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review by Dene Bebbington After five successful albums by Kevin Kern, it's no surprise that Real Music has released a "best of" album of his music. This is a lovely collection, comprising twelve tracks from previous albums, one re-orchestrated track that was composed for the collection Freedom to Love, and one track composed specially for More than Words. I'm not very familiar with Kevin's output, having only heard a few pieces by him on some of the Real Music collections, but I presume this really is the best (and representative) of what he has to offer. If the number of tracks is a measure, then I guess that Embracing the Wind and In the Enchanted Garden are his best albums, as three tracks from each of those albums is featured. Kevin's music is strikingly gentle; melodies are played on piano with background string effects used sparingly to create a pleasing complement to the piano. The style is most definitely romantic -- in the general sense -- which is exemplified by the unhurried pace of most tracks. It can easily put one in a daydreamy frame of mind - imagine being sat in a beautiful garden enjoying nothing more than watching the world go by and reflecting on life. The specially composed track on this best of album is called "Children at Play." It's a delightful piece of around five minutes that does evoke the image of children playing - albeit less boisterously than children tend to be in real life! This track is a little different to the others in that the piano is accompanied by acoustic guitar. The melody in this track contains hints of the nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down," and this is borne out near the end when those words from the rhyme are played (musically, not vocally) as the denouement. What more can be said? This is a fine laid-back album of peaceful romantic music ideal for quiet afternoons or intimate evenings, or just as nice background. If dreamy music is your cup of tea, then More than Words is well worth getting hold of. |
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