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The Sounding Board by R J Lannan |
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RJ Lannan is the reviewer for The Sounding Board. |
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| A New Horizon: Special Edition |
| By José Luis Serrano Esteban |
| Label: Self Released |
| Released 11/14/2011 |
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| A New Horizon: Special Edition tracks |
1. Carmen (The victory of life)
2. Coming to life
3. Colors of the countryside
4. Planet Earth
5. The start of a new day
6. Inner light
7. Solar
8. Storm at dusk
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9. Cosmos
10. Moon
11. Birth
12. Spring has arrived
13. Next to you
14. Further than the milky way
15. Nearly touching a dream [bonus track]
16. Vida (Life) [bonus track]
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Everything is an Opportunity |
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I never know what I am going to hear when I spin a disc. My usual method is to not read the liner notes, the one page or another review before I listen to an album. Most of the time I am rewarded. In the case of Jose Luis Serrano Esteban’s A New Horizon, I feel I have received a musical gift. His guitar/piano music is gentle and genuine. His compositions are light and carefree with a theme towards family and every day occasions from waking up to going to sleep and all the wonderful things that happen in between. You know what every editor tells a writer, ‘write what you know’, well Jose Esteban does the same thing in musical notation. The results are very gratifying. I tried very hard to come up with a likely comparison for Esteban’s guitar style and at about 2 A.M. my subconscious informed that he may be similar to Mike Oldfield (Tubular Bells, Songs of Distant Earth) at times, other than that he has his own style. The album has a 14 tracks, but this is the Special Edition and it has 2 bonus tracks. The music is generally very good guitar with violin, flute, and piano accompaniment. In short, everything needed for enjoyable contemporary music.
Carmen is the sweet opening tune and the voice of Jose's baby daughter Carmen opens and closes the tune with her worldly wisdom. However, you do not have to understand baby-talk to recognize the joy that Jose instills in the piece when he regards his little miracle. I could tell that it was a song of thanks as well, as in thank You for the grace in my life.
The wondrous violin of Nuria Felix begins the song The Start of a New Day. It is the glorious sound of creeping golden light, tendrils of tender warmth and the smile of endless possibilities. It is one of those happy to be alive tunes and I could not agree with it more on the day of this writing. It is the theme music to carpe diem.
Storm at Dusk is a moderately paced ballad sung by guitar and piano, but the storm is on the horizon and not very threatening. It is more of a suggestion of inclement weather and the danger there from. Finally, you can sense the thunder in the distance and the welcoming rains as they drum on the roof and splash on the walkways. Darkness overcomes the light and all we are left with is the gentle sound. Thanks for the rain.
There is a very romantic waltz among squeezebox, piano and clarinet, a much underutilized instrument, called Next To You. The love is apparent as the soothing tune dawdles, like lovers holding hands as they walk through the park. It is all smiling eyes and hopeful hearts until a stolen kiss rewards the obvious ardor. The clarinet is courtesy of the talented Santiago Puente.
Music has given Jose a gift and his gratitude translates into his album A New Horizon. One of my favorites is Further Than The Milky Way. Nothing spacey about the tune, but it is dreamy with its idealistic theme. It is more about floating away then shooting off into space. It is about seeing stars in someone’s eyes and going there.
What a great album Jose Esteban has put together. The contemporary elements are intricate, yet soothing. I do not if he started out with an aim towards a calming feeling, but it ended up that way. There is enough romance and everyday warmth to make the album appealing to many kinds of listeners. I recommend it highly for its uniqueness. |
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Rating: Good +  |
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- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 8/17/2012 |
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