This is a debut album for Andrews, a pianist who has been active in church music groups for several years. The album was inspired by the journey Andrews and his wife took to Ethiopia to adopt a son and intended to bring healing and inspiration.
The eleven tracks are songs performed on solo piano. They express a range of emotions through different textures, harmonies, and melodic content. The opening title track, Road to Ambo, is a flowing yet energetic piece that is positive but reflects a great deal of effort and a strong intention to achieve a goal. Track 2: Unknown Hero shifts to a more inward-looking piece. Track 3: Hope and Joy has the feeling of a lullaby, very sweet and soft. Track 4: We Are Brothers is a hymn-style anthem with a singable melody. Track 5: You Were There is another spiritual song with a walking-tempo pulse. Track 6: Faces We See is a pop-style song with a lovely chordal progression. Track 7: Smokey Hill evokes an indistinct landscape, perhaps an uncertain destination. Track 8: Upside Down Church is one of the longest tracks, and features a playful theme and energetic rhythms. Track 9: New Normal is an expressive song with complex textures. Track 10: The Well Within returns to a lullaby-style song. It’s soft and pretty and very relaxing. The final song, Track 11: Breathe, reflects a strong folk-song influence with its vocal-type melody and dance music structure.
This is a great CD for easy-listening, relaxation, and contemplation. Some of the songs can be integrated into a play-list for ceremonies and rituals. Andrews is a capable pianist with a solid New Age sensibility and his musical offering will appeal to people who like solo piano music with references to pop/folk influences.
~review by Elizabeth Hazel
Artist: Adam Andrews
Andrews, 2014
CD $12.95, download $9.95
CDbaby, Amazon, iTunes
www.adamandrewsmusic.com.
