is utterly delightful, it’s like a piano lullaby, lulling one into a gentle caress of peace and simplicity, this is also performed with such grace by the artist that one could let it play on repeat and not notice.

I remember this specific track as a fun single release earlier on this year and called Penguin Parade, for those of us that have seen actual penguins in real time; they do give of an amusing gate and energy when on land, but dynamically graceful and a fine example of evolution when in the water. Here Herman captures that essence and more by bringing us a truly light hearted but enjoyable creation.

Sojourn would turn out to be one of my personal favourite pieces from the album; it had a mournful repose that I enjoyed thoroughly, it had a powerful refrain at times that drew the listener in, and softer segments that had such an emotional and moving tonal construct, that I might go as far to say that in my view this is one of the finest creations I have heard from the artist.

The deeper darker waters of this river of tone are up next and called Like None Other. There is much about this flourishing narrative that reminded me at times of my old friend David Lanz, that lyrical narrative, the softer segments and the very melodious moments of piano magic that can be found on a truly excellent solo piano manifestation.

The high notes that begin our penultimate offering usher in a piece that is truly mesmeric in proportions and called No Darkness. This complex narrative may seem simple, but to construct a minimalistic arrangement like this and holding it constant is a lot harder that you think without compromising the entire song, brilliantly done indeed Suzanne.

Our final refuge from this crazy world is called An Inspired Silence, there is an almost regal sense or energy to this final and concluding offering that is somewhat palpable, without doubt it is the steady progressive tempo, but this anthem like final creation is the idyllic offering with which to part ways with the listener, and leaves them utterly satisfied.

At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman is a solo piano album that the genre has needed for some time, and a huge thank you to the composer for manifesting an album where only one of the tracks was less than three minutes long, bravo indeed. The release is utterly beautiful and at times very moving, the artist’s heart felt and meaningful style is so listenable, and everyone who listens to this sublime album should find something they like with ease on, At Every Turn by Suzanne Herman.

Can't Find My Way Home By Carbe and Durand

 

Can't Find My Way Home

By

Carbe and Durand

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

You know those moments when you have heard something and you can’t just pick out where you heard it before, but it’s there hiding in the annals of your mind, this is one of those. Then the light came on as Carbe and Durand gift us Can't Find My Way Home originally done by the band Blindfaith back in ‘69 if I remember correctly. Back in those heady days of the hippie era, performers like Clapton and Windwood were just starting their accent to glory.

Here Carbe and Durand, a duo I have loved for many years, give us their own version and the performance is breath taking and also live, Can't Find My Way Home is a classic song from Windwood and rated as probably the best ever rock folk song of all time, and indeed Clapton also plays acoustic guitar on it to, here the duet of Carbe and Durand breathe new life into a legendary song.

There can be no doubt that this is a superior version, and a crowd pleaser, the balance that Lisa and JP find is so symbiotic that its breath taking to just listen to, and it’s no wonder their legions of intelligent fans are treated to such mastery every time they perform or release a song, acoustically this is outstanding and a fine example of a perfect combination of the twin powers of instrumental genius, which leaves me in no doubt that Can't Find My Way Home by Carbe and Durand is going to be a massive chart hit with utter ease.

Waiting For Today By Victor Towle

 

Waiting For Today

By

Victor Towle

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Victor Towle describes himself as a Zen guitarist providing chill instrumental new age music, for me this is quite an accurate description, his creations certainly do have a meditative quality about them that bring a somewhat delicious layer of peace to the cadence of the day, and here on this brand new single called Waiting For Today we have such an item of calm and serenity.

The very opening of the performance on this new single is incredibly relaxing and soothing, manifesting a tone that is very easy on the ears and mind, allowing the listener to bliss out into a bed of fine notes with string touches and strums.

The entire arrangement is beautifully layered with some of the most excellent finger style guitar and melodious structures, along with some creative chord structures, especially so at around the 1 minute 20 second mark, with lower strings strums and a beautiful memory pack a reflective segment, one that also contains a few sensitive harmonics as well.

Waiting For Today by Victor Towle in my view, is one of the most artistic and creative creations of his career thus far, and for me that journey started in 2020 and Colorado Zen. Note also the slowing coda and sensitive conclusion to the single which in itself was also noteworthy. So it’s quite easy for me to state that this brand new single should bring a lot of success for the artist and a healthy chart position as well, for Waiting for Today by Victor Towle.

Healing By Monster Taxi

 

Healing

By

Monster Taxi

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Monster Taxi is the alter-ego of Miami music producer and keyboardist Jason Klein, I have been following his delightful pastiche of musical mastery since 2025 and the release of the single back then called Japanese Onsen, but the history of the artist goes back much father, however today I get to take a listen to Healing from the composer and enjoy the smooth tonal picture it paints for the listener.

The soothing key to start this journey is a timbre, so perfect and delightful, and indeed it sets the fluency backdrop for the entire project. The keyboard structures and chords provide an interesting soundscape, one of a simple delight, and a structured onward movement of sound that has fluency and rhythm that is both potent and enjoyable.

There is also a sense of memory and reflection built into the weave of the arrangement, that while it is subtle, it is indeed noticed by a keen ear, perhaps a look over the shoulder at lessons learned. There are some specific changes in the arrangement to that are craft-fully manifested, the 2:03 marker, a clever transition into a more electronic mode and back into the steady onward rhythm again, a seamless segue of musical prowess indeed.

Healing by Monster Taxi is indeed a fine new instrumental creation, one that fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy, but there is a sense of relaxation and a soothing tone that also floats within the narrative of this very cleverly crafted instrumental composition, and one that is so utterly charming, a new single, a new energy, and a new hit for Healing by Monster Taxi.

Dark to Emerald By Sylion

 

Dark to Emerald

By

Sylion

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Taking a moment to pause, I came across a wonderful single today called Dark to Emerald by Sylion. This pause for musical reflection stood in my mind’s eye and I bathed sonically in its realms for a wondrous six plus minutes of great beauty, in a composition that I rate as one of the best new age singles I have heard for years.

The slow gentle start reminded me of the 90’s new age classic material we were used to getting from artists like Medwyn Goodall and Phil Thornton back in the day, but as the composition picked up, and the strings and keyboards began to operate symbiotically, I found a wonderful pastiche of fluency that would birth something more soundtrack in nature and intent.

The arrangement is carefully curated and masterfully put together, so much so that as we reach the half way juncture the entire piece becomes almost regal to behold, angelic at times, but also breathtakingly powerful and moving, thanks to the vocalisations and powerful Kerani like motifs.

There is everything to love about Dark to Emerald, its onward march is like a force of nature from the Elven forests, its drum beat the percussion of the planet itself, and the symphonic fluency manifests a sublime new single, one that I am convinced should reach a very high chart position and possibly more.

There are many artists around at the moment that might do well to take a look at this release, some take instrumental music too lightly, and pray to the mighty algorithm by producing quantity instead of quality. Here Sylion shows them the way, producing a perfect example of new age instrumental music, with not only a perfect performance, but a crafted composition which deserves all the plaudits it gets, this is a master work of build and progression, along with care and attention to detail, and as such I rate this as a fine example of what can be achieved with a little time and a little musical love, full marks indeed to Dark to Emerald by Sylion.

Some Time Ago By Neil Tatar

 

Some Time Ago

By

Neil Tatar

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have long been a fan of the beautiful music of Neil Tatar, it started for me back in the year 2015 when everything was all change for me personally, and an album called Learning To Fly. From that time on, any moment I saw new music available from the artist I just knew it is going to be of a superior quality, and today I have been proved right once again with the release of his latest single called Some Time Ago.

This emotive slice of musical magic has been created at the new age musical Narnia called Imaginary Road Studios, and thus also contains the talents of two fine musicians in their own right in Neil Tatar of course on his piano, and the legendary violin of Charlie Bisharat, this symbiotic partnership brings forth elements of emotion into a piano based narrative that I haven’t heard since the days of Elton John, but this new piece is utterly transcendent in all of those qualities and more.

The imploring violin and the tale woven by Tatar’s piano is simply idyllic and also deeply haunting, the lower notes add a beautiful carpet of tone and timbre, it would be very easy to leave this song on repeat and simply not worry about it for some time. I have a feeling this will be embraced globally by the fans of instrumental music around the world, and become a sparklingly attractive hit for, Neil Tatar with Some Time Ago.

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey By Ellen Johnson

 

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey

By

Ellen Johnson

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I always love it when I come across a new name to me in the genre, and this new album has all the hallmarks of a really good long EP or short album from Ellen Johnson, with a powerful array of compositional structures and a rhythmic pastiche of tone that literally thrills the listener and entrances its audience, the release itself is called Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey and it most certainly is.

The opening offering is a good old traditional ‘90s style new age arrangement, one that balances its desires on a globally fused rhythm and new age sounds. and called Roots Beneath the Horizon, combing various animal noises this is one of the most creative pieces I have heard from this genre this year, and reminds me greatly of UK based new age artist Phil Thornton in style, and indeed in performance.

Amphitrite’s Longing is up next, this is right in my court as a mythologist. Amphitrite is the ancient Greek goddess and feminine personification of the sea. The name translates to "the surrounding sea" She represents the sea's bounty, untamed beauty, and power, serving as the mighty queen of the oceans; she initially fled the advances of Poseidon, hiding in the far reaches of the ocean. Poseidon sent a dolphin named Delphinus to woo her, and she eventually agreed to marry him, earning her title as the Queen of the Sea. This is absolutely on the button; the vocalisations are perfect, as is the floating and graceful instrumentation around it, and as one who lives in the middle of all this in Cyprus. it gives me great pleasure to listen to it.

The more rhythmic energies of Sirius Spirit are up next. The name Sirius derives from the Greek Σείριος (Seirios), interpreted as "glowing" or "scorching," emphasizing its radiant and heat-inducing qualities, and Ellen has done it again, manifesting a glowing track of tonal vibration, one that has many delicious layers and vocalisations, electronic wizardry, keyboard textures, and rhythmic percussive elements that make this piece one of the most fascinating and well-constructed from the release.

The penultimate offering is called Where the Wind Dreams, without doubt the most haunting of reveries, a charming floating narrative that seems to drift on errant passing clouds in a dream like narrative. The drifting vocalisations remind me from time to time of Llewellyn’s album Journey to The Faeries, but the overall feel of the piece is a beautifully lush meditative track that simply creates a safe space for the listener to bathe within.

The concluding tale is an even more interesting talking point and called Threads Between the Stars. This is a far more pronounced electronic based track with some very nice touches in the weave of the piece, there is once again an undeniable rhythm to this track that is palpable, the chimes and bowl strikes are cleverly laid into the arrangement, giving a more hypnotic overall narrative to the composition in a very clever ending indeed.

Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey by Ellen Johnson is a really good collection of new age instrumental compositions, the mixture of instrumentation, rhythm and compositional intelligence was beautifully orchestrated. The album itself maybe just 5 tracks in duration, but the journey itself is more than worth the time invested in it, I would recommend this release in a heartbeat, and as such I predict a heathy voyage in the charts for Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey by Ellen Johnson.   

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 By Fred Grenot

 

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2

By

Fred Grenot

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Fred Grenot’s musical prowess and his creations have been nothing short of miraculous, and this year alone some of his finest work ever has not only been greatly received by me personally, but also by the thousands of fans across the new age music genre, and now he brings us another delightful album called Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2.

This journey of great beauty of sight and sound starts with the flowing natural science of the opener entitled Softening the Root. The slow and floating narrative here is almost sensual at times, and creates a lush carpet of tone and timbre to literally sink within; the slight change in chords is manifested so carefully and with great thought and tenderness.

However there is a real change of course with the next offering called Sublimating The Abode, a far deeper resonance can be found here, one that carries with it a higher frequency and tone, and a slightly more elevated energy of awareness too. Fred’s ability to feel what is needed at just the right time is very impressive, especially on this deeper and darker ambient moment.

There is somewhat of a softness of tone on Lustrous Gem that is so very palpable and charming, this is a blanket of literal sound and comfort, Fred’s careful progression on this delicate arrangement contains an almost angelic presence to its proceedings, and is a composition that would be perfect to completely release to, the depth within the tonal vibrations is incredibly intelligent.

Something that we have all had to do at some point is now next, the painful moment of letting go, and on Letting Tears Flow we have the perfect soundtrack for that moment, its tender and respectful tonal structure is a warm sanctuary of sound to release and let go and heal, to move onward ever forward in love. I rate this as to be one of the most emotive offerings from Fred all time.

Next is a personal favourite of mine and a former single called An Embodied Heart, this in my view is the artists best work thus far, the tempo, the depth, the pastiche of chords and structures are utterly moving and breath-taking, and one can feel the emotion within this track, so much so that the hairs on your arms stand to attention, Fred has hit gold on this track, a piece that I hope will remain timeless in the world of instrumental music, as it is a veritable masterpiece.

A somewhat differing more spectral energy can be found on this next piece called Blue Aura. Once more the artist has hit the exact note and tone for the subject matter, that energy field that fluctuates around the body, this is an artist moment of ultra-bliss for Grenot, as he captures the essence sweetly and builds upon a layer of synths to scale up the vibrations.

A Clear Insight is a gentle pathway to peace and calm, but also with a hint of mystery built cleverly into the weave by the artist, one that you may well miss if you don’t listen closely enough, this is beautifully layered and textured opus, and also a track that hovers wonderfully to create a minimal layer of anticipation into the narration of the overall arrangement.

Our penultimate offering is called A Passage For Life, here you can find a slow build and progression up the scale, but underneath a bed of electronic wizardry that reminds me of my track Twin Moons from my latest album. Here Fred allows the piece to breathe and then expand and grow by itself, and the result is a slice of electronic mastery that should be applauded.

The shortest piece from the release is next and called A Sense Of Serenity. However the investment of three and a half minutes on this track is time well used, as this track is the ultimate ending for such a caring and loving release, one that concludes our journey with him in a similar way of watching a summer tide flow in an out with great peace and tranquillity.

Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 by Fred Grenot is without doubt the best album from the artist ever, Fred has raised the bar and in doing so brought to the general public and the lovers of incredible peaceful instrumental ambient music genre, a release that should go down as one of the finest new age music albums of the decade, and as such I can see a chart topping position and possibly awards ahead for Respite Music For Healing, Volume 2 by Fred Grenot with absolute ease.

Mood Blue By Melany Thompson

 

Mood Blue

By

Melany Thompson

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have fond memories of Melany Thompson, her music and her style struck a chord for me; pardon the musical pun, way back in 2019 with the release of her album Memories of Home, here some 7 years later we are gifted another beautiful piano based release called Mood Blue, and it is some of the most emotive solo work I have heard on the piano for some years.

Our journey begins with the delightfully slow and beautiful opener entitled What We Remember, this passion filled opus is a deeply moving opening, one that will sit with the listener and be their constant reminder of what has passed and can never return.

Offerings like Where The Clouds Dance, gift us with a somewhat more upbeat vibrancy, but listen to the performance by the artist, this is a beautiful composition indeed, but the flourishing notes and powerful progression make this piece one of my all-time favourites from the album.

Bittersweet Skies offers a more contemplative moment of piano, an interesting juxtaposition of tone and timbre can be found here, one that plays with the mind and the heart, whilst on the next offering called Fragments Of Us we have a track that literally paints a delicate pastiche of reflective moods and sombre moments, but does so in such a moving and imploring way.

My favourite season of all is explored next by the artist on Autumn Nights, this is our beloved season of mists and darker days, falling leaves and bonfires, well that’s was how it used to be before I moved to the country of Cyprus, but this song still resonates in a calming and most ambient way.

Painting Waves is a delightful calm moment of solo piano, one that again juxtaposes the soft incoming ocean moments, to the more forceful waves of the other seasons, a musical paradox of life, as Thompsons piano may well reflect on how we deal with the waves in our own lives, and how we navigate those possibilities, her performance here is deeply thoughtful and intelligent.

Waiting For You is a blissful floating piano track that graces the soul, mind and ears, whilst the penultimate offering Shades of Grace, is one of those haunting reveries that seems to have a spectral feel hidden deep within the wave of the track.

The conclusion comes with the arrival of the final track entitled Counting Breaths, there is something quite anthem like about this ending narrative that I find quite moving and deeply palpable, the steady slow march of the piano and the imploring narrative manifest for me one of the stand out pieces from the release, and a sublime way with which to leave the project.

Mood Blue by Melany Thompson is the album that fans of solo piano have been waiting for, something imploring, something deep and moving, with its delightful contents filled with a passion to explore the harder side of life, love and reflection. This is her best work thus far with ease, and I’m pretty certain it should see her climb the charts with utter simplicity.

Mansuria, Planet of the Gods By Steve Sheppard ft. David de Michelle

 

Mansuria, Planet of the Gods

 By

Steve Sheppard ft. David de Michelle

Written by

Andy Rogers

It’s always wonderful when an artist comes up with something that takes their music to a new dimension. This remarkable new album from Steve Sheppard does precisely that. Recorded during a particularly turbulent time in his life, Steve felt the need to create a better, more restful place to escape the waking world with all its problems and troubles. He invented a veritable Nirvana of sorts; a mental fantasy about a planet called Mansuria in an unknown region of space. From that comes this new album, “Mansuria, Planet of the Gods”.

As good as Steve’s previous releases have been, this latest album is a giant leap forward in both musical content and production values. For the album Steve has sought the musical assistance and collaboration of David De Michele on synths and vocalisations plus, on a couple of tracks, some very atmospheric flute and vocalisations courtesy of Steve’s wife Chrissie Sheppard.

The album starts with “Journey to Mansuria” – A tense sounding beginning as we depart on the long flight, this leads to a more tranquil middle section before a dramatic jolt in the music tells us we approaching Mansuria.. Nice use of dramatic synths on this track which reminded me at times of early Vangelis.

“Arrival at Mansuria” opens with a calm pastoral theme as we slowly approach the planet. A gentle rolling piano line leads us further on before a pulsing synth and vocalisations take us down to the planet surface.

Track 3 is “Twin Moons”. There is a darker more mysterious feel here. The synths have a sharper edge, rhythms come and go, mystical voices drift through the mix and there is an occasional haunting flute. In all a very edgy and intriguing piece of music that evokes the light of the two moons beautifully.

Next is “The Living Lake”. Natural sounds of water combine with synths playing gently undulating chords that mirror the ripples on the lake surface. Chrissie’s flute enhances the mood of the piece as the music fills your head with visions of the huge lake surrounded by a deep dark forest…

Track 5 is indeed “The Forest of Darkness”. The music is now eerie and mysterious. The synths are more intense and are joined by nature sounds and more of those slightly unsettling vocalisations. Eventually the music changes to a more positive mood as we reach the centre of the forest, “the Tree of Love”.

Leaving the forest we arrive at “The Marsh of Forgetfulness”, starting with the sounds of wind and water it becomes a chilled almost ambient track encouraging you to stop and rest. It reminded me very much of the Deep Skies series from Steve’s friend, synth maestro Kevin Kendle – high praise indeed.

The penultimate track is “Tyrian Uplands”. The music here has a sense of awe at the sheer size of the vast mountain ranges of Mansuria. Epic sweeping synths and soaring vocals depict something deeply moving, proud and vast, demanding respect yet being utterly beautiful at the same time.

So we arrive at the last track on the album, “A Brave New World”. This is a fitting end to a superb album. It has a truly cinematic feel, like a soundtrack to a film yet to be made. Opening quietly it expands into an orchestral theme that is truly lovely. It gives a sense of rebirth and hope that maybe the true spirit of man will prevail and we will, one day, build a better life on a brave new world. 

In summary, I loved this album. Steve Sheppard, along with David De Michele and Chrissie Sheppard have created something really rather special. Whether your choice of music is electronica, new age or even neo-classical there is something here for everybody and it deserves to do really well.  As Steve himself says: “Welcome to my memory palace, just push open the door and step inside, there are more worlds than this, but today we land on a world filled with limitless possibilities, a planet that crosses the boundaries of probability: Welcome to Mansuria, The Planet of the Gods!”