Journey of Tears
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley December 10, 2018
Artist – Monica Williams
Distributor:
Released: September 2018
Running Time: 50:07secs
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In an album hard to define, flautist Monica Williams combines her life experience with immense skill on flute to present her first solo album, Journey of Tears.
The work is in entirety a complex and yet emotionally refreshing collection of compositions, ranging from melancholic through to vibrant, thoughtful, reflective and joyful, as she reaches out with her music to create soundscapes that transport, refresh and offer solace in difficult times.
Sherry Finzer, Darin Mahoney, Michael Selig and Alexa Nodromia join her on this work, bringing with them immense talent and skill in the New Age genre, adding a lovely tonal variety to four of the songs, which adds yet another dimension, another layer, to the melodies.
The inside cover of the album contains the emotions behind each of the pieces allowing a snap shot of what is encapsulated within each piece. Beginning with a lovely little offering of Reflecting on Life’s Challenges Monica Williams shares her philosophy on life and living in words, before the songs commence.
Raining Tears, the introductory song was written after a major loss and reflects this in the melancholy created by the flute as she works through the sadness. Shery Finzer on bass flute and Darin Mahoney on guitar join her on New Horizons, created after attending her first Zone Music Reporter Awards, an event that offered her a raft of new beginnings, new collaborations and inspiration.
Conversations Within is a piece easily able to connect to as each person has conversations with themselves to help sort out conflict, become comfortable with change and accept the so many things which simply can not be changed in life. Michael Selig on guitar adds a lovely balance to this intriguing composition
Reflecting on change saw the birth of Constant Change as Williams pondered on the continuous changes in life and the art of letting go. Using a range of Native American Flutes to create the many layers of change ever present has allowed this piece evolved into an intricate and beautiful song of moving forward.
The Great Beyond draws this emotional and very beautiful journey to a fitting conclusion as it is a hauntingly delicate piece. The evocative vocals of Alex Nodromia carry the melody with the flutes weaving throughout the vocalisation. Mahoney once again adds a subtle contribution on guitar.
Journey of Tears is essentially a narrative told in music and one that is filled with acceptance, renewal and hope.