Release Date: April 29, 2014
Label: Little Hartley Music
“Hope Floats” is a
melodious vision of the inner light that shines within us all. It illuminates
our hearts in the darkest nights of the soul. Hope helps us turn from the
shadows and bear up in the face of despair. As I listened to this piece, I
couldn’t help but think of what it must have been like to have the ability to
play music taken away by a stroke and have to learn the basic living functions
all over again. The force of will and sheer determination to embrace the world
and turn her skill into helping others is a lighthouse in the storm for not
just her, but anyone who has suffered a trauma as DeFrayne has. Do hard things.
Make a difference. Each note is a victory. Each finger stroke a poke in the eye
to giving up.
“By a Wire” is a journey from the bottom of a dark well.
Melodious and inspiring, this piece illustrates the will to prevail over some
of life’s toughest situations. Indeed, sometimes we are only hanging on by a
wire, swinging in the wind with nothing to catch us if we fall. DeFrayne hung
on Tarzan style and came out swinging. Her music became the route she had taken
most of her life-she used it to bring herself back from the brink of despair
and uses it to help others do the same. This piece is artful and the
composition one of beauty and substance.
“Sunrise to Sunset” is a walk on the beach. It is lifting
your face to the sky, heart joyful just to be alive and here. Right now. It is
letting your toes squish in the wet sand and letting the tide rush over your
ankles. Golden rays of sunshine warm your cheeks as the waves of piano music
drift over you like water. Elements of French horn add eloquence to the piece
that makes it resonate. The dusk comes but you are no longer afraid of the
night. You walk on into whatever will come, secure in your place in this world.
The music tapers to a close and you smile.
DeFrayne spans the emotional range with By a Wire. Her music speaks of the
deepest parts of our souls as human beings. After suffering the loss of family
members and a debilitating stroke while she was a young mother, DeFrayne lost
the ability to coordinate her fingers with the music in her mind. She was
determined to grab onto her life’s blood and reclaim it as her own and now with
By a Wire she has done just that.
This debut album is one that shows just what a person can do if they believe
enough. Love really can set you free.
4.5/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Hope Floats, By a Wire, Sunrise to Sunset
Dana Wright, Sr. Staff
Writer New Age Music Reviews
May 22, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews