“Alone in a Crowd” by Evan Wish
Album Review by New Age CD, New Age Notes Radio
“We discover here that we may not be quite as alone as we think. Lovers of classical piano looking for something a bit different will like this album very much.”
Classically trained concert pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Sir Evan Wish, releases this, his 3rd solo piano album, “Alone in a Crowd.” Evan hails originally from Canada and he now lives in both Los Angeles and France. The 10 piano compositions (almost 36 minutes), on this album were improvised. As well, they were recorded across 2 days, in 10-1/2 hours total, at The Village Studios in Santa Monica, California. The album was co-produced by Evan and Grammy® nominated sound engineer, Peter Granet.
One thing that shines through in all the compositions here is the raw authenticity. Evan says, “Certainly a lot of my life is in the music.” I can hear that. These are 10 heartfelt solo piano pieces, and the compositions were recorded in the same order as they were composed.
The album opens with the brief, just over 2-minute piece, “The Hill.” As any composer knows, especially one as accomplished as Evan, sitting down to compose anything can be a “hill” of its own. It’s a process. After the conquering the first “hill,” everything simply flows elegantly into place. This is a lovely, enjoyable song, melodic and graceful, and it’s a perfect opening to this album.
The title track, which follows, is also enjoyable with a nicely defined melody. One can tell even just from the second piece here that it would be fun to attend one of Evan’s concerts.
“Fleeting Beauty” too is also melodic and flowing, with nice depth and breadth. There is a certain passion and a dramatic flair here in Evan’s performance and perhaps a somewhat wistful lament of the fleeting nature of such things as earthly beauty.
What can we still buy with a penny, I wonder? Maybe still a thought. “For Just a Penny” has a great cadence to it and an underlying vibe of “fun.” We also begin to get a real feel for Evan’s magnificent piano performance skills. Every note is quite purposeful and expressive. I like this very much.
“Falling Into You” is equally as expressive and interesting. Flowing, then dramatic, graceful, then theatrical again. Yes, it is a quite interesting composition, also likable.
Rhythmic, with changing tempos, I would say that “Silhouette” may reflect the ever-changing nature of certain shapes and shadows. They can appear to be one thing one minute and another the next. And in a true silhouette, we see only the solid shape rather than the distinct features. That is this agreeable and intricate song, which is definitely food for thought. I think it’s rather creatively brilliant.
A carousel is a device that goes around and around. “Carousel,” the composition here, does a little of the same. And there’s a defined melody, that dramatic flair again, and Evan’s impressive, heartfelt, enthusiastic piano performance.
“Sometime Around Midnight” is somber, just as heartfelt, and with a touch of melancholy. It’s also very pretty.
The album closes out with the melodic, “I Like Us.” There’s a genuine sweetness here, and the piece is filled with an emotional expressiveness that is wonderful. We discover here that we may not be quite as alone as we think. Lovers of classical piano looking for something a bit different will like this album very much.
Get “Alone in a Crowd” here: https://www.evanwish.com/ or wherever music is sold/downloaded/streamed.
Mastered by Bernie Becker, Becker Mastering
Broadcast/media promotion:
LAZZ Promotions: Ed & Stacey Bonk
E-mail: [email protected]
