Whether
or not you believe in Angels, if you like classic new
age music (or even if you like the more ethereal works
from of an artist like Kevin Kendle - who mastered this
CD, by the way), Llewellyn¹s Journey to the Angels
is as good as current day new age music gets. Make no
mistake - this is not ambient music, it¹s not EM,
it's not adult contemporary. It's wave after wave of
soft-as-air synths, angelic choruses (courtesy of Juliana),
delicate synth piano, bells, chimes, and assorted electronics
- all designed to elicit feelings of beauty, goodness,
and peace. In that regard, at least to my mind, Journey
to the Angels is a hands-down success - even a triumph
of sorts.
Unlike some artists who resort to overkill with various
aspects of the new age music formula, one thing that
Llewellyn always exhibits is balance and expert avoidance
of going over-the-top. That's why he is my second
favorite artist in this genre (right behind the aforementioned
Kevin Kendle). Both of these musicians have an almost
uncanny ability to craft simple music that is also
rich with nuance, as well as being slick and professional
from a technical standpoint (crystal clear production,
perfect mastering and audio mix, top-notch sampled
instruments) yet suffused with humanity, sincerity
and emotion.
I
met Llewellyn and Juliana when Kathryn and I were
in England and I must say that they are as down to
earth as people can be, yet I also detected their
deep belief in their music. That conviction and character
is why recordings like Journey to the Angels work
- and work well.
Picking
a favorite track is a puzzler. There¹s Guardian
Angel which brings Juliana's heavenly voice (pun intended,
obviously) to the forefront. It's multi-tracked, of
course, and floats ever so ethereally on top of the
music (assorted synths and a smattering of harps).
The four-to-five note sung refrain sounds/feels like
a soft inviting call home. It's a magical and wondrous
moment on this well-crafted and beautiful recording.
While there are some moments of drama here, the crescendoes
are held to a minimum of grandeur (again, evidence
of Llewellyn's commitment to understatement). continue
|
