“Close Enough to Perfect: Works for Solo Piano” by Louis Anthony deLise
Album Review by New Age CD and New Age Notes Radio Staff
“Close Enough to Perfect” is Louis’ 3rd album in the “New Age” space. He first burst onto the scene with the extraordinarily beautiful, “Natural Light,” which achieved a top-ten chart position on the Zone Music Reporter (ZMR) charts and was nominated as “Best Neo-classical Album” by the One World Music Awards in 2019. “Natural Light” includes performances by Jeff Oster and Grammy®-winner, Nancy Rumbel.
His 2nd album was the equally gorgeous, “A Gift of Moments,” which was composed in the height of the 2020 pandemic. Both these albums were lightly orchestrated, because, as Louis says, that’s just the way he hears “stuff” in his head. The new album, releasing September 30, 2022, is his first solo piano album.
Now, Louis may be new to the “New Age” space, but he is an accomplished composer, arranger, and musician, who has arranged for a variety of performers, including the Grammy®-winning band, Halestorm, Bunny Sigler, Robert Hazard, and Grammy®-winner, Peter Nero.
He was arranger and conductor on Grammy®-winner Patti LaBelle’s #1 hit album, “The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle,” and was co-producer, co-writer, and arranger/conductor for William DeVaughn’s second hit album, “Figures Can’t Calculate.”
Louis’ additional songwriting and composing credits include albums and singles on the EMI, Vanguard, Def-Jam, Centaur, and CBS record labels. His arranging and conducting work appears on albums alongside performances by many of the country’s top pop artists including, Carlos Santana, Sheila E., Wynonna Judd, Kanye West, CeCe Winans, and Paul Shaffer.
Louis is the also author of “The Professional Songwriter,” a textbook on the art, craft, and business of songwriting. He has served on the faculties of The Boyer College Music and Dance, Rowan University, and Pennsylvania State University. So, as you can see, this is one accomplished guy. Now, let’s talk about this new solo piano album, “Close Enough to Perfect.”
The album is 10 tracks beginning with the lovely title track. Three minutes of sweet melody and balanced use of upper and lower piano registers set a nice tone for the rest of the album. Some favorites here: “Slow Dance Reflections,” which is scintillating, elegant, is quite beautiful. Contemplative, and again melodic, “Through the Mist of Morning” is calming to the soul eliciting feelings of a serene, idyllic morning where all promise lies ahead.
There is something special about “Together Alone.” This is flowing and truly beautiful in every regard. And of course, we are never alone, really. Love this one, and as equally appealing is “You Are Love.” The album closes out with the very tranquil and thoroughly enjoyable, “Got This Thing About You,” which seems to be the perfect close. All, everything, here is memorable, elegantly and eloquently composed and played. Perfect enough? I should say so. Gorgeous.
Get it here:
Available at retail, download and streaming outlets
Official Artist Website: https://www.louisanthonydelise.com/
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