Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: Grace

  • The Silence of Grace

    The Silence of Grace

    How many ways are there to describe perfection other than to say the music of Deborah Martin and Jill Haley come pretty close to the definition of ‘the state or quality of being perfect’ with their sublime The Silence of Grace.

    The small booklet that accompanies the work is an excellent lead into the music, as each song is accompanied by some beautiful words that in a single line or two shares the majesty of nature that inspired the composition. Deborah Martin is well known for her subliminal electronic compositions that drift and float on the ether.

    Jill Haley, Oboist, English horn player as well as a pianist and composer, blends the sounds of her instruments into the electronic soundscape in a manner that is as seamless as it is perfect. Both women have a deep bond with nature, a love of walking through nature, of sitting allowing nature to inspire their magnificent compositions.

    Initially the effect of the music was as if a bubble of light formed encapsulating the spirit, which then drifted timelessly through time and space on a journey only the listener could understand. Upon reading the words in the booklet the impression lasts as when walking through the majestic forests deep in the green world of peace and calm, a feeling of encapsulation forms to protect and nourish.

    Each individual piece gently drifts into one blissful journey which is exquisite and totally perfect for deep mediation or simply drifting and best described by these two lines:

    ‘Be still just for a moment .. do not want to loudly.. Instead, chase the mists quietly and gently..’-Deborah Martin.

    And from Jill Haley; ‘Grace is a gift bestowed on us..unasked for and gratefully received.’

  • Butterfly Yellow

    Butterfly Yellow

    A story about refugees who escaped Vietnam by boat after the war, is always going to contain some confronting scenes, Butterfly Yellow is no exception. The main character, Hang has suffered “Extreme Trauma” according to her files. As a teenager her experiences will remain with her forever.

    Thanhha Lai has softened the horrors by presenting them as a series of flashbacks interspersed throughout the tale. There is a gentle humour introduced which also keeps the reader wanting to continue and follow the story to its conclusion.

    Hang is on a mission to find her baby brother, who was mistakenly taken to America as an orphan. When she finally arrives in that country, she stays with her uncle, who wants to help her locate her sibling. He wants to move slowly and use lawyers to retrieve the boy, but Hang is sure that once he sees her, Linh, her young brother, will remember the love they shared and come with her. After all, six years have not dimmed her memory of him.

    Escaping from her uncle’s house Hang meets up with a young wannabe cowboy called LeeRoy. He has just left his parents’ home rather than go to Yale and is seeking adventure as a rodeo rider and cowboy. He is the perfect foil for Hang who is feisty, determined and strong willed. He agrees to take her to Texas to find her brother out of gentlemanly good will, but finds himself embroiled in a complex family battle.

    There are many issues in Butterfly Yellow, that are filled with remembered love and wisdom from Hang’s Grandmother and Father. As a student in Vietnam, Hang and her Dad watch many Clint Eastwood movies to improve their English. Now, in America, she recalls the sayings of her grandmother and plans her life accordingly.

    There is an awakening for LeeRoy who has lived a gentle, carefree life with his loving parents. He begins to feel protective towards Hang, and realizes that his life has been easy and comfortable so far. Hang just wants LeeRoy to talk we also learn about the geology of a local canyon and the extinction of an Native American tribe.

    The author cleverly meshes all these issues together, along with some language lessons. Butterfly Yellow shows in so many ways that healing can come also with hope and grace.

     

  • Lead Me Home

    Lead Me Home

    Camille Nelson has created a wonderfully relaxing and absolutely enjoyable collection of favourite and new pieces, which reflect on the many traditional and much loved hymns of generations, through to some delightfully new compositions in the same style or genre.

    The first two pieces are the much played, sung  and loved Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art which have been given serious consideration with the fine playing of the acoustic guitar, backed by a wonderful strings arrangement, to create arrangements which offer a return down memory lane, with modern soothing and enjoyable ambience.

    Nearer My God To Thee has been given a distinctive Country and Western feel with the use of the pedal steel guitar, adding a totally new feel and vibe to this much loved piece, which somehow or other, manages to bring with it a smile, as if finding itself as a C&W arrangement,  seems so incongruously right!

    In Be Thou My Vision Alex Sharpe, formerly of Celtic Woman, adds an exotic touch of vocals to the arrangement to create a style reminiscence of Japan and the clear melodies produced within their music style. Almost unnoticed, Adelia wanders softly and gently into the mix, with nothing more than pure acoustic guitar, played by Susie Brown Erni, to highlight the delicately beautiful notes of this lovely piece.

    The title piece Lead Me Home features Camille Nelson on guitar, backed with a beautiful string arrangement created by Shane Mickelsen, which gently leads you through this piece straight into the reflective and delightful Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing featuring the playing of fiddle and mandolin by Ryan Sharpe.

    Patterns of Light continues the reflective theme with the final piece, Count Your Many Blessings, the melody of which was written 1897 by Johnson Oatman, Jr.as a religious piece of music to go with the well-known words, and went on the mean so many different things to different people and is as popular today, as it was when it was first penned.

    As a first studio album from this a talented artist and arranger it would have to be considered, as the promo pieces states, as almost Angelic!