Print

Posted in:

Fire in the Clouds

In this lovely, laid back collection from Eric Bikales, the many years of music he has engaged with is apparent as each of the pieces, while blending beautifully to create a whole, is as individual as emotion that inspired each of the compositions.

Fire in the Clouds is a somewhat majestic title for an album which could be considered as comfortable, as the music reaches out with a lovely mellow ambience, but contains elements of Latino, jazz and totally enjoyable ‘old fashioned’ piano.

Several of the pieces carry a reminder of the almost unforgettable song from the TV show Friends, ‘I’ll Be There For You’, which while slightly disconcerting, creates a feeling of being in amongst new friends, as each of the pieces unfold. This is not at all surprising considering Bikales background as a composer for many popular TV shows, among which are Good Wife, Hill Street Blues, LA Law and Grey’s Anatomy.

The delightful Yellow Bird brings in the first of the captivating pieces with a light, uplifting tone which continues throughout the work, setting the tempo for a relaxing and enjoyable thirty minutes of delightful compositions.

As the various tracks slowly drift out of the ether, the titles are intriguing. Fire in the Clouds is almost self-explanatory as it is both the title of the album, with a magnificent sunset gracing the cover, as well as a stand-alone, catchy little number full of fun, colour and atmosphere.

Not often is a piece under a minute, but the intriguing little jazz ditty, Now This is one to look out for at 26 seconds in duration, making it very easy to overlook, and as such could be considered as a comma inserted between works of a similar emotional content. Khai written for his wife, is simple and yet elegant with a dash of improv included, as can be a life journey together.

Rounding out a stylish and peaceful album are the final two tracks, both dedicated to wind: Reasoning With The Wind is once again a catchy little number which has a very different thread of strings added to create a certain calmness, something which a ‘lazy’ wind seldom offers, before Kansas Wind ushers in a slightly different, lazy jazz/blues style piece which is absolutely relaxing and a perfect piece to close a totally laid back collection.

Website https://ericbikales.com/
Distributor Eric Bikales
Released February 2020
Running Time 32 mins
Artists Eric Bikales