Play 90 second soundbite of 'The Mourning Mist' @ 'CD quality'
Luscious maybe but Sonny actually keeps things pretty simple and uncluttered and the result is as deceptive as it is honest - it thrills and it calms as the tracks unfold gracefully but poignantly and swill around the room cocooning the listener in rich and warm sound. Think early Tangerine Dream meets Terry Riley mixed with the subtle and soft vocal outpourings of Robert Wyatt, all brought into the twenty-first century by way of modern digital 'orchestration' and accompaniment. The overall feeling of Sonny's music is one of peace, harmony and tranquillity - he takes you to places where you won't come to any harm, where things are positive and fulfilling. Sonny has a knack of bridging the gap between reality and dreams; he gently persuades the listener to place trust in him as he carries you to, and through, his world where all is well and all is good.
Sonny's music isn't actually innovative - let's face it, ambient music has been around for donkey trousers. Sonny just does things a bit differently; he doles out big helpings of relaxation and pleasure in such a way that the listener seems to become part of the whole theme rather than just a mere outsider lucky enough to have come across Sonny's work. Sonny makes you feel as though you are actually inside his soundscapes, actually living his dream although what you take out of the experience is really dependant upon how much you choose to put in! But, here he gives you both the trills and warblings of the natural world alongside the beefy, rich and woody timbre of a reverberating church organ - extremes of sound yet somehow beautifully in balance and harmony - wonderfully rich, wonderfully rounded, wonderfully relaxing!!
'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny is poetry through music, but it's not bright, happy themes that run through this work; as the title suggests, there's a certain sadness deep inside Sonny's electronic overtures. So, although 'The Spirit Of Elegy' could never be described as being up-lifting, it's still a rewarding and peaceful trip to take. Sonny's music here is haunting and at times dark, full of atmosphere, full of emotion, full of depth.
'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny is one for the experimentalists. 'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny is one for the dreamers. 'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny is one for the hardened non-conformists. 'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny is one for the open minded. So, is it your kinda thing? Who Knows - only you can answer that. At the end of the day Sonny's ethereal music is not gonna be to everyone's taste but if you do have any natural penchant for the beautifully weird and wonderful then why not try 'The Spirit Of Elegy' by Sonny - it's a brilliant work but it won't work for everyone! I love it - but I'm Toxic Pete!!
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