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review by Bill Binkelman While showing glimpses into what his later release, Dancing in the Desert, would contain, Richard Amos' first album, Tears and Joy is an occasionally more subdued recording that can best be described as accessible and melodic electronic keyboard new age music. Some tracks do point toward the bouncy/rhythmic EM/synth-pop that makes Dancing in the Desert such delicious ear candy (e.g. the opening title track with its pumping bass beats, high hats, soaring strings, and sparkling piano work, or the joyful Ray Lynchian "See You Again" anchored by Amos' simple yet elegant piano lines, soft as silk keyboard washes, rapid fire bass beats, and percolating synth bubbles). However, other songs on Tears and Joy are 'Tears' instead of 'Joy.' "Inside" offers up a somber piano piece (the piano on the album is, if I'm not mistaken, a high-quality digital one) with only minor electronic texturing in the background. "Voyage of Hope" is ethereal new age music, blending Amos' piano and his swooshing and whooshing new age keyboards, while muted beats in the background add a subtle feeling of flight/movement. Amos plays his piano here with some degree of urgency, yet the vibe of the song is not hurried to my ears. "Fly" opens up as a classic slice of new age/spacemusic, featuring lush soaring synth choruses and massive string sections. At times, I thought I was listening to vintage Constance Demby on this cut. It's one of the only songs without any piano (something this artist may want to explore more often). "Heart" is patented Richard Amos, as he deftly combines piano, a variety of electronic keyboards (including excellent sampled pan pipes a la Cusco), and other new age music (bell trees) and spacemusic elements (cosmic-sounding textures) to yield a solid song that packs quite a punch, although some of the string samples are a tad thin to my ears. Other solid cuts include "Escape" which starts slow and builds into a "Dancing in the Desert" type of number (pulsing rhythms, piano refrains, and a wonderful use of sequenced notes which imparts just the right amount of Berlin-school texture into the mix), the sparkly-cheery number "Shine" (perhaps the most outright "smile-inducing" music Amos has ever recorded) and another "piano-less" track, "Blue Sun" which once again showcases Amos' abilities to craft ethereal spacemusic/new age music that floats on wispy clouds of electronic bliss. If you enjoyed Dancing in the Desert, I can't see why you wouldn't like Tears and Joy with equal enthusiasm. Many similar musical characteristics can be found on both albums, although the former is more concerned with crafting "catchy" hook-infested tracks while the latter sometimes opts for a more restrained approach and explores new age and spacemusic in more deliberate fashion. Richard Amos has a distinct talent for composing and playing music that is instantly accessible and hard to resist if you favor melody and rhythm in electronic music. Hardcore ambientphiles or those who prefer drones will no doubt consider this "lightweight," but personally, I enjoy music like Amos' a lot. Tears and Joy earns a solid recommendation from me. |
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