Gandalf - Colors of a New Dawn
Audio CD (August 31, 2004)
Original Release Date: August 31, 2004
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Real Music
A pleasant surprise from an unheralded Austrian composer with a borrowed name, Colors of a New Dawn is for the most part an attractive blend of guitar, piano, and atmospheric electronics that could easily appeal to fans of David Arkenstone (another artist who turned to J.R.R. Tolkien for a stage name) and Secret Garden. Gandalf uses understated electronic brushstrokes to enhance his gentle pop-inclined melodies, several of which invite repeated listenings (the opening four pieces, the bell-pealing build-up of "Iris," and the title track are particularly noteworthy). Occasional audio clunkers (e.g., the whistling keyboard in "Rhythm of the Tides;" the annoying, now-clichéd use of aboriginal voices in "From Distant Shores") break the music's spell, but generally Gandalf's balance of subtle drama and twinkling-star sweetness is a winning combination. At times a passage will catch your ear that brings to mind early Craig Chaquico, early David Lanz, and even Mike Oldfield ("Brighter Than a Star"). If you consider that to be good company, this disc might be up your cosmic-contemporary alley. --Terry Wood
1. Rhythm of the Tides
2. Bridge of Confidence
3. In the Presence of Angels
4. Iris
5. From Distant Shores
6. In the Presence of Angles (reprise)
7. Hearts in Celestial Unison
8. Flowers Along the Way
9. Colors of a New Dawn
10. Brighter Than A Star
