Evening Light By Andy Rogers

 

 

Evening Light

By

Andy Rogers

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It’s always a something pleasurable when you listen to a new Andy Rogers album, here on this new offering entitled Evening Light he embraces the new age music genre once more, and brings to its table one of the most beautiful and natural albums of the year thus far. Andy and I are created from the same era of the genre, where it’s the music that matters, not pandering to an algorithm for extra streams, with Andy it’s always been about the music, and it will thankfully always be that way.

Evening Light is a soothing 12 track masterpiece of classic new age material, with natural sounds and a soft delicate piano weaved into this pastiche of utter beauty and quality, tracks like the opening narrative As Day Turns to Night and the title track Evening Light are but two amazingly cultured pieces to calm the furrowed brow of any listener.

This next offering reminds me of my home here in Cyprus as every sun down is a spectacle to be blessed and called A Golden Sunset, here Andy drifts in the natural sound of birds and water, creating an idyllic vista, one so gently performed, as the sun god Apollo gives way to the night deity Selene. On Heather Cottage he produces a track that I would see as a top five single release with ease. The keyboards and soft pads added layer upon layer on one of the finest melodies since his iconic Ocean Dreaming offering.

Pieces like Shingle Beach Twilight and Into The Dark Silence add an undergarment of tone and timbre of a deeper elk into the album, these more reflective compositions, especially the latter are incredibly heart-felt and moving to bathe within.

Mid summers are made of evenings like Red Sky at Night, I remember the song of the Blackbird, those June days that would never end, but did, and in the silence of this one song I hear magic being created, in the same way with which Kevin Kendle created Eventide, this I rate as one of the finest piano compositions that Andy has ever created, it has a wistful sense of mournfulness, and a tender touch of a time passing, but one remembered with a great fondness.

If ever a track was redolent of the subject matter it would have to be the following musical narrative called Moonlight on the River, a perfect level stream sound and a gentle keyboard structure, whilst on Ocean Meditation, the calming sea waves gift us a full flowing piece that I felt were so familiar to me, and had an almost classical feel to its arrangement that I found deeply compelling.

I must admit I was looking forward to this one, Heat Haze, this had a delightful exciting build to its compositional structure that was literally movie standard, powerful, emotive chord patterns manifested a breath taking sculptured tale of brilliance from the artist, whilst the first few strains of a thunderstorm can be heard on The Rain Is Still Falling, another incredibly emotive offering, the performance on the piano is a look over the shoulder of a dying summer, as the first tinges of autumn reminds us of the delight we had, but one that has just started to fade.

We end with a gentle jazz styled opus that I fondly remember back in 2021 called Friday at 5, this is Andy’s “Cheers” piece of the album, and a great way with which to sum up the release and gift the listener something soothing and laid back to enjoy.

In my view, I think Andy has achieved that goal that as musicians we all strive for, to read from a reviewer that in his view, he has achieved his best work thus far, and I think he has certainly done that, full marks Mr Rogers, Evening Light is that panacea to cure all musical woes, and as such a high chart placement and maybe more awaits this classy release.