Colors of a New Dawn Review
Of this wondrous music, nothing more need be said than Gandalf does in his liner notes describing each song. "Each moment of every day we can discover the richness of life, and if we look though such eyes, we cannot help discovering the "colors of a new dawn." Listen and let your heart fill with hope and expectation. Read more...
Colors of a New Dawn Specifications
A pleasant surprise from an unheralded Austrian composer with a borrowed name, Colors of a New Dawn is for the most part an attractive blend of guitar, piano, and atmospheric electronics that could easily appeal to fans of David Arkenstone (another artist who turned to J.R.R. Tolkien for a stage name) and Secret Garden. Gandalf uses understated electronic brushstrokes to enhance his gentle pop-inclined melodies, several of which invite repeated listenings (the opening four pieces, the bell-pealing build-up of "Iris," and the title track are particularly noteworthy). Occasional audio clunkers (e.g., the whistling keyboard in "Rhythm of the Tides;" the annoying, now-clichéd use of aboriginal voices in "From Distant Shores") break the music's spell, but generally Gandalf's balance of subtle drama and twinkling-star sweetness is a winning combination. At times a passage will catch your ear that brings to mind early Craig Chaquico, early David Lanz, and even Mike Oldfield ("Brighter Than a Star"). If you consider that to be good company, this disc might be up your cosmic-contemporary alley. --Terry Wood
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