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review by Bill Binkelman More than once, I found it hard to believe that this was Wayne Kelling's first CD. Observations in the Woods sounds more mature and self-assured than most freshman efforts. The CD belongs to the "classic" new age music genre which I characterize as being warm and gentle electronic keyboards played in a flowing manner, accented with twinkling bell tones, soft piano, and assorted musical textures (I refer to it as "classic" since I associate these characteristics with recordings from the mid to late '80s when new age music really hit its stride). The album isn't flawless, though. There is a noticeable over-emphasis on stereo separation on some tracks, with no discernible music "in the middle" but only in the distinct left and right channels. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but it is probably more distracting on headphones than it is on loudspeakers, and I have to think it was not planned this way. Even with that critique, though, this is a wonderful new age music CD. "At the Edge of the Forest" starts things off with lush synth strings (including some great lower ones!) and you can almost picture yourself approaching a huge expanse of oaks and pines under a sunny sky, a sense of calm washing over as you get closer and closer. "Dance of the Dewdrops" features all sorts of twinkling bells, high and low in pitch, which certainly convey the image of sunlight glinting off of dew. The inclusion of soothing washes of keyboards and faint women's chorales adds yet more beauty to the gentle selection. "Sunrise on North Face" is appropriately majestic, but still retains the low-key feel of the album, with soaring synth strings and chorales. "A Leaf on the Wind" marks the first blending of piano with synth strings and once again Kelling impresses with his restraint in an area where so many artists go over the top with the strings. He understand the need for subtlety in crafting sincere and enjoyable new age music. In this way, he reminds me of artists like Laura Sullivan and George Skaroulis (from contemporary times) and artists from the golden era, such as Robert Haig Coxon and Philip Elcano. Another possible area of criticism for the album is that some tracks are quite short. Nine of the fifteen are under three minutes in length. This was not a big issue for me, though. However, if you're looking for longer more developing pieces, be forewarned of this tendency Kelling has. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the CD and it made me wish more artists were doing this kind of music again. Kelling's serene keyboards, played without a trace of pretension or faddish accouterments, were a sheer pleasure from the first playing. The album closes with the guitar and synth string ballad "Movin' On," and I was sad to hear it all end. If that mysterious lack of "center channel" music element wasn't there on some tracks, I'd be inclined to rate this a lot higher, but even so, it's an excellent new age music recording, especially as a debut. Wayne Kelling apparently never heard the old saying "They don't make 'em like this anymore." Solidly recommended to fans of electronic new age music! PS The CD also features outstanding graphical presentation with beautiful paintings from the artist's aunt and liner notes that spin off from each song and make for pleasant reading! |
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