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review by Dene Bebbington New World Music are [sic] known for releasing albums that are part of a series. Eternity is an album in the Sounds of Spa series designed for use in a salon where some kind of therapy is being carried out, or for use at home. It contains tracks by the following well-known new age musicians on the label: Stuart Jones, Llewelyn, Medwyn Goodall, and Philip Chapman. One thing that's not clear is whether these are new compositions for this album or if they're taken from the artists' previous work. I don't go anywhere near salons so I can't tell you how the music comports with therapy - my view of the music is just of a normal listener. There are seven tracks of significantly varying lengths making up an hour of seamless music as each track merges or fades into the next. Most of the tracks are fairly light and easygoing with typical new age instruments such as piano, flute, plucked strings, and of course some heavenly vocals. The three tracks by Stuart Jones are all piano led with synth strings adding some nice orchestral passages as well as providing melodic backing. The first two of his tracks could be considered as two halves of one long track where piano plays out introspective melodies, this worked well at putting me in the mood to sit back and unwind for a quiet hour. Two contiguous tracks, one by Llewellyn and the other by Medwyn Goodall, near the middle of the album add a carefree element to the mood, with nature sounds like birdsong and airy melodies on guitar and flute; hearing the track "Peaceful Garden" is like appreciating the beauty of nature and regaining a bit of the innocence we've lost. Eternity is surprisingly good for casual listening when you want a pleasant musical backdrop that provides enough musical interest so that's it's neither intrusive nor bland. |
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