Search - Various :: Borderlands

IC B. (icberry)
Reviewed on 6/15/2018...

Very easy on the ears -- this is fresh, pleasing instrumental music featuring real instruments (piano, bass, guitars, fluegelhorn, oboe, violin, soft percussion) and some synthesizer effects, sparingly used.

The idea behind the recording is to bring together music from widely diverse places around the globe ("Borderlands") in such a way that the source material -- when you read the liner notes -- comes as a bit of a surprise. No cliches here: each piece fits well with the rest, though one is from Ireland and another one is from Cuba -- but neither one has obvious/familiar "cues". It's about the melodies.

The tone is of the whole recording is light, upbeat and definitely "pretty". It all blends (successfully) together, with the possible exception of "Afro Cuban Lullaby", a beautiful melody which is slightly marred by a dated "easy jazz" arrangement that is at odds with genre-free feel of the rest of the music. Even so, it's hard to resist that lovely, unusual and not-overused tune.

Interesting to note some of the regions represented: Cuba, Spain and Scotland are here, but also Latvia, Slovakia, Russia, "Bohemia" and "Eastern Europe" -- And it all works.

A keeper, for being well-crafted, pleasant music, that -- while it can recede, workmanlike, into the background -- is really worth listening to on its own merits. Very nice.

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