OBSERVER EXTRACT

This year, I'll be including extracts from the article I keep in the local rag, I hope to be doing some more reviews this year of Medicine Sessions performers and related things, so will put them up here. This review was for NORTHSIDE DRIVE, written just before Christmas. You can catch this fellow this coming Thursday 10th Jan.. NICE.

I was going to leave this review until the new year, but to be honest, I think the album in question is just too perfect for the wintery, pre-Christmas, magical family moments that you get at this time of year to leave until January. Northside Drive is the performance name of Jonathan Pearson, a Cork based musician, who’s new release Music For Solo Piano, is quite simply, beautiful. On the morning I was given the link to the album, it was blowing an icy gale outside, the dog was snoring, and our old house sat waiting for Christmas. It being December, I had to listen to the song called; December. What happened next doesn’t happen very often to this thirty something cynic. A piece of music actually made me cry.
As the title of the album may suggest, Music For Solo Piano is a collection of piano pieces. The whole album lasts for only around the fifteen minute mark, but each of the five pieces are completely captivating and extremely emotive. If I had to put a genre on the work, it would fall into Classical/Neo-Classical, think, the soundtrack to ‘The Snowman’ (I love that film) and you will pretty much hit the mark on the sort of atmosphere this album creates. Unlike the big arrangements though, the tunes on Music For Solo Piano, are full of space and ebb and flow like a memory, with each piece complementing the other within a loose theme of Winter, the title of the first track. There is a definite folklorish winter fairytale feel to the album, Dickensian streets laden with snow, Victorian children decorating big Christmas trees, snow falling on silent, moonlit landscapes, sentimental daydreams over hot toddies, all the images are there in the gently tripping notes and the big sweeping pulses and beautifully sweet melodies. This album is well worth visiting and downloading, for free, and listening to in the quiet moments of Christmas. 

Also appearing at The Sessions will be 'Odd rockers', Dimitry Datus. Get on your grooving shoes and put on your mellowing hat, it'll be a good one! See ye there!