" These are songs from the sea. They're also night songs: dark, sultry, dreamlike, and burning with a ghostly light… a full moon hanging over the sea."
- Aaron English-
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Puget Sound native Aaron English has assembled quite a cast for this, his debut disc. Along with 4 other regular band members, there are also 13 musical guests hailing from 7 different countries. As the title implies, these are songs inspired from all over the world: Celtic folk mixed in with Eastern meditative, African drums, and American singer-songwriter. Aaron's vocals sound rogue and a little strained, yet this merely conveys a certain honesty and vulnerability to his style. As one would expect from such a musical kaleidoscope, there are many different musical instruments on this disc; from didjeridoos , to a hurdy-gurdy, a bouzouki, various string and brass instruments as well. The results of this collaboration are an interesting , and at times eclectic melange of styles and sounds. Lyrically ( and there are a lot of lyrics) the tracks seem to be contemplative, melancholic , and romantic. The sea seems to be a recurring theme and many tracks seem to harken to simpler times and opportunities missed.
Although the musical ideas brought forth are not what one would consider 'progressive' in the sense implied on this site; the music is vibrant , almost timeless. Definitely not to everybody's tastes, but if you enjoy well played, well written AOR and are open to a fusion of contrasting musical influences then this disc is just right for you.
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