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Songs of
Love and Hate
Ezekiel
(TMM/Pirouette Music)
55 minutes
One
of the things I love about reviewing CDs is that every once in a
while a new artist comes along who just takes my breath away.
Ezekiel is such an artist. His debut solo recording, the
intriguingly-titled “Songs of Love and Hate,” is a masterpiece of
orchestrated pieces that revolve around the piano. Currently
residing in Ireland, Ezekiel hopes to record this music with a full
orchestra at some point, which could be as astounding musical
experience. A classically-trained pianist from an early age, Ezekiel
plays a number of instruments and has collaborated with many
artists on various projects over the years, including Sinead O'Connor.
As the very title implies, the sixteen original compositions on
“Songs of Love and Hate” convey a broad
range of emotions that are expressed with strong classical
influences.
The music is passionate, colorful, and very alive. It is
also accessible and welcoming rather than overly intellectual and
daunting. In a nutshell, this is one very powerful and exciting new
artist, and this is one great album!
The opening track, “The
Sea,” begins with a flourish on the piano that will immediately grab
your attention. After that, a series of rolling arpeggios on the
piano convey the dark power and energy of the ocean. As the piece
develops, it becomes more orchestrated, but the piano continues to
provide the fast-moving momentum behind the strings and horns. An
impressive beginning!!! “Loss” goes much darker. The mood is tragic
and mournful, but the music is stunningly beautiful. “You” is a
tender and very warm love song...
In the first three tracks, we’ve already
experienced such a wide range of emotions!
“My Heart” is intimate and
deeply personal - calm yet deeply passionate and very moving. “Christmas Baby”
appears twice - first orchestrated, and later as a piano solo. I
love this piece with its boundless joy and energy.
As its title
suggests, “Tranquillo” is peace set to music - a musical sigh. I
also really like “Deranged,” which is pitch black and frighteningly
ominous - it would be great in a movie since the music alone can
give you chills. From there, we go to the gentle yet mysterious
“Making a Wish,” which is a little more abstract - a fascinating
piece.
“This Love” is one of the longer pieces (a little more than
seven minutes), and is something of a daydream. Warm and contented,
the music floats along with flutes and strings, expressing deep
emotions. “Hymn” is a beautiful piano solo that is majestic,
reverent, and comes from the heart.
“The End is the Beginning” is
another longer piece and is very symphonic. Dark and dramatic, it is
performed as a piano concerto and is one of the many highlights of
the album - an 'emotional powerhouse' with a surprise ending!
“Epilogue” swings the mood back up to a peaceful and blissful one,
and then the album closes with the solo version of “Christmas
Baby.”
I can’t say enough about how excited I am about “Songs
of Love and Hate.” It is currently available only on Ezekiel’s
website, so do yourself a favor and check it out at www.artistezekiel.com!
Sure to be on my favorites list!
Kathy
Parsons
MainlyPiano.com
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