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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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| Sacred Road Revisited |
| By David Lanz |
| Label: Narada |
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| Sacred Road Revisited tracks |
1. Dreamer's Waltz 
2. A Path With Heart
3. Where the Tall Tree Grows
4. Still Life
5. Nocturne
6. Compassionata
7. Sacred Road
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8. Take the High Road (Alternate Mix)
9. On Our Way Home (Alternate Mix)
10. Dreamer's Waltz (Alternate Mix)
11. Brother Quixote (Alternate Mix)
12. Where the Tall Tree Grows (Alternate Mix)
13. The Long Goodbye (Alternate Mix)
14. And the Road Goes On
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Just Let Him Play the Piano |
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Some of you may recall a game show on television called "Name that Tune". Contestants competed against each other to name the title of a song in the least amount of notes played. I can honestly say I can name the music of David Lanz in six notes. Okay, maybe seven. But there is a warm familiarity about all of David's music. I know that one of the finest piano and orchestral recordings I have ever heard and continue to cherish is his Skyline Firedance album. David's latest offering, Sacred Road Revisited is a new perspective from an old friend, his 1996 album Sacred Road. (I still have the cassette of course). Lanz, originally raised in Washington State is a globetrotting performer with a facility for writing music that touches the spirit on the first hearing and that stays with you for a lifetime. He came on the scene in the early eighties for Narada and is one of the founding fathers of the contemporary instrumental genre. Sacred Roads Revisited has a delightful mix of solo piano and orchestral versions of his popular original album.
Where the Tall Trees Grow has always been one of my favorites. Granted I don’t have David's viewpoint of the giant conifers that grow in his home state of Washington , but my spirit has always climbed the strong, twisted branches of the hemlocks and pines around me. I marvel at the duality of trees. Strong and beautiful as they stand as the guardians of our planet’s air supply and warm and glorious as they interconnect into our daily lives as a cherished table, a baby's cradle or log home. So many of us are fortunate to be where the trees make their home. The orchestral version of this song is outstanding.
Take the High Road, a song with a bit of orchestral accompaniment reminds that we should always look for a new and different perspective in or daily lives. This is song of reflection, a reminder that taking the elevated mountain pass is not only a way of seeing where you are, but where you might go. Everyone needs a bit of direction now and then.
With its sweet, music box quality Compassionata has a flavor reminiscent of the classical elements found in Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and other sentimental pieces of a time long ago. Luckily, romance is everlasting and our hearts still yearn to be filled by the love of a kindred spirit. Everyone needs and deserves someone to love and the music suggests that there is still love out there undiscovered and unclaimed.
Sacred Road is an important part of David's history. One of his first gigs was writing music for an alternative religion seminar and he thoughtfully blended his music to create a kind of healing music. I know it sounds like the story of New Age Music per se, but it is not happenstance that his music caught on and became the musical force it is today.
Dreamer's Waltz (alternate mix) is Lanz’s signature composing. The short string nuances tease the main theme until the strength of the lead comes along and just grabs you by the hand and takes you along. The neat thing about dancing to Dreamer's Waltz is that your body can step, sway and swirl, but your mind can be a million miles away or deep in the heart of your partner. And all the while the music carries you closer and closer to where you want to be.
Finally, added as a previously unreleased solo track is the cut, And the Road Goes On. It is soft and gentle and it is quite short, but it holds a great deal of promise. It reminds us that the sun rises every single day and its light shines upon the path that is there to follow. No matter what direction we choose, there is always a new road to follow.
In a word David’s compositions are timeless. The return of Sacred Roads Revisited is for me a re-examination of a gentle sort of spirituality. It tells me that there is always something there, always something stronger than me to believe in. For someone like me, music is the path. David Lanz's music is a welcome companion as ever.
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Rating: Excellent  |
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- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 2/22/2007 |
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