Rating: ****
Rarely do I ever get to review classical or new age music and I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because those genres just aren't as popular with the mainstream as rock and rap. Maybe Johnny just hoards it all for himself to review. I don't really know.
What I do know is that I'm over the moon to have the chance to review British-born but Australian-living, Ric Mills' first solo album.
According to Ric's one-sheet, he's been working on this composition entitled "Found" for many years. He's been busy with other things like scoring TV shows and movies and finally got around to putting this one out there.
I'm gonna hop in the tub and listen to this in its entirety and then share the genius thoughts I come up with, with you.
Click here to listen to "Found" in it's entirety on Spotify
This classical party gets started with "The Story" and it's just lovely. Well-played and melodic, it sets a really good tone for what just feels like the making of an epic concept record. "The Arrival" picks up where "The Story" leaves off. It's cohesive without being sames-y. "The Call" is slower in tempo and leaves you feeling a little sad at times. That's good though. I like new age music to guide me through a range of emotions. "The Church" is another emotional ride. The simple piano really can make you reflective. "The Circle" picks up in mood only slightly. I'm hoping we get an upbeat tune in here somewhere or I'm gonna need to buy some Kleenex. For real though. "The Promise" seems more contemporary in nature. Really gorgeous. We don't get the feel-good song of the year but we do get a really pretty piano ballad. "The Walk" is moody and mysterious and picks the drama factor way up. It sounds like a horror movie score. One of my favorite tracks on the LP. The album ends with "The Peace". It's slow and sad and I don't know if I should have expected anything different. Gorgeous in its darkness.
I found "Found" to be an emotional journey. That's really saying something about an album devoid of any lyrical content or vocals. I really enjoyed it for what it is, a well-played, gorgeous composition of sadness. Highly recommended to my classical-heads out there.