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review by Bill Binkelman Real Music is arguably the most consistent new age music label in North America in terms of the quality of their recordings over the years (I can't say "the world" because New World Music based in England is their equal). I have listened to at least 20 of their titles and I don't know as I have heard anything I would evaluate less than "good;" more than a few of their recordings I would rate "excellent." One of their specialties is releasing excellent compilations and Comfortmusic 1 is no exception. It's both a perfect starting point for the novice (doing a solid job of detailing what the label has to offer) as well as being a well-thought out package that plays through very well, never hitting too high a high or too low a low. In short, it's an exemplary theme compilation. The album features perennial label favorites, such as the duo 2002 (who contribute the dreamy piano-led piece "Suddenly Yours" and the guitar-keyboard track, "Morning of Light") and pianist Kevin Kern (while his treatment of "In My Life" is a good choice for this album, I think his own compositions are better). Guitarists are represented by two tracks from Johannes Linstead (the gently swaying "Don Juan" and a sexy duet with violin on "Ilusion") and one from Govi (a little bit of nuevo flameco pyrotechnics called "Torero"). I was glad to see a cut from one of my favorites, keyboard player Benward Koch (the gentle and romantic "Little Moritz") as well as one from oboe artist Russel Walder (the stately yet serene neo-classical "This Moment Now"). Fleshing out the album are two selections from multi-instrumentalist Gandalf, and one each from flutist Nicholas Gunn, contemporary instrumentalists Back to Earth, and a duet by Tim Wheater and David Lard. All of this music is previously released, so this album probably is not a good choice (value-wise) for label enthusiasts unless you would enjoy an assortment of Real Music's artists already programmed onto a single disk (saving you the work of programming your carrousel CD changer). However, as an introduction to the label or if you are just looking for an enjoyable compilation that features both peaceful and somewhat ethereal new age music as well as some tracks that are slightly uptempo (yet never too much so), this is an excellent choice as far as I'm concerned. The album features an abundance of both acoustic and electronic instruments, too, so fans from both sides of the fence can be happy. All in all, Real Music proves once again that they "do compilations right." Recommeded. |
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