The music brings to mind babbling brooks, majestic sunlight dappled trees, and the easy feeling you get from strolling the forest paths. A remarkably talented artist and one who cares about keeping our planet alive and well.
This album inspired by the grandeur of the scenic trails of North America is perfect for anyone who appreciates the great outdoors. A wonderful gift for anyone for the holidays.
Wow, gorgeous, just gorgeous. If you are a fan of instrumental piano music whether it is background for studying or a dinner party, or if you just like to play it loud, lay on the floor and chill out, this is fantastic.
(Excerpt: Please visit Collected Sounds for complete review.)
Laura Sullivan’s music shimmers with an effervescent vitality that coaxes you to walk, jog, climb and ride the delightfully scenic trails of the United States. The same trails that have been made famous by poets, presidents, and pedestrians for more than a century. Her music does justice to her subject and every one of the ten cuts is delightful music. The CD case, like a Crackerjack box, contains a surprise. A green, biodegradable paper tree implanted with seeds that you can sow, grow and enjoy. Hand me the potting soil! Rating: Very Good.
(Excerpt: Please visit New Age Reporter for complete review.)
Laura Sullivan has assembled a very impressive package with “Pianoscapes.” It is both classical and contemporary, sometimes complex, but always accessible. Laura Sullivan has a flowing playing style, and most of her pieces are quite melodic. A very enjoyable choice!
(Excerpt: Please visit Mainly Piano for complete review.)
Laura Sullivan is on her way to earning well-deserved notoriety as a talented composer, an excellent pianist, and an artist who sees the bigger picture when it comes to our environment. Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America is highly recommended for both piano lovers as well as those who like the fuller sound conveyed by the use of additional instruments on selected cuts. Like a relaxing walk along one of the trails of the album's title, listening to this album will leave you refreshed and almost certainly in a better mood than beforehand. Recommended.
(Excerpt: Please visit Wind and Wire for complete review.)
There was a run of music inspired by nature sets that were all pretty good but seemed to dry up and disappear about a decade ago. Abetted by pop and new age producer Chris Camozzi, Sullivan continues the best of those set with her piano and imagination. A well conceived set that actually makes you feel like you are hearing the nature she's playing about, this set is the counter part to a series hosted by jazzbo Stanley Clarke. A nice find for open alt.adult ears looking for a new treat.
This music is a thanksgiving to the nature that is surrounding us. This is a permission to take a stroll along woodland paths and realize the greatness and generous beauty of the woods... The music of “Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America” is dedicated to paths that wind through nooks of North American woods. Following Laura Sullivan we may walk along serpentine paths, inhale salubrious air, lapse into daydreaming in a green kingdom of Nature. There is a morning freshness and clarity in Laura Sullivan’s tunes as if morning dew drops are sparkling on a green leafage in bright rays of a rising sun... Laura Sullivan’s piano is very expressive. You feel as if you are not a mere spectator, you become a member of a magical movie who is traveling through wonderful sights of America. Laura Sullivan’s music fascinates you from the first moment until the last... it represents a most beautiful example of the best works belonging to new age music.
(Excerpt: Please visit Reviews of New Age Music by Serge Kozlovsky for complete review.)
The music on Laura Sullivan's eponymous CD of solo piano music is more somber and reflective than many piano recordings I receive for review. This is not a bad thing in the least. In fact, I think the piano is ideally suited (as an instrument) for painting melancholic musical portraits, and Ms. Sullivan sure can do just that, although, melancholic may be too severe a word to use for some of the lighter pieces here. Perhaps a better choice would be to label her songs as "introspective journeys." While there are some up-tempo numbers (such as the opener, "Hope for the Sun") many of the tracks on the album are soundtracks for late autumn walks down deserted streets or while strolling through a cathedral of barren trees.
“Dreaming Underwater" is delicate, Sullivan showing a solid command of changing time signatures as she moves from quick to relaxed tempos throughout the song, yet avoiding any trace of confusion or "chaos" in the song. I liked "Selling Water by the River" a lot - it has a rolling sense of sparkling quality to it, even as the overall mood of the cut is pensive (nice use of minor key notes to counterbalance the song's brightness).
Other tracks include another sorrowful one (aptly titled "Brave Mourning"), the lovely and flowing "Of Land and Sea, of Mortal and Divine," and the last two songs which are perfect closing numbers: "The Voyage Home," (a subdued and "wintry" feeling piece) and "In Last Hours," the bleakest and most intimate song here on which Sullivan explores subtle dissonance and minimalism while still retaining her natural warmth and accessibility.
A solid debut from a promising talent... pieces rich with emotion taking risky steps away from standard "New Age Piano'" formula. Recommended.
A strong and passionate pianist, Laura Sullivan brings a distinctive new voice to contemporary piano.
(Excerpt: Please visit Mainly Piano for complete review.)
If for each artist his close environment gives rise to inspiration, its repercussion on the music turns out to be more or less obvious due to the personality of the artist himself. In the case of Laura Sullivan, the underlying pastoral atmosphere of her own compositions is only the reflection of her youth she spent in Northern California. In a quiet country living environment, Laura has discovered life at the rate of the seasons, letting nature guide her from year to year.
Emotionally strong and entrancing, this record is a marvel of sensitivity which will fill your heart with peaceful vibes.
Most modern recordings use digital effects, zillions of tracks, and lowest common denominator melodies to grab listeners' attention. Laura Sullivan refuses to do business this way. She is an extraordinary pianist and composer. To record her 2003 release, piano solos, Sullivan set up camp with only a few high end microphones, an amazing piano, and her own simple/ sophisticated style of self expression.
On tracks like "Hope for the Sun" and "Lullaby," Sullivan's delicate melodies cross stitch the space with feminine grace and expert agility. Then "Calls to Spirit" puts force behind the chords before we're taken on a sweet and sacred journey with "Dreaming Underwater." Even with these different levels of energy the music is always soothing, vital, and personal. Without a word ever spoken, these songs transmit the stories of this gifted composer's heart.
The sweet and silky performances of Laura Sullivan's Piano Solos may be called "New Age" by some but this music speaks volumes without being confined to a genre. Dizzy with passion, intelligence and creativity, the performance and purity of this collection is a dreamy musical treasure. In these days of style over substance Laura Sullivan proves there is still music that operates on a deep and meaningful level.
I’ve been enjoying playing all fifteen of the pieces, but a couple of favorites are “Pachelbel for the Potomac” (a variation on Canon in D), “Pictograph Cave,” “Sedona,” and “Morning In the Meadow.” This is a really nice collection, and it’s available in book form or download from Lulu.com and Amazon.com. Recommended!
(Excerpt: Please visit Mainly Piano for complete review.)