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Texas guitar prodigy Eric Johnson returns to recording after a near-decade absence with a lush, typically restrained collection that eschews flash for fluid cool. Arranging the album’s 16 songs into a musical triptych whose sections are labeled “Prelude,” “Courante” and “Allemande,” Johnson aims at creating a landscape of shifting moods that’s as subtle as it is mature. The guitarist’s trademark lyrical style is immediately showcased on the title track, “Summer Jam” and the stately fallen astronaut tribute, “Columbia.” The first section is also energized by the funked-up “Good to Me,” before Johnson turns to fare that’s variously more impressionistic (the instrumental “Sea Secret”), conscience-driven (the pop-savvy ballad “Sad Legacy”) and smooth-groove, r&b sultry (”From My Heart”). The infectious finger-pickin’ “Tribute to Jerry Reed” segues into a final act that includes the romance of “Your Sweet Eyes” (with guest Shawn Colvin adding her distinctive harmonies), “Hesistant”’s tasteful Wes Montgomery-isms and the 70’s charged, acid-jazz of “Magnetized.” His fusion-lite cover of Dylan’s “My Back Pages” and saccharine “Sunnaround You” withstanding, it’s another fine tribute to Johnson’s tasteful, often introspective muse. – Jerry McCulley
User Reviews
2 Stars muddy bunch of mess
I could not disagree more with the few glowing reviews of this CD. I am a big fan of Eric, and love “Ah Via….” and “Venus Isle”. His live work with other artists show his virtuosity and his classical piano training. This CD has horrible production, it is “muddy” and flat with no dynamics, which is the EJ way, but these cuts cannot be differentiated from another. His singing is worse than ever, and that says a lot. Cannot believe such a great musician either cannot progress as a singer. Just stop singing altogether! Heck, hire a singer if you want to write lyrics. The Dylan song on this CD, is excrutiating. His playing is what we want, his chords are gorgeous and full.We want his sliding fret work. This has the prettiest cover art of any CD I have seen in awhile, but should have spent the money on the post production. just one long droning sound. I have good rig and this CD sounds like something from the 70’s.Joe Satriani finally realized on his last and best CD since “Surfing with The Alien” that his singing was killing his work and reputation and STOPPED.I don’t know who produced “Bloom”, but they should should be shot with a big KABOOM!
5 Stars Another great CD from a brilliant guitarist
This is an impressive effort. This CD has been played fairly constantly in my car for the past 3 weeks. What impresses me is that I consistently find new bits that stand out depending on my mood. There are some great grooves, brilliant fills, and rocking riffs in classic Eric Johnson style in the first movement, ‘Prelude’. The opener ‘Bloom’ and ‘Good To Me’ are probably the highlights there. Mr. Johnson then turns it down a bit during ‘Courante’, the second movement.
‘Sad Legacy’ and ‘From My Heart’ are both great introspective songs. ‘Sad Legacy’ builds a sense of urgency and ‘From My Heart’ has a mellower, R&B feel and nice jazzy runs. These two are probably my favorites off the album.
The last movement, ‘Allemande’ starts off with a nice old-school style jazzy number, ‘Hesistant’. ‘Magnetized’ gets things rocking again, before a very good atmospheric classical guitar piece, ‘Ciel’ ends the ride.
Eric plays an wide variety of styles on this release and manages to keep it all together as one cohesive piece, with one small exception. Tribute to Jerry Reed, while a nice bit of picking doesn’t fit on this CD for me, especially after the sitar on ‘Cruise The Nile’.
I’d recommend this CD to anyone who enjoyed Ah Via Musicom or Venus Isle. Or, if you aren’t familiar with Eric johnson already, then do yourself a favor and pick up a CD. This one is as good as any of his studio albums to start off with.
2 Stars Getting weaker with age…EJ needs to practice
Seriously friends…I was watching a youthful EJ on the ACL DVD and he just blew my mind, lick after lick but let’s be real…Bloom is a repeat of the same old thing except not as good as it used to be.
EJ, take it from one of your biggest fans who owns all of your music…if you come out with another album, don’t use samples because you think that they will help you modernize the music or “relate” to the kids. Go into the woodshed and seriously, build a chair. You need to practice and learn something new if you’re going to do something original ever again. Otherwise, each and every album that you put out is going to sound the same as old ones…like this one does.
Still, much respect. You are a great master of the instrument but, PRACTICE!
4 Stars Great Artistry, but still waiting for another “Cliffs Of Dover”
This is a terrific CD. Eric Johnson has always been a unique artist, while maintaining a mastery of traditional country, folk, blues and R&B elements. Every song on this CD is different. It reflects the depth and breadth of his musicianship and songwriting prowess – not to mention his mastery of subtle, infectious, nostalgic moods. Tons of different guitar tones, electronic elements, different styles of production; all these work together to make this album a veritable cornucopia of musical tones, moods and ideas.
However, I only give him 4 stars because there are those of us who remember “Cliffs of Dover” from Ah Via Musicom, and keep hoping to someday hear an Eric Johnson album with at least one tune that good (meaning an instrumental that is simple, direct, ultra-melodic and a great song to boot). It’s frustrating to go through album after album waiting for that to happen, hearing nothing but laid-back jazz, blues and country riffs, with only a hint of the melodious work he is capable of. Thankfully, artists like Nason Resonance have taken up the torch, and are delivering albums chock full of beauteous, melodic rock instrumentals that are simple and straightforward, without the shred. So, all in all a great album, just don’t expect another ‘Cliffs Of Dover’.
4 Stars hard to review
I can see why some are disappointed with ‘Bloom’ since a few songs aren’t so fresh. Still, this CD is amazing if you make a copy of a “Best of Bloom” (Of the first six fast songs, I usually only listen to Bloom and the cooler than cool Good to Me.)
For me, this would be:
1. Bloom
4. Good to Me
7. Sea Secret
8. Sad Legacy
10. Cruise the Nile
12. Your Sweet Eyes
9. From My Heart
Not to knock the other songs, but this is the 27 minute CD I like. Perfect in the summer. I feel sorry for people who don’t hear Bloom.
“Full of exceptionally deep and cinematic moments, layers of smeared guitar textures, sneaky ear candy, and epic rhythmic percussion.” — AmbientVisions.com
A powerhouse collaboration from two of Spotted Peccary’s most popular and best-selling artists–well respected musicians who are often mentioned in the same breath as Brian Eno, Patrick O’Hearn, and Tangerine Dream. Jon Jenkins’ last release, Beyond City Light, was an Amazon.com Best of 2005 Top 10 selection. Previous solo releases by both artists have charted at #1 on NAV/NAR Top 100 charts, and been designated as a Billboard Critic’s Choice.
User Reviews
5 Stars Masterpiece
David Helpling is becoming increasingly well known. His latest album, Treasure, a joint effort with Jon Jenkins, shows his skills at their highest ever. His extensive experience of film and media are evident in his masterful attention to detail and precision. Combined with his unique ability to convey depths of emotion and understanding, the result is a masterpiece that lives up to its title.
David’s mastery of technique is second to none – comparison with others does nothing to convey the texture or balance of his creations, and the success of his DHM Design music company is testimony to his abilities. Look for his name in film credits (Trade-offs, Night Feeders and look out for Cold Storage when it appears – this is the best film work he has done).
David’s compositions are crafted with great care and subtlety. They never flag, and through their subtle gradations of colour, texture and depth create a complex and strangely haunting landscape that slowly evolves to take the spirit to new plains. He achieves balance between so many elements – mood, texture, speed – that one feels in the presence of a great talent. The moods vary greatly, always intriguing and suggesting far more than meets the ear. Careful listening identifies many minor elements, like the tiny particles of colour in an impressionist painting. No one element predominates, but the overall effect conveys a very distinct identity.
His recent successes with film have confirmed the versatility of his talent: David is equally at ease composing for an Indian ear as he is for psychological thrillers and mysteries.
Treasure lives up to everything I have come to expect from David Helpling. His experience with film music is evident, as is his versatility and insistence on perfection. There is an immense range of emotion in the many varied tracks on this album, which resembles a journey through light and dark, at first into the cave of the album art, then continuing into a world of ice and finally home. Deep compassion in the title track is matched by deep reflection in the more meditative Frozen Channel and the introspective Now More Than Ever. David creates a detailed musical canvas suggesting great depth, compassion and wealth, while still managing to surprise and delight. Treasure is the perfect title.
Grand Collusion offers a soundscape canvas where explosive detail is picked out on piano and then dissolved into slide guitar. There is intrigue here, the opening of a story, perhaps, with a long history and drama. The title track is one of reconciliation and caress: a small child’s delicate perfection and the hope it carries into the world, with a suggestion of the energy within.
The Knowing, which follows, begins with lengthy confusion – drifting through doubts in an effort to understanding some enigma, recollecting and accepting in cycles of thought before a distant light dawns and grows slowly into something more distinct, moving towards clear understanding, growing relentlessly and unstoppably to explode into an ecstacy of beauty conveyed by overdrive guitar – this is what lead guitar was created for! The climax is repeated again and again until the full weight of understanding here is finally accepted, and we move on, all doubts gone. This track never fails to send a huge rush of endorphins down my spine.
This first section is the light at the entrance: as we move further into the cave other details emerge of a more sombre hue, and the album changes to nocturnal mode with Beyond Words and Into the Deep. Music is beyond words, and far more eloquent at a basic level. “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”, said Frank Zappa, and as I try to describe this album I agree.
The cave echoes in Into the Deep, with strange creatures in the shadows and an eerie light suffusing the dark. Not a Soul, Not a Sound has a cinematographic quality – a landscape, in a world of ice perhaps, a unique frozen beauty fixed seemingly for an eternity. The ice persists in the following Frozen Channel, but here the displays are celestial, the aurora borealis streaming as passing seconds on piano echo over the silent waters.
Imperceptibly we enter Now More Than Ever, which recalls previous compositions. We are drifting, but memories flash into and out of our vision in what seems like a single moment explored in infinite detail. This Day Forward continues the exploration, but here there is an undertone of danger and confrontation, some final decision. Which is taken in The First Goodbye. Here as on previous albums the closing coda piece recapitulates the moods and conveys what David communicates best: understanding, final understanding.
David’s compositions are crafted with great care and subtlety. They never flag, and through their subtle gradations of colour, texture and depth create a complex and strangely haunting landscape that slowly evolves to take the spirit to new plains. He achieves balance between so many elements – mood, texture, speed – that one feels in the presence of a great talent. The moods vary greatly, always intriguing and suggesting far more than meets the ear. Careful listening identifies many minor elements, like the tiny particles of colour in an impressionist painting. No one element predominates, but the overall effect conveys a very distinct identity.
His recent successes with film have confirmed the versatility of his talent: David is equally at ease composing for an Indian ear as he is for psychological thrillers and mysteries.
Treasure lives up to everything I have come to expect from David Helpling. His experience with film music is evident, as is his versatility and insistence on perfection. There is an immense range of emotion in the many varied tracks on this album, which resembles a journey through light and dark, at first into the cave of the album art, then continuing into a world of ice and finally home. Deep compassion in the title track is matched by deep reflection in the more meditative Frozen Channel and the introspective Now More Than Ever. David creates a detailed musical canvas suggesting great depth, compassion and wealth, while still managing to surprise and delight. Treasure is the perfect title.
Grand Collusion offers a soundscape canvas where explosive detail is picked out on piano and then dissolved into slide guitar. There is intrigue here, the opening of a story, perhaps, with a long history and drama. The title track is one of reconciliation and caress: a small child’s delicate perfection and the hope it carries into the world, with a suggestion of the energy within.
The Knowing, which follows, begins with lengthy confusion – drifting through doubts in an effort to understanding some enigma, recollecting and accepting in cycles of thought before a distant light dawns and grows slowly into something more distinct, moving towards clear understanding, growing relentlessly and unstoppably to explode into an ecstacy of beauty conveyed by overdrive guitar – this is what lead guitar was created for! The climax is repeated again and again until the full weight of understanding here is finally accepted, and we move on, all doubts gone. This track never fails to send a huge rush of endorphins down my spine.
This first section is the light at the entrance: as we move further into the cave other details emerge of a more sombre hue, and the album changes to costurnal mode with Beyond Words and Into the Deep. Music is beyond words, and far more eloquent at a basic level. “Writing aboiut music is like dancing about architecture”, said Frank Zappa, and as I try to describe this album I agree. Art should ennoble existence, make the human siginificant where the evidence suggests it is irrelevant.
The cave echoes in Into the Deep, with strange creatures in the shadows and an eerie light suffusing the dark. Not a Soul, Not a Sound has a cinematographic quality – a landscape, in a world of ice perhaps, a unique frozen beauty fixed seemingly for an eternity. The ice persists in the following Frozen Channel, but here the displays are celestial, the aurora borealis streaming as passing seconds on piano echo over the silent waters.
Imperceptibly we enter Now More Than Ever, which recalls previous compositions. We are drifting, but memories flash into and out of our vision in what seems like a single moment explored in infinite detail. This Day Forward continues the exploration, but here there is an undertone of danger and confrontation, some final decision. Which is taken in The First Goodbye. Here as on previous albums the closing coda piece recapitulates the moods and conveys what David communicates best: understanding, final understanding.
And all shall be well
And all manner of things shall be well.
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire,
And the fire and the rose are one.
5 Stars Glad I Bought It
I’m really enjoying this album, and would recommend this to all who enjoy New Age. If you like Michael Stearns and/or Between Interval, this should be very appealing to you. I’m likely to buy more of Helpling.
5 Stars Jon and David Team Up To Create “Treasure”
I have one of David Helpling’s other albums called “Sleeping on the Edge of the World” and this is definitely along those lines. If you like SOTEOTW, you’ll like Treasure.
This album is very dreamy. Images of colorful nebulae and other calming things abound in your mind’s eye when you listen. This entire recording invokes peace. It is very elegant and gentle. Good headphones will help you get the full effect.
5 Stars A “Treasure” INDEED!!!
I found “Treasure” by way of recommendation via Amazon. I can’t believe I didn’t find it on my own, long before now. Indeed, the Amazon “Recommendation” of this item was “spot on” based on my prior purchase history.
I *REALLY* love this orchestral depth and intricacies…the sonic layers…the combination of ambient/etherial backdrops and melodic tones with energetic percussion. The mastering is phenomenal — it leaves the impression that it really was recorded in some magnificent natural acoustic-rich setting like the one featured on the album cover.
I’ve been listening to the CD for several days now, on repeat and can only imagine that it will sound as fresh a month…year…decade from now as it does today.
A definite play-list topper. And one that I will recommend to all my friends — music “fiends” or not!
5 Stars It is a treasure
Well since I like both Jon Jenkins and David Helping I had to check this one out. I’m listening to it now, and again it blows me away. It is both beautiful and intense while the music washes over mind and body. It’s a musical spa. Sometimes I feel like I’m being surrounded and washed over by water. If you like either one of these two artists you MUST get this one. I have played it a lower volume for yoga but at higher volume you can enjoy the subtle nuances of the music. It’s good.
What’s most surprising about the Pure Moods series is not that it is so popular, but that the music on it actually represents some of the best New Age and modern instrumental music, rather than scraping the barrel. For every piece of Enya pop froth–like her “Only If,” which opens the album–there is a deep and impassioned exploration like Sheila Chandra’s virtually a cappella “Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean.” Yanni’s bombastic “On Sacred Ground” is balanced by Moby’s soulful trance groove, “Porcelain.” Sometimes those juxtapositions don’t work out well. The overwrought romanticism of pianist David Lanz’s “Cristofori’s Dream” can only suffer being sandwiched between the soul-searing vocals of Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers (Massive/DB Mix)” and the Geoffrey Oryema/Brian Eno hymn, “Land of Anaka.” With more than a quarter of the album drawn from the 1980s, there are some influential early gems here for new listeners, including Kitaro’s wistful “Silk Road” and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” –John Diliberto
User Reviews
5 Stars AWESOME!
If you are looking for meditation or tranquility from daily stress I recommend not only this CD, but the entire collection. I have all the Pure Moods collection and keep buying more New Age music. I feel I’ve invested my money in good music. I listen to pretty much anything from soft music, Rock, Salsa, Calypso to Dance-Techno music, but when I don’t feel like listening to loud music, I listen to these CD collection, specially on a Sunday to reconnect with relaxation to start another heavy woking week. Also, if you like gospel, I’m sure you’ll love these even though is not quite gospel music. You just reconnect yourself spiritually in this material world.
4 Stars Almost Perfect!!
Anyone who’s actually reading an online review of a Pure Moods album has to be, in my most humble of opinions, an established fan of the franchise, and I’m no exception: I LOVE Pure Moods. I have all 5 installments and Christmas Moods.
But on Pure Moods III, there is one song that simply does not belong: “Silk Road” by Kitaro. That has to be the most annoying, shrill, plodding sequence of sounds I’ve ever come across. I only listen to that track about 33% of the time. (I sporadically listen to it, just to see if I can hear it differently that time.) I would like to make a burn of this CD that does not contain that song.
Everything else rocks my socks.
Buy Pure Moods.
5 Stars One of the Best in the New Age Genre
Pure Moods: Vol. 3 is one of my favorite New Age CDs, which is such beautiful mix of sublime music from various artists. Suprisingly, the CD both energizes and calms.
Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel has such a satisfying, mellow groove, yet it seems to take the spirit straight to higher plains. It’s not only ear candy, but enhances altered states of consciousness.
On Sacred Ground is one of my favorite Yanni songs, and it’s on here, too! All I can say is “major goosebumps.” It’s like being in the Universal Cathedral of Spirit and having God sing to you.
Diva Sarah Brightman adds her smooth soprano voice to the track called Deliver Me. It has a pop groove, but weaved into the background is the etheric keyboards that gives it that flavor that appeals to both the ear and the spirit. When I listen to this song, I feel my heart chakra just blow wide open, receiving the love that the Universe provides in abundance.
Dela Dela by Sacred Spirit starts off with a deep flute reminiscent of a Native American ceremony. Although a pop beat ensues, the song is still undergirded by the strings, which makes it feel orchestral, but very tribal. The tribal aspects is punctuated by what sounds like Native American chanting, but then the female lead takes over once again. It’s a song that penetrates, daring you to look away…but you just can’t. Then it segues back into the strings, which sucks you right back in to the groove.
The only song I’m not particularly crazy about is Enya’s Only If; it’s a good song, but so much of Enya’s music is overplayed, especially for movie trailers and soundtracks.
This CD contains Christofori’s Dream (the 1988 piano masterpiece) as well as songs by Moby, Brian Eno, Enigma, and others, for a total of 16 songs.
2 Stars Pure Moods, Vol. III
I did not find that I enjoyed it as much as Pure Moods, Vol. I
Pure Moods Vol I, I think is still the best
4 Stars One of the best!
Pure Moods volume 3 is probably the second best in the series after the original Pure Moods. With mainstays such as Yanni and Enigma how can you go wrong? Powerful tracks like “Deliver Me” from Sarah Brightman and Peter Gabriel’s “Games without Frontiers” highlight this release. As with the rest of the Pure Moods series this is very good and worthy of repeat listenings. Other great CD’s include Imogen Heap, any Digital Moodz CD and Enigma’s 1st CD or LSD.
