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review by Bill Binkelman Sometimes, a formula can be a good thing. Artists can find a comfortable groove and settle there, refining, polishing and making minute adjustments as their art evolves. Such an artist is pianist/keyboardist Ann Sweeten. Over the course of four previous releases, she has crafted a signature sound - warm, accessible and intimate piano and synthesizer-embellished instrumental ballads. Sapphire Days is her latest release and while she doesn't strike out into new territory, that suits me just fine. From the first time I heard her music (I reviewed Passage more than a few years ago), I realized she had a certain way of composing evocative piano music and using her synthesizers to color the music with enough texture (usually by the restrained application of strings) to add just the right amount of drama and feeling. It's a rare talent, as many artists tend to overdo it (going heavy on the syrup, as it were). Sweeten clearly understands the need for simplicity. Sapphire Days is her tribute to those special days during each season when the natural world seems to show off its unique beauty: the golden glow of autumn's leaves, the glistening of sun off of new-fallen snow, or the prism-reflecting effect of raindrops on spring flowers. In addition, the album is also dedicated to her fallen four-legged companion, Shazu, who left her in 2001. Being a zealous dog lover myself, I couldn't help but be affected by the overtly romantic and (sometimes) melancholic music that she has recorded on this CD. Whether the gently rolling "Walking with the Wind," the bittersweet title track (which manages to be both joyous and reflective at the same time), the delicately mournful "A Prayer for Shazu," the sedate and stately "Smoke" (which uses synth strings to impart a sad - almost tragic - emotion, counterpointed by Sweeten's rather dramatic piano work), the wispy and wistful "Cotton Candy Skies" (on which Sweeten branches out with her synths and employs twinkling reverberating bell tones and some ethereal effects), the sweet innocence and romanticism of "Autumn's Child" or the well-executed spacemusic textures that open the thoughtful and pensive "Canopy of Stars," Sweeten uses her consummate skill in balancing the acoustic and the electronic on nearly every track. Only rarely does she mix in some synthesizer shadings that do not add something to the overall effect (notably on "Solitude" and "In the Shadows" where her background electronic "whooshes" and spacy sounds were a tad distracting when I listened to the song on headphones). However, even with those slight missteps, I enjoyed listening to Sapphire Days. Sweeten crafts music that is easy to get into, yet does not wear out its welcome as fast as more commercial sounding music might. For comparison's sake, I'd draw a similarity to Danny Wright of a long time ago (e.g. his recordings Shadows and Autumn Dreams) when he displayed the same ability to blend piano and keyboards in an equally impressive way, yielding music that was warm but not sappy, dramatic but not over the top. However, at this point in time, it is Sweeten who sits at or near to the top of the hill when it comes to this subgenre of gentle new age music (piano with keyboard accompaniment). This album is a good choice for the soundtrack to quiet evenings by the fire, afternoons in the sun room, and for those sad times when you find yourself longing for a loved one or missing a Sapphire Day that you fondly recall. |
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