Painting in the Dark By RH Fox

 

Painting in the Dark

By

RH Fox

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This is a strange experience for me as Robert is a friend of mine who I once met here in Cyprus many years back and have literally seen him emerging stage by stage as a musician of eager talent, to an artist of great skill, apart from that he is a very nice person and he deserves all the plaudits he is most certainly going to get from the release of his brand new debut album Painting In The Dark, under his chosen name R.H. Fox.

If I tell you, that the album is utterly supported by both the legendary David Lanz and his wife Kristin Amarie, you will then understand the kudos it already gets. The opening piece is a fine example of the brilliance that is about to unfold and called Follow the Creek featuring Charlie Bisharat. There is a beautiful nostalgia here, one that the piano of Fox emphasises so well, it establishes the harmonic environment and keeps the piece moving, whilst the Bisharat violin floats above the piano with long, lyrical phrases.

Reflections of Yesterday is one of my favourite offerings from the album; its wistful quality is almost dreamlike in its tonal delights, the melodic structure is also fascinating, creating a juxtaposition of light and shade, while the darker harmonic material suggests memory, regret, or distance, as the brighter segments feels like the present moment briefly illuminating that memory, this is a very attractive offering indeed and very well arranged.

The Mystic features the vocal talents of Kristin Amarie early on; here Fox manifests a real masterpiece of great skill and instrumental magic and features Nicolas Ntimas on Greek bouzouki. This track also released as a single is a fine example of globally infused music. It isn't simply new-age piano with some ethnic instruments added. The Mediterranean instruments fundamentally alter the harmonic and rhythmic atmosphere, thus a true masterpiece is created.

On Passage of Time we have a horse of a total different colour, the more melodic and soothing side of the artist is explored, a more melancholic taste is explored too. The piano is particularly important here because it can represent the clock-like continuity of time without literally sounding like a clock, the violin seems to dance around the clock and in doing so a tempting pastiche of harmonic bliss is created.

That all important part of the album is up next the title header as we reach Painting in the Dark, note the defined usage of electronic instrumentation in this offering, one may find it strange, but it works well and manifests an intriguing composition. This is a fine representation of the meaning behind the artist’s love of photography and music, so think of all the textures here as colours being added.

Visions Never Seen is one of the pretty tracks from the album; however one can tell the influences and one can perhaps enjoy imagining something that exists internally before it can be seen externally. An interesting aside here, especially with what is to come, but through the album I could feel and sense Beatles energy, a Beatles flavour, particularly in the melodic sensibility. Singable, rounded melodic phrases rather than purely ambient motifs, a melody that feels simple on the surface but harmonically richer underneath, there are unexpected melodic turns that give the phrase a slightly wistful, bittersweet quality, the sense that the melody could almost be sung as a pop song, even though the track is instrumental, well done Mr Fox.

Crane Dance is up next and in the deeper weave of the song, this is a truly beautiful composition, one can feel the force of Lanz, it is strong in this one! A lyrical, immediately accessible piano melody rather than an abstract ambient theme can be found here, the time signatures and structured performance is utterly incredible and emulates the creature’s movement perfectly, where perhaps one can find a sense of sentimentality without becoming overtly dramatic, a very classy piece.

Here is that aforementioned moment I was eluding to earlier, Free as a Bird, the song itself was written in 1977 by John Lennon who wrote and recorded the original home demo, several years after The Beatles had broken up. Here RH Fox produces a wonderfully lyrical version of a fantastic song for us all to enjoy, the piano allows the emotional material to settle rather than insisting on a big final statement.

The concluding narrative is entitled Seabirds' Lament and is the perfect parting gift for us all; there is a wonderfully illuminated sense of reflection deep in the weave of this glorious arrangement. Fox leans into loss, solitude, and the passing of something beautiful, perhaps Fox creates the sensation of watching something disappear into the distance, in an amazing finishing arrangement for the album.

Painting in the Dark by RH Fox is that album that might well make a difference in the genre, it’s like a diamond, and it has many facets and shines gloriously in tone and timbre. Fox should be proud of this and remember for ever, there has been a lot of time care and energy put into this great album and it thoroughly deserves all the love it gets, I’m predicting a very high chart placement and a bright future ahead for Painting in the Dark by RH Fox.

Treasures of Light By Jim Ottaway

 

Treasures of Light

By

Jim Ottaway

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have had the pleasure of being a fan of Jim Ottaway and his electronic music for some 20 years now, my first release gained was the album Aurora back in 2006, and over the years he has released one quality album after another, and today he is back again with another brand new offering called Treasures of Light, which emphatically illustrates his prowess as an electronic musican of great quality.

The opening offering from this 12 track album is called Tomorrow Never Comes, the speed that it offers is incredibly exciting and with ease a great choice to open the album, and indeed it reminds me in style very much of early Vangelis from ‘77, and an the album Spiral. That is followed by the fluency of this proud offering called Fragments of Fate (2026 Mix). Almost regal in stature, hovering keyboards offer a processional approach, with subtle electronic wizardry mixed in the weave of the composition to add extra flavour, in perhaps a David Wright styled opus of pomp and circumstance.

There is a sea change on the next offering though that is equally as interesting on the track called That Lonely Place. A steady key press can be found and around it a flourishing keyboard pattern, along with some deft percussion, the overall narrative reminds me greatly of the iconic, Carpenters, Assault on Precinct 13 theme music.

The album is a fine example of Ottaway’s electronic prowess, revolving from cinematic theme towards a more niche style of Berlin School, and then a plethora of tracks in the middle of both of those. The vibrant tapestry of A Promised Reality with its ‘80’s feel being one of them, and onto beautiful textures of a more spacious musical environment on pieces like Climbing Rainbows, one of my personal favourites from the album, the softness of sound and soothing nature of the melody of this track is utterly breath taking. We then have another mix changed at the mid-way marker with the offering Exponential Progression (2026 Mix). Jim has done a very good job of cleaning the entire piece up to crystal clarity on this one.

Dreams and Visions, contains a beautifully layered consistency, pertinent percussion and a steady onward progression that is very appealing. It creates a vast open landscape of sound with no immediate rhythm or beat and slowly transposing to soft, organic-sounding electronic melodies which gently rise over the background noise of the track, a very inventive offering indeed.

The more keyboard led nuance of the following narrative is even more interesting and called Dreaming of Infinity. Sparkling, high-register synth frequencies drift over the top of the mix, whilst a rhythmic pastiche of a modern percussive beat underpins the entire composition brilliantly, perhaps Ottaway is shifting the sonic perspective to the vast, cold, and beautiful scale of the outer universe, regardless this is a fine and fluent composition.

Our next offering is entitled Strange Paradox, a piece that holds a deeper texture and a natural electronic vibe to enjoy, another Carpenter styled opus that reminded me of the Escape From New York theme, but at an increased tempo and with relevant percussion. The song layers mysterious, shifting melodic notes over warm analogue synthesizer pads to evoke a curious and questioning mood.

The musical narrative that is upon us next is the evocative title track itself Treasures of Light, I hear elements of Glenn Main in the weave of this arrangement, and in doing so Ottaway builds a grand, orchestral electronic wall of sound, one that has one of the best melodic structures of the entire album, he then delivers a bright, uplifting, and symphonic electronic experience of great quality and timbre.

The penultimate offering takes us back to Vangelis, one of my favourite albums of his was China, and the opening of this piece reminded me of that album. The main body picks an ever onward tonal narrative that almost reminds me in part of UK EM artist Geigertek, and in fact is the real concluding musical tale of the album and a smart one that is fresh and incredibly exciting and called Radiance of Truth.

We have a bonus track that actually ends the album it is Ancient Rainforest (Radio Edit) [Bonus Track]. The track opens with rich, organic synthesizers and the more orchestrated sound of Ottaway can be found on this last official track off the release.

Treasures of Light by Jim Ottaway is another in the long line of high end quality instrumental electronic music albums from the artist. The album's overarching concept captures the beauty of light breaking through darkness, moving from cosmic universal scales down to the organic textures of the Earth. I have always been a lover of the quality of light, and this album serves as a reminder that beauty can be found everywhere, and fans of electronic instrumental music should find a safe haven within the musical walls of Treasures of Light by Jim Ottaway.

A Grand Memoir By Darlene Koldenhoven

 

A Grand Memoir

By

Darlene Koldenhoven

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

As a European I have been a fan of Darlene’s since around 2006 and an album called Infinite Voice, and as she may remember, I fell totally in love with a track called Atmospheres from her release Tranquil Times, for me it gave me a wonderful insight into her adaptability and skill set. Some 20 years on I now gaze from a literally standpoint myself, and as a musician, and also a music writer, and I get to sonically swim in the release that emphasises the artists life history, the twists and turns of outrageous fortune, the wins and losses, and the beauty of her latest release A Grand Memoir, which is coupled by her book Put Down You Dress And Sing.

Darlene and I have many similarities in our growing years, the extremely strict religious upbringing, the almost shunning of anything creative in our lives, and the willingness of complicity from our parents to hold us by pain and suffering to those ideas of control and manipulation as mentioned in the book. The opening piece on the album I found quite highly artistic and emotional, and whilst there is a certain irony in that, Love and Devotion is one of my favourite tracks from the release, it’s powerful and full of self-expression, an out pouring of emotive tones that increases during the manifestation and concludes so beautifully with a flourish.

However this next piece I found deeply fascinating, almost meditative, a true trip around the scales and a highly floating narrative can be found on the composition called Impressions. There is a beautifully textured reflective and atmospheric tonal vibration that one can find in this piece that is so very soothing. One might assume that a collection of memories rather than a single narrative is being explored here.

The more I listen to this album the more I float back in time myself; Lilac Tears is a great soundtrack with which to do that with. Here lies a tender and melancholy centrepiece, there is a great sadness about this offering than at first meets the eye and my research tells me the artist associates this piece with the father's funeral, for those of you who have never lived in an extremely critical religious household, you should read Darlene’s book and explore the relationship she had with her father, this piece of music says it all, and is one of 10 fine pieces, which are musical companions to a real life story.

Wright's Romanza is next upon us, it is the shortest composition from the album at 3:32, but its contents are absolutely charming and transcendent. The tonal structures of this almost soaring and meditative creation are utterly beautiful; one can float within this piece for hours and simply get lost in an intimate romantic interlude moment, one you would never wish to end.

Our mid-way composition is another wonderfully fluent and meditative opus called Caprice. There is a playful, unconventional energy here that makes this composition very palpable and enjoyable; the roaming piano takes is on a varied journey of ambient hues, textures and atmospheric nuances, and the track has a different harmonic colour from a straightforward major-minor approach.

There are many moving moments in Darlene’s book Put Down Your Dress and Sing, from the many years that roll by, from the relationships gained and learned from, those fun moments of a halcyon time, that will only ever happen once in a life time, but will never be forgotten. For me this next piece takes me to that corner of the universe and is called Jacaranda Joy. The structure is bright, celebratory and lifting in its narrative, and after the more introspective Caprice, this provides a noticeable emotional brightening for the listener.

Le Petit Carrousel is next, which is interesting as my dear friend David Lanz has released a Carousel composition himself, this is more of a whimsical, animated movement type of a manifestation, and most certainly a piece that brings childhood, movement, nostalgia, and playfulness into the album concept.

Deeper in the weave of the album we find Winter In Vienna, this has a creative tonal change to represent the darker months of the year, and does it incredibly well. Koldenhoven on piano is spectacular at getting her message over, how fortunate she stuck to her guns and continued being creative on the piano, and against all odds too as she alludes to in her book Put Down Your Dress and Sing, which is a must read.

Gentle Song does exactly what it says on the can, it creates a wonderfully ambient and meditative moment for the listener to bathe in. As expected this piece is a quiet emotional release, but one that is comforting to listen to, like a warm blanket on a January evening, one can feel almost like a moment of rest and acceptance has been found at the coda.

The final gift from Darlene is called Flying With Kites, there is a beautiful lilt to this that makes it sound almost commercial, and one piece that the melody would work very well as a TV theme. Reference wise this is associated with the church-camp solo at age 8, and more information of this emotional time for the artist can be found in her book that accompanies the album Put Down Your Dress and Sing. Also one must note what a clever juxtaposition of an arrangement this is, as the imagery suggests changes from looking backward to looking upward and outward.

Now I have said it a few times this year, but everyone knows when I say it , it actually means it’s true, not just a platitude gifted as a throw away comment, but in my view A Grand Memoir by Darlene Koldenhoven is without doubt the best work of the artist thus far. Its expression and emotive nuances are by far the most creative and moving music the artist and composer has explored. Let’s not forget Darlene Koldenhoven has a written and audio companion with this work of musical genius called Put Down Your Dress and Sing, and everyone should read it, it’s a journey of a life that has been hard won, a celebration of persistence and creativity against all odds, and many successes, and the reason it is such a very good read is because Darlene keeps it real, no sugar coating, absolutely authentic and should be applauded for it.

Her Eyes (Reimagined) By Michael Regina

 

Her Eyes (Reimagined)

By

Michael Regina

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It is so important to be impressed from the very first notes of listening to a new composition, album or single, does it grab your attention, well this one did most certainly. I first came in contact with the music of Michael Regina back in 2018, sadly a few months after the original album from where this track originates from called New Day, but I was incredibly impressed to hear this new carefully crafted composition called Her Eyes (Reimagined). In my view a classy instrumental track indeed.

The beginning is brilliant, the sound of wind and a soft piano purposed start, so gentle and reflective, adding then in the keyboards, and a synth back drop for a calming effect, build and progression, beautifully layering and creating a lush soundscape, and ever onwards this piece would go, similar in style to New Age artists like Timothy Wenzel.

The track would continually build and progress cleverly until the middle stages when a powerful percussive beat joins the fray and manifests something truly dynamic for the listeners to enjoy. There is also a Celtic lilt to this single that is quite palpable and deeply enjoyable as well.

Here we also learn why it’s better to use the term (Reimagined) instead of remastered, the latter is more of a technical term, and what Regina has done here is to bring a whole new level of atmospherics and dynamism to this new project, by manifesting more of a cinematic and soundtrack feel to the arrangement, and in doing so making this a sure fire chart hit in the process for Her Eyes (Reimagined) by Michael Regina.

On The Edge: Contemporary music for Guitar and Piano By On The Edge Duo

 

On The Edge: Contemporary music for Guitar and Piano

 By

On The Edge Duo

Written by

Andy Rogers

We get a lot of music of all kinds sent to us here at One World Music Radio. Once in a while we receive an album that is totally unlike any other – an album that maybe defies all our usual conceptions of musical styles. This album, “On The Edge: Contemporary music for guitar and piano” by On The Edge Duo is one such album.

On The Edge Duo consists of two outstanding classical musicians: Italian pianist Fabio Afrune and guitarist Francesco Di Giandomenico, a talented musician best known for his work with the Spanish/South American music duo the Sator Duo. What makes this album so different to other releases in the Contemporary Classics field is the very little used pairing of Guitar and Piano.

One of the most interesting things about the album is the conscious decision to include only works by living composers. The Duo chose contemporary works from Annette Kruisbrink, William Bland, Adrian Andrei, Stephen Goss & Giorgio Mirto. Four of these recordings are world-premieres and three were written for or dedicated to the duo.

Make no mistake, this is not chocolate box, easy listening, background music like that made by some classical crossover artists, this is music that requests you to stop and listen to it properly. It varies widely in mood from lively almost aggressive to tranquil, quiet and pastoral, often in the same track.

The first piece is “Snippers” by Annette Kruisbrink, a Dutch classical guitarist and composer with over 300 compositions to her name. This receives its world premiere recording here: Snippers is a real shape-shifter to open the album with - a lively opening with an almost flamenco sound gives way to a calm interlude only for the pace to pick up again and drive the piece forwards. The piece continues to move forward with the guitar and piano interacting almost as though each is wanting to take control of the music in various changes of tempo, until at the end when we reach the crescendo, a reflection of the flamenco sound we heard at the start of the piece.

Next is “Kindred Spirits” by William Bland, an American composer primarily known for his piano sonatas, chamber and orchestral music; this is not only another world premiere, it is also dedicated to the Duo. It has 2 distinct sections: Part 1, Dragon, is lively with dynamic block chords shared between the two soloists as they take turns ramping up the musical tension. Part 2, Pastorale, could not be more different to part 1. This is a really lovely piece of music, a rippling piano supplies the perfect backdrop to a beautiful lead guitar line through a piece of music that truly lives up to its name. Pastorale by name, pastoral by nature.

The third piece, “Six danses de Transylvanie” is composed by Romanian composer Adrian Andrei. It has six separate movements, the shortest of which lasts 39 seconds and the longest 1 minute 58, so the whole piece runs for just over 7 minutes. To my ears if you were to substitute a lute for the guitar and harpsichord for the piano it would have the feel of something from the 15th or 16th century in the way the way the pieces are constructed and combined to form a complete cycle. This is just possibly my favourite section of this very intriguing album and once again is a world premiere recording and dedicated to the duo.

The penultimate work, “Intermezzi” is by Stephen Goss, from Wales and consists of six mood pieces or descriptive musical sketches.. Moto Perpetuo, Bagatelle and Ballad are more uptempo with strong forceful playing by the soloists: Nocturne, Serenade and Lament are, as their titles suggest, more calm and quiet in mood, a work of great contrasts, beautifully played by these two virtuoso musicians.

The album ends with “Introduction and Bridge of Lights” by Italian guitarist and composer Giorgio Mirto. This wonderful piece (dedicated to On The Edge Duo) gets its world premiere here. Both soloists are on top form here. It starts with a beautiful tranquil section (the Introduction) before picking up pace for the Bridge of Lights section of the work, a fantastic and fitting end to the album.

This is a difficult album to summarise but for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary classical music, or even if well played acoustic music is your choice, then this album should be on your radar. It is not by any means an instant or “easy” album. It needs to be heard properly and it repays repeated listening. Yes, it is “On the Edge” but sometimes a trip to the musical edge to try something new brings its rewards. This is truly one of those times.

Mridhangit By Rahul Mukerji

 

Mridhangit

By

Rahul Mukerji

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Today I crossed paths with one of the most interesting albums I have come into contact with for decades, as I dive head long and deep into the world of Mridhangit by Rahul Mukerji. This album is the very epitome of crossing genres and probably best viewed thus as guitar-led progressive rock, jazz fusion, Indian classical percussion, and global influenced release, or in short global fusion, regardless this is a masterwork of utter brilliance.

We can drift to and fro with the space time continuum of musical genius too, as at the very start of the album we find the track Mr. Sinister, this so reminds me of old Led Zeppelin when my old friend Hossam Ramzy once performed with them. This is a slow carful start building up into one of the fastest climaxes on a track of this elk I have heard for ages.

The deeper tones of Bheja Fry hit my senses with all the muster of an ocean tide in winter, fierce but all consuming, here Rahul Mukerji makes his guitar literally talk, this is a deeply interesting offering, I could swear I could hear a bell tone in this piece like in the Undertakers theme music in WWE, which added a great overall effect to the piece and perhaps a more playful and restless piece is indeed found here. The title itself is colloquial Hindi, while the music mixes Mukerji's guitar language with bass and tabla.

Another of my personal favourite pieces is the following narrative called Twelve Ganeshas featuring Ruben Rubio on bass in this fluent and fast paced smooth jazz rock styled opus. Praveen Sparsh's mridangam interacts with guitar, drums and bass, creating a strong jazz vibe and a delightful refrain to listen to at any time of the day.

The piano at the very start of this next offering begs to create the inception of a very different composition indeed, a soft mellow start that gets more agitated and powerful as it builds and called Enjoymaddi. So much so that from the 1:30 part, the juxtaposition of the piano and guitar manifests something incredibly artistic and powerful, elements of an upright bass and piano soften the palette, but the overall feel is more like jazz fusion than straight rock. I would rate this as one of the most cogent and complex tracks off the album entirely.

A horse of an entirely different colour can be found on the very globally fused Mridhangit, the fretless bass and the entire instrumentation based manifestation, especially the lush textures of Rahul Krishnam of tablas, if I could pin point one track that speaks for the whole album as the releases main concept it would be this very creation, as it should be being the title track, it is utterly captivating, the vocal style and artistic nuances shown with regard to it, make this a stand out offering.

Kalli Penn is next on our hit list of rock greatness and globally fused brilliance, this one takes me back to 1999 and an album by Santana called Supernatural, that fast fluent guitar based vibe was and is there, and played and performed in a very similar style indeed. This is sublimely groove-oriented and colourful, with keys and percussion supporting the guitar. The instrumentation gives it a distinctly ensemble driven character, but the guitar of Rahul Mukerji flies fast and free just like Santana.

Well into the latter half of the album we can find a piece called Funky Pakora, featuring Emi Romero on keyboards and the amazing Dylan on clarinet; once more the deep keyboard vibe and the funky beat and slap bass of Rafael Freitas make this easily a piece that could land in the world of Jazz funk and indeed reminds me of very late ‘70’s Level 42.

Dushtan once again creates new sounds and territories to cross, bathed in a Zeppelin global style, one can enjoy a truly heavy slice of rock majesty that is incredibly powerful and ethnically influenced, however the tonal structures of the guitar remind me more of that of Richie Blackmore in his Rainbow era. The heavy global influence here makes this easily the fastest tempo piece on the album, its heavier and more dramatic, the violin, keyboards and percussion broaden the guitar-rock foundation of the overall narrative of the track.

The mysterious elements on guitar at the start of the track called Rahu and Ketu give us probably our most rhythmic sounding offering from the release. The driving guitar here elevates it into almost a rock anthem of sorts, then the track pulls back like the tide and allows for another smooth build and progression, a piece at well over six minutes gives the music more room to develop. The title references the Hindu astrological concepts of Rahu and Ketu; percussion becomes especially important here in this fast based treat of plenty.

The penultimate track off the album is the piece Four Seas, the gentle piano start is a delightful sea change for both artist and listener in this more new age beginning, this is a sensual offering and a more spacious fashioned piece, featuring piano and mridangam alongside the guitar, bass and drums as the engine room of the composition.

Mutabor could easily be a film soundtrack it is that good, and what a great way with which to end the album, the build chords on guitar at just over the minute were some of the most emotive I have heard on the release, and in some ways reminds me of essences of middle eastern music I have heard on my travels, the Dudek being the instigator to this climatic slice of multi-instrumental work of genius.

Mridhangit by Rahul Mukerji is without doubt one of the most enjoyable listens I have had for absolutely years, this is also the most original work I have had the good pleasure to immerse myself into, and I applaud everyone and everything entirely on the release. I would urge anyone who loves truly good instrumental music of any flavour to give this a spin, especially if you are a prog fan; you are going to fall in love with it, just like I have today.

Cloud Dance By Chrissie Sheppard

 

 

Cloud Dance

 By

Chrissie Sheppard

Written by

Andy Rogers

Chrissie Sheppard, along with her husband Steve are certainly riding the crest of a musical wave at the moment. Steve’s latest album (the truly excellent “Mansuria, planet of the Gods”) was a collaboration with David De Michele: For her new single “Cloud Dance” Chrissie has also worked with David to produce a single that is not only musically surprising but also that takes her exceptional flute-work to new heights.

Do you remember those warm sunny days when, as a child, you would lay on the grass and watch the clouds, marvelling how they changed shape as they drifted across the sky? This was the inspiration behind “Cloud Dance” and this joyful yet reflective single will transport you back to those times.

The track opens with the sound of wind-chimes and birdsong as Chrissie’s flute draws us in to the garden… some beautiful complimentary keyboards join the mix as the sound becomes fuller and a female voice with more strings appear. The mood alters slightly as the music changes to a minor key with Chrissie’s flute harmonising not only with the keyboard but also, intriguingly, with itself (perhaps double tracked?).

It is at this point the Cloud Dance begins – a gentle rhythm leads us on and into the dance as it gains intensity… A voice once again sings a short refrain as Chrissie’s flute, propelled by the rhythm moves us forward. Eventually the drums fade slowly away and we are left with just Chrissie’s flute, a quiet keyboard line until right at the end we are back where we began with the sound of the wind-chimes.

“Cloud Dance” impressed me greatly – Chrissie Sheppard is taking her music in a new direction and this collaboration with David De Michele is yet another musical step forward for an artist whose music evolves with each new release. An excellent release that deserves to do well.  

Purity By Eric Tingstad

 

Purity

By

Eric Tingstad

Written by

Chrissie Sheppard

 

GRAMMY Award-winning artist Eric Tingstad has returned with his latest single, Purity — a beautifully crafted arrangement centred around themes of childhood innocence. Having followed Tingstad’s storied career for years — from his iconic collaborative albums with Nancy Rumbel to his acclaimed solo works like Southwest and Badlands — I find this latest offering to be an exceptionally versatile and mature addition to his extensive discography.

Purity is a masterclass in acoustic minimalism. While the single’s gentle, fingerstyle delivery may seem effortless on the surface, maintaining a listener’s undivided attention through such a stripped-back arrangement requires a rare level of compositional mastery. It is deceptively difficult to create something this clean yet deeply engaging, a testament to Tingstad's refined skill as a storyteller through the strings of his guitar.

As you listen, the track naturally evokes vivid imagery of a young child at play, sitting quietly without a care in the world. In today's fast-paced environment, the music serves as a poignant, much-needed reminder for all of us to just pause, slow down, and avoid taking the complexities of daily life so seriously.

Purity is a universally accessible, beautiful piece of music that can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. It is poised to perform exceptionally well on the contemporary instrumental charts, appealing not only to fingerstyle guitar enthusiasts but also to anyone who simply appreciates finely crafted, tranquil music. Highly recommended for long-time fans and casual listeners alike, this track deserves a permanent spot on your playlist.

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.