MuzikMan's Reviews And News: Instrumental New Age Piano Reviews

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11/09/2018

Instrumental New Age Piano Reviews: Brian Hagen -You're The One

Release Date: November 15, 2017

Label: Independent

Brian Hagen began piano lessons at four years old. That is a very young age when most children are not even in the first year of school. It looks like the lifelong commitment to the mastery of the ivory keys have paid many dividends.

You're The One is Brian’s third proper album. His range, acumen, and styles encompass contemporary classical, new age and jazz. All of the music is straightforward piano instrumentals with no accompaniment.

What I find most compelling about music like this is the way it can hold you from start to finish. The piano is so pure and unconstrained - it flows, bends, moves and shapes your emotions. It is all dependent on the pace and timing of the composition. What is simplistic at first blush can be just as complicated as several instruments playing together and so can the emotions you have that follow. It is a powerful and effective instrument.

Artist like Brian Hagen and recordings like You're The One continue the tradition of great solo piano recordings. The torch is being carried and burning ever so brightly for gifted musicians such as this.

You're The One transports fourteen tracks of pristine beauty, relaxation, and contemplation. It awaits your calling. The listeners have the easy job, we just sit and take it all in. The creator of the music is the gift from the heavens that brings us peace and joy through the music. It is work but it most definitely sounds like a lot of joy and love goes into the creation of these wonderful sounds.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

November 8, 2018

Founder of:

New Age Music Reviews

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Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks:
01. You're The One
02. By The Limpid Stream
03. Nocturne
04. Contemplation
05. Diabelli Sonatina
06. Fantasie
07. Lonesome Road
08. Beethoven Sonatina WOo 50
09. Afternoon Waltz
10. Let It Flow
11. Now and Forever
12. Autumn Afternoon Homecoming
13. Kleine Studie
14. Sunflower

7/03/2018

Instrumental New Age/Piano Review: Lynn Trudeau-Fellowship of Solitude

Release Date: July 20, 2018

Label: Independent

Website

I I had the distinct pleasure of covering Lynn Trudeau’s Shifting Sands last year. Her piano playing is superb and I looked forward to hearing what else she could create on the next release.

Well, that time has arrived, the new recording is titled Fellowship of Solitude and it is due out July 20, 2018.

The title is the first thing that really grabs you, and that is a good thing before you settle in and listen to a new album. I can only speak for myself, but that is the best way to start in my estimation. The wheels inside your head are already turning.

My first thought was, where is there fellowship in solitude? After a few moments of thought, it came to me rather quickly…the fellowship you can experience is with yourself, nature or a higher power. All of these instances, to me, relate to a non-cluttered spiritual state that heals and refreshes. That is not a state that is easy for some folks to arrive at, including me. This is the kind of music that is a marvelous tool to reach a higher state of consciousness.

Music like what is offered on Fellowship of Solitude is always a welcome addition to my collection. Lynn Trudeau is a master of the ivory keys. She is one of the many I have encountered over the years. If you are not into listening to this kind of music I suggest you give it a try, particularly if you desire some time to wind down and find a new frame of reference, the music! It does tend to put a different spin on life (no pun intended there).

If you are spiritual human being with the intention of finding a space in time that will recharge your spirit, relax or meditate, this is the kind of music that can be your partner in reaching your goal.

Lynn Trudeau serves as the unspoken guide or spiritual teacher if you will, on her latest offering Fellowship of Solitude. You will have to find exactly what the title of the recording means for you by taking a non-judgmental dive right into the music. Title of the recording means for you by taking a non-judgmental dive right into the music.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

July 3, 2018

Founder of:

New Age Music Reviews

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Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks:
01. Fellowship of Solitude
02. Traces of Daylight
03. Land of Forgotten Dreams
04. Call of the Owyhees
05. Love Leaves a Memory
06. What Hides in the Dark
07. Afternoon Reflection
08. The Time Machine
09. Peace in the Midst
10. Left Behind
11. Life is in the Journey
12. Purple Fog

10/06/2016

Instrumental New Age Piano Review: Dan Chadburn-Beyond Words

Release Date: September 1, 2016

Label: Dan Chadburn Music

Website

Last year just before the fall I was introduced to the music of Dan Chadburn through the album Keys of Light. Now over a year later I have another set of tracks to enjoy. The most recent release to his catalog is Beyond Words.

Any good instrumental album could use that title but you better be able to back it up with exceptional music. Beyond Words does that with certain key elements I always look for in a piano based instrumental album.

First the piano as a standalone instrument provides more than enough entertainment, this I know to be a fact. I hear this type of music on a regular basis so it has to be extraordinary, and it is. Secondly the pace, rhythm and objective must be clear, again in this case Dan gets all the boxes checked off.

His emotion, particularly on this album, is filled with the path of his life over the last 30 years. So how does a man take 30 years of living and interpret it over 14 songs? A good question indeed, so we get back to the three hot spots - pace, rhythms and objectives. His intent is clear, convey a different emotion in each track (just look at the titles), hence the pace is ever changing from start to finish. The rhythm and timing of every track is exceptional. The flow is easy and natural because all the important pieces fall together perfectly. It is like throwing a 50-piece puzzle in the air and then it lands on the floor complete with no missing pieces.

This is like the sequel to Keys of Light, he picks up where he left off. All 14 tracks are like a river of music flowing into each other with no end, with exception of you the listener being the recipient (as if you were the ocean the river is going to). I cannot help hearing the similarities between the last two releases in many ways. Last year I was feeling sadness because my daughter had left for college at this time however I am facing different challenges now. The music always helps and provides healing and positive energy.

So once again it is difficult to say any one track was a key to the listening experience they are all superb and link with each other. It is the entire album as one moving piece of art, a living breathing entity for you to embrace and allow to transport you to a better place. I think of a stress free space in my mind, heart and soul, one we shall all reach once we leave this earth and enter a different reality but that can be accomplished while we are here with a little help. That belief is for me and whatever you feel is your truth. Take what can give you the most hope, I suggest you make that your focus point and let this beautiful piano instrumental music take you there.

The title of the album will hit home once you start playing this music through. It can go so much further than the music, it is quintessentially Beyond Words. The music forms the words of Dan Chadburn and he is successful once again in putting together some great pieces that pay tribute to his talent and inner being, which is reflected in every track. This is music for any time of day or night, it soothes and clears your consciousness of any clutter, which makes it a true tool for general relaxation or meditation.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: ALL

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

October 6, 2016

Founder of:

New Age Music Reviews

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Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews