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review by Bill Binkelman Peaceful Journey is a collection of fourteen acoustic instrumental tracks inspired by the artist's love for North Carolina (a state in the southeastern part of the US, for those who don't know). The music throughout displays strong American folk, rural Americana, Appalachian, and Irish music influences. Part of this can be discerned through the instrumentation (Leslie himself plays guitar, Celtic whistle, bass, keyboards and some vocals), which includes accompanists on violin, hammered dulcimer, cello, percussion, piano, saxophone and organ. The music frequently has a serene simple grace to it, and when it does, it succeeds very well at conveying an "out in the country" feeling. However, here and there some missteps occur. The use of vocals and the introduction of a snare drum march-like cadence rhythm are a jarring interruption of the pleasant mood that had been flowing through "Grip Fast." "Daddy's Car," while short at 2:53, is just too repetitive, with the same theme heard over and over with only short bursts of improvisation. "Penny on the Track" starts off promising with sprightly acoustic guitar wedded to the sound effects of a train and crossing gate, but devolves into a jazzy tune that never comes together very well and also seems somewhat out of place and inconsistent with the other tracks on the CD. Still, many selections are excellent examples of rural acoustic instrumental music (frequently with the addition of nature sounds recorded by Leslie, which never hurt and sometimes help). All the performers comport themselves well on their respective instruments. Leslie's whistle is frequently a highlight in the songs in which it appears. The album contains songs like the flowing romantic piece "Montreat" (a piano and whistle duet), the back road wistfulness of the acoustic guitar number "Bound for Boone," "Roanoke Rhapsody" which features Clark Wang's soulful cello along with some of Leslie's best guitar and whistle playing, and the haunting "Kanuga" which shows that Leslie knows how to apply a small amount of synth strings to great effect in fleshing out the haunting tune (graced by Dan Gilvary's hammered dulcimer). Unfortunately, the introduction of muted snares somewhat derails the track, but at least they are subdued in the mix. I appreciate the personal nature of Peaceful Journey for Bill Leslie (a reading of the comprehensive liner notes reveals how strong he feels about the music and what inspired him to do this project). My criticisms are actually a sign of how highly I think of his efforts. With the excision of the vocals on some tracks and less emphasis on the occasional use of drums and percussion, this would rate a "Highly Recommended" from me. As it is, many of the songs are genuine crowd-pleasers if you enjoy ensemble-based acoustic instrumental music with a strong rural/folk flavor. Peaceful Journey represents one of the better recordings of its genre that I've heard in a while. While not perfect, it is a a rewarding and heartfelt musical offering. |
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