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Review by Bill Binkelman If you have a fondness for straightforward piano and electronic keyboard new age music, filled with both sweeping drama and low key romanticism (in the same vein as artists like David Lanz, Yanni, and Suzanne Ciani), Keith Phillips' Daydreams is probably right up your alley. Using both his acoustic piano and assorted keyboard versions of strings, guitar, wind instruments, choirs, and a sprinkling of sounds characteristic to new age music, Phillips conjures up seventeen tracks and sixty-seven minutes of music designed to both calm you down and stir your soul and passion. The recording's technical quality is very good, with only subtle deficiencies in solo string instrument samples at times (a minor quibble on my part, but one that is worth mentioning in light of how excellent the rest of his keyboard sounds are). From a composition standpoint, Phillips certainly delivers on a variety of fronts, from the opening flowing, rolling tempo of the lively "Hawaii," to the more reflective and nostalgic "Washes of Rain," and the cheery "Warm Sun" which gets an additional upbeat push from well-engineered trap kit drum programming. All the songs on the album offer music which is accessible and rich in melody, such as the softly glowing and romantic "Beyond Blue Skies" or the jaunty made-for-driving "The River Runs" (which reminded me of Wayne Gratz - and that is high praise coming from me). I especially admired how Phillips had the instinct to tone down the electronic keyboards and drum programming in the mix, since many other artists feel the need to drive them home with the force of a sledgehammer, especially the drums. How refreshing it is to hear snares, cymbals, and kick bass that accent the natural rhythm of the piano as opposed to overpower it! Phillips shows he can step over into quieter music too, such as on "Shadows" which while certainly dark compared to the rest of the album, is still nothing to be scared of, since its mood is closer to being that of introspection or remembrance and not sorrow or tragedy. He can also handle an outright love ballad (the staple of so many new age piano recordings) on "Tina." Phillips displays a wide-band approach to his music which allows the listener to indulge in this CD without being "in the mood" for either just sad or happy songs. Whether operating on a sparse stage of solo piano with minimal strings ("Just You and I") or a fuller sound, approaching that of Yanni ("Caribbean Storm" featuring choirs, percussion, drums, strings, and other embellishments), Keith Phillips navigates all the waters with self-assuredness and he has a breezy way with melody and tempo that proves highly listenable from the get-go. Provided you are a romantic at heart and enjoy cheery, optimistic music mixed with some softer ballads, Daydreams will almost certainly find a spot on your CD shelf reserved for favorite recordings. It offers a nice alternative to solo piano releases without resorting to over the top histrionics with either electronics or drums, as well as encompassing a variety of moods and tempos to keep you entertained throughout the length of the album. |
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