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review by Bill Binkelman Fred Williams' debut recording, Lighthouse Dawn, amply displays his talent for writing catchy, instantly likable keyboard-based new age "pop" music, i.e. that brand of instrumental music which is not jazz yet not really adult contemporary either, but instead somewhere in-between. I refer to it as "new age" because of the presence of lots of electronic keyboards playing sounds that dominate the genre, such as bell tones, synth strings, and other recognizable instruments. I use the term "pop" because the music is structured to be accessible and memorable, comprised of refrains and hummable melodies, and also because the compositions' rhythm structure is rooted in pop music mode. In other words, this is not ambient and it's not syrupy either. In some ways, it bears resemblance to David Arkenstone's CD, Sketches from an American Journey. However, this being an independent project (and one probably done mostly out of a home studio, I'd wager), it goes without saying that from a production standpoint, this is not on a par with the Arkenstone CD (of course, Arkenstone also played with a real orchestra on that release). However, Lighthouse Dawn is still a highly entertaining release and I personally forgave the album its shortcomings (e.g. drum programming that sounds too much like pat presets and one or two instrumental sounds (horns) that could be tweaked) because the music itself is catchy as hell and a lot of fun. One non-musical item worth mentioning is a caveat to not judge this CD by its cover (a well-rendered picture of a lighthouse on a rocky shore at dawn, obviously computer generated but also of exceedingly high quality and quite evocative). Paradoxically, the music on the CD is seldom moody or low-key, as the graphic might intimate. Instead, the songs tend to be of the sunny day variety, full of warm runs on the piano, pounding trap kit drum rhythms, dramatic strings, and sparkling electronic keyboard effects. It took me two or three playings before my preconceptions were finally beat down by the cheeriness and grin-inducing music on songs like the title track, which opens in a minor key but shifts gears after a nice series of twinkling bell tones heralds the arrival of what must be dawn. While I took the CD's production to task in the paragraph above, the engineering itself is great. Williams has a good ear for stereo separation and dispersing his instruments throughout the soundfield. I also like how he didn't allow the drum programming to dominate the keyboards (and that is where a lot of artists err). There are eight tracks on the album. Sometimes a song will begin in a semi-ambient vein, such as "Beacon of Light" which begins with washes of synths and reverbed notes, before heading full throttle into with a rousing keyboard refrain, sweeping strings, and midtempo drum kit rhythms. "Now and Forever" is a piano-led new age ballad, proficiently played but not the strongest track here. "Tree of Life" fares better with its jaunty cadence, the blare of synth brass, and a happy-go-lucky feel, undercut only slightly when the sax solos (a little tweaking here too would improve things a bit). "In Six Days" is the highest energy cut with Williams cutting loose on a variety of keyboards and digital piano at breakneck speed. He makes good use of his synth strings and, what's this, even some quasi-analog synths for good measure! I expected "Autumn Reflections" to be the quietest track on the CD, and it may be, although it still comes across with plenty of drama after the song develops from its earlier piano opening, thanks to strings and snare rhythms. The album concludes with "Eventide" which again morphs from its subdued piano start to a much fuller sound later in the piece with drums and other keyboards. I can't deny my outright affection for Lighthouse Dawn, although I personally would've liked to hear one or two mellow and serene songs with less of a rhythm track. As for my previously mentioned tweaking of drums and horns, well, it's a common failing among first and second timers in this genre. I can forgive that when the music is this likable, especially when engineering is far better than the average. Other than these few nits, my only other wish is for a coastline to drive down with this album in the car CD player. I think Fred Williams has a bright future in new age music. You might even say he's a "beacon on the horizon" (okay, I had to get a title reference in there somehow). The album comes with a solid recommendation from me, provided you are not a perfectionist listener and that you like your music upbeat, stirring, and fun-filled. |
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