New Age Music Review: Peter Calandra-First Light

Release Date: 09/21/2015

Label: Indie

Website

Pete Calandra’s fifth studio release First Light takes the human condition, the beauty of nature and our inner spirit as sentient beings and turns it into instrumental perfection. The official release date is two days prior to the beginning of the Fall Equinox on September 23^rd. I believe there is a connection there based on the type of music this is and the subject matter that evolves around it. Calandara uses various layers of keyboards then adds cello, oboe, violin and more to make it an orchestrated pathway to the heavens.

The instrumentation and soft voices that gather together for each composition are smooth and relaxing journeys. I felt as if this music could have a twofold purpose. My first impression was for the pure enjoyment of the listening experience and then secondly and perhaps more profoundly, as a meditative guide to awaken your inner most self. This would bring with it good thoughts and positive energy, the kind of energy that heals and makes the heart smile.

I believe the new age genre holds many gifts for the listener to discover, if of course your mind, body and spirit are an open book. 

The title track “First Light” is very fitting to the atmosphere and meaning of the recording and most obviously to the CD cover. The track is one of the outstanding compositions on the album and was featured on our RateThe Tracks site as well. This is a gorgeously picturesque track that grabbed my attention immediately and made the light of a new day a reality. That is what good music is supposed to do, particularly instrumental music of this ilk. It really should paint a picture in your mind’s eye and it most certainly does in this case.

“Valley of Two Lakes” connects you to nature…Mother Earth, which equals synchronicity of the soul with the planet in my mindset. It starts off very inviting and gentle with a blend of keyboards then changes and gives a path to a walk in a Japanese garden with plants, sounds and smells of nature putting you into a trance. I thought of my visits to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco many years ago while absorbing all the sounds into my consciousness.

I can see how this artist has been in demand to create soundtracks for other media outlets besides the general listening public. His multitude of talents and innate perception of what needs to be heard and the entire creative process is a truly a gift.

More beauty and the meaning of life will abound once again with “Circle The Time.” What is the relevance of time after all? Did not humans create that measure of life? We are specks of dust in a vast universe and the importance of it belongs to each individual but is there not a circle, a continuity of life itself that spins around on this earth? The track made me think of all this and ushered in the rest of the album with a stunning grace and beauty that was most appreciated by these ears.

First Light is a musical flight of color and sound that is passionate and wondrous. It will delight the auditory senses and give your surroundings a different meaning while listening. Once again as always, this is up to each individual listener. I can only relate to what the music does for me and how it communicates to me personally and hopefully other listeners will have the same rewarding experience. It was a nice feeling to have throughout the run of this album and I would recommend putting it on after a tough day at the office.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: First Light, Valley of Two Lakes, Circle The Time

Tracks:
 01. Open Your Heart
02. Night City
03. First Light
04. Sunset Sky
05. Valley of Two Lakes
06. Keep The Faith
07. The Dream
08. Inner Secrets
09. Circle The Time
10. Flames of Love
11. Morning Star
12. Sunrise Over New York City (2015)
13. The Poet
 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

August 24, 2015

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews