Almost Here By Kerani

 

Almost Here

By

Kerani

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It’s not until I looked, but it had been a while since I had heard from Kerani, in fact back in 2024 and her album Silent Heart, but two strange years have been added to this crazy worlds historical narrative, and in 2026 I am elated to be listening to and writing about the last masterpiece by one of the finest female instrumentalists in the 21^st century Kerani and her latest release Almost Here.

This classy new release is packed with top class items, such as the moody and deep opener entitled Glass Between Us, the elements of tension here are built perfectly by the artist on synths and keyboards, and the distant percussive nuances only add to that. Here is a track which highlights unresolved and hidden issues, which cast a sense of foreboding and suspense upon proceedings.

Kerani is well known for her work in the neo classical genre, but here she seems to meld into many genres, cinematic, soundtrack, a meditative texture at times, then glorious almost full on classical styled motifs, in a very impressive collection of creations. One of my personal favourites was the ambient yet inspiring Frozen Spaces, then onto Ember Morning, that more deliberate classical style is evident here, and introducing a cello solo and hobo, plus of course Kerani’s signature cinematic style on piano in a glorious offering indeed.

The title track can be found next and called Almost Here, for me this is one of the best title tracks the artist has ever manifested, a movie style opus yes, but one that just holds back enough for that resolution to be hinted at as a very real later conclusion, reminding me in context of that of the artist and former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord did, on his classically inspired Pictured Within album many years past.

Of the more classically emphatic compositions this one truly moved me and at certain stages had elements of both Vaughn Williams and Eric Whitacre within the weave of the piece, this track for me is probably the best composition I have ever heard from Kerani, the soaring juxtaposition between flute and strings emphasising release and joy with such beauty, hurrah for Lifting the Veil a dramatically glorious track indeed.

The concluding narrative is entitled High Air, here the artist once more mixes the high notes of release with the darker back drops of a more academia styled manifestation, thus another cinematic piece if born, but here’s one that signifies that the track may have found the final solution to that of the aforementioned piece Almost There, in a dramatic soundtrack styled final offering.

Almost Here by Kerani in my view is one of the finest bodies of work I have heard from the artist since her release Small Treasures back in 2018, this is splendid in every aspect, it is a fine example of utterly transcendent neo classical crosser music, and an absolute must have for any aficionados of the more classy instrumental styled opuses, without a doubt this is top notch and should be a huge chart hit for Kerani and Almost Here.