Patrick O'Hearn Beautiful World

So many times I get CDs from the States where the sleeve notes simply put me off. Often they seem to be an exercise in sounding as pretentious as possible but saying very little. Such is the case here, yet being put off is the last thing you should be. This is an excellent CD, both beautiful (appropriately) but also inventive. 'Facing the Sun' combines ethnic percussion with soft tones. Very nice they are too but the real interest to me comes with a rapid little melodic loop placed not to high in the mix, captivating and hypnotic stuff. Things then become even more dynamic with unexpected explosions of sound heralding bright pads that somehow complete the picture perfectly. 'Magnificent River' begins with gentle piano serenely floating above rather curious percussion- but it worked- got my feet tapping and head nodding gently anyway. A lovely little melody is played over the top, on guitar I think.

There is even an excellent mystical, shimmering middle section that was simply wonderful. I wish it could have gone on for longer. The percussion returns picking up the pace a little without ever spoiling the tranquil atmos. 'Chance' is real floater consisting of a collage of gentle undulating drones. The title track again has piano right from the beginning. This time it is played sparsely, crystalline little notes decaying into a sea of soft pads with little sonic touches over the top. As these notes start to form into some sort of melody looped percussion is added. This develops, becoming quite syncopated but in a gentle way, not forcing itself on you too much. A deep bass line appears mixing with the percussion to form a relaxed groove. Guitar is then introduced with some extra drum flourishes packing quite a bit of oomph but without overdoing it. The gentle 'Night Becomes Here' is a real highlight. Plucked guitar strings echo from the speakers over an incredibly delicate backing. Piano replaces the guitar but the mood says the same. For the last section piano and guitar are being stroked side by side- pure serenity.