Bill Binkelman Reviews - New Age Music at ShirleyCason.com - New Age Keyboardist Piano Links   New Age Links   Spa-Reiki Links   Interviews   Song Writing   Listen to CDs online      Free MP3 Downloads Contact   Write to Shirley - Mailing List   Biography   Photos   Videos   Royalty FREE Music   WMA-MP3 Download Store   Free New Age Radio   WINTER MORNINGS Review by Bill Binkelman www.Wind & Wire.com - New Age Reporter.com What a great recording this is! So few artists record music that attempts to evoke the moods of winter (except for holiday carols). However, keyboard player Shirley Cason has done just that - composed an entire album of serene, peaceful, evocative electronic keyboard and piano instrumentals, tinted with a superb combination of somberness and gentility. As a result, these eight musical soundscapes properly reflect winter's emotional resonance on the land and on people. Being from Minnesota, the land where winter lasts from November through March, I know what I'm talkin' about, Willis! Winter Mornings is full of lovely music. Throughout the album, Cason shows her ability to mix her assorted keyboards and synths (strings, bells, textures, piano) in songs that are accessible yet (at times) free-flowing enough to be quasi-ambient. This is especially true on the eight-minute "Winter Skies," which mixes softly swelling strings, twinkling bell tones, gentle plucked guitar, and subtle background spacy synthesizer textures. For comparison's sake, imagine a blend of Jon Mark's melancholy beauty with Kevin Kendle's wonderful melodic sensibility. I hold Messrs Mark and Kendle in the highest regard so this comparison is rare praise indeed. And, while Cason is not quite at their level, she is getting close with this recording. Besides the beautiful "Winter Skies," there are also the shiny bright bell tones, hushed synth chorales and gentle electronica rhythms of "Icicle Melt," the somber and darker "10 Degrees" (sounding a little like Tim Story, with repeating piano refrains and shadowy synthesizer shadings, and then moving slowly into a warmer romantic sound, a la Ciani or Yanni at their best). In addition, there is the plaintive minimal piano and synth title track and the light-as-a-feather bells and chimes of "Snow Dance" (Cason plays this one smart by opening with the chimes and bells played arrhythmically, thereby creating a musical illusion of randomly falling snowflakes). This last piece also features well-executed flute samples and slowly building momentum over a bed of what sounds like sampled kalimba (African thumb piano). The opening track, "Beauty of the Earth," features delicate synth strings and gently strummed/picked guitar (sampled) while "Children and Snowmen," yet another peaceful mixture of assorted keyboards, once again reminded me of Kevin Kendle, but this time with a dash of playfulness and innocence added to the other elements. Finally, for a touch of whimsy and humor, the artist closes with "Gulf of Florida," a short piano and minimal synth number which features parts of the refrain from the traditional folk song "Oh Susanna," leaving the listener with the notion that, while winter has its charms and its beauty, one does need a little warmth and sunshine too (again, as a Minnesotan, I heartily agree!). When I reviewed A Summer Dream (2002) a few years ago, I knew Shirley Cason was talented, but I admit to being surprised at how fully realized a musical statement Winter Mornings is. While there are no tracks that will remind you of blizzards, these beautiful, somewhat minimal, relatively subdued songs are evocative of that season which is normally ignored by artists. Fans of warm melodic electronic keyboard music (mostly without overt rhythms, though) will almost certainly enjoy this CD, and if you miss the days of classic new age music (lots of bell tones and twinkling chimes), then you're in for a big treat as Cason has plenty of them throughout the album. Highly recommended, especially for romantics (like me). Bill Binkelman   A SUMMER DREAM by Bill Binkelman, - www.Wind & Wire.com - New Age Reporter.com A Summer Dream, (2002) Reviewing a CD that is obviously quite personal and openly emotional for the artist, as is the case with Shirley Cason's A Summer Dream, is difficult because, frankly, it's impossible to be as objective as a critic should be (provided one has any feelings, that is). A Summer Dream is dedicated to (and more or less themed around) Shirley's sister, Carol, who passed away in the summer of 1998. Having lost both my parents, the loss of family members certainly hits a chord with me. However, as a music critic, it's necessary to do one's best to strip all the "interference" away to some degree, lest one is accused of partiality. Even when I discard any personal memories, though, I can still recommend A Summer Dream as a well-performed and gently evocative collection of piano and synth pieces that are sometimes warm and soft and other times sad and nearly always genuinely touching. The thing that I'm most impressed with on this album is Cason's willingness to use a lot of different synth sounds. So many pianists (when they use synths at all) just use string fills (and that can certainly be enough). How refreshing, then, to hear all manner of electronic keyboards, yet always in the service of melodic, accessible adult contemporary/new age music. There are extensive liner notes (sometimes in the form of poems/lyrics, even though the album is wholly instrumental) that paint a picture of love and loss and growth through pain. The CD begins with the playful and sprightly "Springtime" (lilting flutes, bells, bass, and guitar-like keyboards, along with piano)  and begins its voyage through different moods, tempos, and melodic approaches. "Come Out and Play",  is a Kevin Kendle-like track with flute and lovely synth bells. "Summer of '98"     opens with bluesy piano (by the way, if it matters to you, the piano on the album sounds like a digital, although a pretty good one to my ears), and the cut soon becomes a reflective piano and strings tune - wistful yet not somber. "Lost,"   one of the more overtly new agey cuts on the CD, is sadder, as Fender Rhodes-like keys ride on top of swirling synths ( I could've done without the wind effects on this track, though). One of the best selections is the next one. "Last Walk"    has a unqiuely juxtaposed lively rhythm with quasi-mournful synths (consisting of nicely flowing keyboards and some plucked note sounds). It's my favorite track on the CD, I think. "Last Breath" is almost unrelentingly morose at the start (as the title would suggest, although once again I think the wind sounds are misplaced) but evolves into something quite different via a Constance Demby-ish crescendo (signifying "passing over" I would imagine although I don't want to appear presumptuous). My interpretation is based on the spacemusic and celestial textures during the latter stages of the track. The album closes with the title song,     and it's another highlight. Gentle bells, lush strings, and hushed cymbals open the song which eventually becomes a piano-led number that speaks of acceptance and the strength that flows from the knowledge that our loved ones never truly leave us. As you can tell from some of my comments above, I resonated with what (in my opinion) Shirley Cason was intending on A Summer Dream. So, take some of my praise with a grain of salt if you're cynical or tend to like music that is more subtle about its emotional intent. This album is not ashamed to wear its sorrowful yet ultimately hopeful heart on its sleeve. From a purely analytical standpoint, it's nice background music for light activity (I think the emotional highs and lows, however, may make it difficult to concentrate or read during playback). I recommend the CD, though, especially to die-hard romantics and those who enjoy electronic keyboards mixed with piano. Bill Binkelman Piano Links   New Age Links   Spa-Reiki Links   Interviews   Song Writing   Listen to CDs online      Free MP3 Downloads Contact   Write to Shirley - Mailing List   Biography   Photos   Videos   Royalty FREE Music   WMA-MP3 Download Store   Free New Age Radio ASCAP Copyright © 2008 Shirley Cason Music  // Rainbow Lakes Records    All Rights Reserved