Contact Kelly directly @ Musicbykelly@aol.com
"Notes From Kelly"
Kelly Whelan
2000 Kelly Whelan
no times given
Kelly Whelan's debut CD is such a mixed bag of styles that it plays almost like a compilation or a sampler album. This is not a bad thing at all unless you are looking for an homogenized sound to zone out to. I like the variety and look forward to seeing if Whelan chooses one direction or another, or if he continues to produce a delightful variety of sounds. Whelan plays piano and keyboards, backed up with others on violin, drums, guitar, and sax. Some of the production quality is less than perfect, but this is a very impressive first-effort, and Whelan shows a lot of promise!
"An Angels Lullaby" is a very sweet and gentle opening to the collection. Light and tender, this could easily be a love song from a doting daddy! "Triumph" is bit heavy-handed in parts, but could easily be used in The Olympics or other sporting events where a big sound is required. It starts with a piano introduction, and then builds to include more and bigger instrumentation with an almost operatic scope. "Key of Life" is very reminiscent of some of David Lanz's early work - an energetic but still calming piano part augmented with synth washes. This is a very lovely piece. "Nocturn" is on the classical side - peaceful, but not sleepy. "Ragtime Rhapsody" is a lot of fun with piano and drums, and an easy-going, humorous approach. "Trip in the Blue" is a bluesy, jazz ensemble work with piano, sax, and drums. "Time At Sea" includes sounds of the ocean, and a rolling piano melody as well as synth strings. "Dreams" is probably the most ambitious of the pieces on the CD. It starts out with a gentle solo piano intro, and the violin and synth strings come in, along with the sounds of the wind. It becomes more turbulent and impassioned with a rolling bass line on the piano and minor-key melody.
Again, this is a very promising first effort, and I look forward to seeing how Kelly Whelan's career evolves! "Notes From Kelly" is currently available from Musicbykelly@aol.com.
- Kathy Parsons
SoloPianoPublications.com
Track List:
1. An Angels Lullaby
2. Triumph
3. Key of Life
4. Nocturn
5. All Those Years
6. Trip in the Blue
7. Dreams
8. Ragtime Rhapsody
9. Time at Sea
10. Prelude
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