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review by Bill Binkelman What a great recording this is! So few artists record music that attempts to evoke the moods of winter (except for holiday carols). However, keyboard player Shirley Cason has done just that - composed an entire album of serene, peaceful, evocative electronic keyboard and piano instrumentals, tinted with a superb combination of somberness and gentility. As a result, these eight musical soundscapes properly reflect winter's emotional resonance on the land and on people. Being from Minnesota, the land where winter lasts from November through March, I know what I'm talkin' about, Willis! Winter Mornings is full of lovely music. Throughout the album, Cason shows her ability to mix her assorted keyboards and synths (strings, bells, textures, piano) in songs that are accessible yet (at times) free-flowing enough to be quasi-ambient. This is especially true on the eight-minute "Winter Skies," which mixes softly swelling strings, twinkling bell tones, gentle plucked guitar, and subtle background spacy synthesizer textures. For comparison's sake, imagine a blend of Jon Mark's melancholy beauty with Kevin Kendle's wonderful melodic sensibility. I hold Messrs Mark and Kendle in the highest regard so this comparison is rare praise indeed. And, while Cason is not quite at their level, she is getting close with this recording. Besides the beautiful "Winter Skies," there are also the shiny bright bell tones, hushed synth chorales and gentle electronica rhythms of "Icicle Melt," the somber and darker "10 Degrees" (sounding a little like Tim Story, with repeating piano refrains and shadowy synthesizer shadings, and then moving slowly into a warmer romantic sound, a la Ciani or Yanni at their best). In addition, there is the plaintive minimal piano and synth title track and the light-as-a-feather bells and chimes of "Snow Dance" (Cason plays this one smart by opening with the chimes and bells played arrhythmically, thereby creating a musical illusion of randomly falling snowflakes). This last piece also features well-executed flute samples and slowly building momentum over a bed of what sounds like sampled kalimba (African thumb piano). The opening track, "Beauty of the Earth," features delicate synth strings and gently strummed/picked guitar (sampled) while "Children and Snowmen," yet another peaceful mixture of assorted keyboards, once again reminded me of Kevin Kendle, but this time with a dash of playfulness and innocence added to the other elements. Finally, for a touch of whimsy and humor, the artist closes with "Gulf of Florida," a short piano and minimal synth number which features parts of the refrain from the traditional folk song "Oh Susanna," leaving the listener with the notion that, while winter has its charms and its beauty, one does need a little warmth and sunshine too (again, as a Minnesotan, I heartily agree!). When I reviewed A Summer Dream (2002) a few years ago, I knew Shirley Cason was talented, but I admit to being surprised at how fully realized a musical statement Winter Mornings is. While there are no tracks that will remind you of blizzards, these beautiful, somewhat minimal, relatively subdued songs are evocative of that season which is normally ignored by artists. Fans of warm melodic electronic keyboard music (mostly without overt rhythms, though) will almost certainly enjoy this CD, and if you miss the days of classic new age music (lots of bell tones and twinkling chimes), then you're in for a big treat as Cason has plenty of them throughout the album. Highly recommended, especially for romantics (like me). |
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