Other Side

Paul Jensen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 9, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: CDBY
• ASIN: B001NH4JVA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,319 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From MainlyPiano, March 8, 2009

By 

Kathy Parsons (Florence, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Other Side (MP3 Download)

"The Other Side" is Paul Jensen's third album to date and was produced and recorded by the legendary and award-winning Will Ackerman at his Imaginary Road Studios. The twelve tracks include five instrumental pieces and seven poetic vocals, most of which are guitar-driven with a folk music flavor. Along with Jensen's vocals and impressive guitar work, the album features Jimmy Ryan on mandolin, Dana Cunningham on piano, Ackerman on piano and guitar, Noah Wilding's vocals, T-Bone Wolk and Michael Manring on bass, John Malvey on drum tracks, Derrik Jordan on percussion and electric violin, Jill Haley on English horn, and Eugene Friesen on cello - a stellar list of supporting musicians! Paul Jensen's voice is gentle and true and reminds me a bit of Dan Fogelberg; his lyrics are spiritual and often refer to nature and how tied our lives are to it. The music is calming and effortless with a couple of uptempo exceptions.

The CD begins with "Mountain Raven," a beautiful ballad the tells of the pain of lost love and trying to get on with life. The analogies of the mountain raven taking flight and "roll river roll" are perfect for loss and moving on. "Taoist Winds" is essentially a guitar and cello duet with Wilding's haunting vocals in the background. "Colors of Our Lives" is my favorite track. Jensen wrote the words and Dana Cunningham wrote the music for this deeply emotional song. Jensen's voice and Cunningham's piano perform as equals, creating a graceful mood of nostalgic reflection. "Cold Mountain" picks up the pace with a tribute to Han Shan, an ancient Buddhist poet whose name translates to "cold mountain." I love the two lines that say, "The tiger's knocking at his front door, Wantin' him to come out and play..." "Stickney Brook" is a rhythmic instrumental for guitar, percussion, bass, and mandolin that has a sophisticated backwoods tone I really like. "Pray" again picks up the tempo and playfulness with a song that's a little bit country, a little bit gospel and a whole lot of fun. "Palisade Queen" would be perfect in a soundtrack of rural America. Derrik Jordan really shines on electric violin as well as percussion, blending energy and soul with Jensen's acoustic guitar - another favorite. "Birdman" closes the CD with a quietly reflective instrumental for guitar, English horn, and fretless bass - a bittersweet and evocative "adieu."

"The Other Side" is another example of the exceptionally high quality of any of Will Ackerman's projects and his amazing knack for teaming with the right artists to work with. I haven't heard Paul Jensen's other albums, but I certainly enjoyed this one! Recommended!

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from NewAgeMusicWorld.Com / NewAgeMusic.nu, November 18, 2010

By 

John P. Olsen / Review Publicist (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Other Side (MP3 Download)

Paul Jensen is one artist who divulges into the Contemporary Folk category style of Easy Listening. His thoughtful lyric verses are pleasing to the ear and are perfect for times of contemplation, placing oneself in a relaxing carefree mood, or for pure enjoyment. I find it very inspiring that so many musicians have discovered the New Age genre as a medium to express their musical diversity since New Age is fast becoming ever more popular every day, compelling by offering musicians a unique category to display their music wares in a sub genre format.

The Other Side album from 2008 on the Juan Carlos Production label that debuted at #4 on NAR's music charts is a great choice indeed. It is just right for those times set aside to self indulge in relaxing time spent alone, with a loved one, or with close friends and family who also appreciate the lighter side of Easy Listening pleasures.

Much of the creativity behind his work is drawn from adventurous time spent in the Colorado National Monument in the U.S. This scenic National Park has land set aside for everyone to discover the natural wonders through hiking, horseback, and by adventure filled wilderness trails. This opportunity gives people like Paul a chance to explore and grasp the sought after inspiration required for delivering his compelling Contemporary Instrumental Folk music.

Paul discovered inspiration from the natural wonders of the earth and it greatly influences his personal style of singing and songwriting, in an expression of natural beauty everyone can discover for themselves. Contributing artists furnish their own professional skills, including Grammy Award winning Will Ackerman, who lends a hand playing guitar, and his accomplished touch in producing this back to nature inspired album.

The 12 songs on The Other Side do emphasize much of what there is to explore in the vast wilderness full of wildlife and natural beauty, validating a more comtemplative approach to music that I found apparent in his pioneer style. Besides the beautiful vocals, guitars provide much of the richness, plus additional distinction is added by the warm characteristics of orchestra instruments. The cultured sounds of horn, cello, violin, piano and mandolin, diversity into a classic touch that strengthens the harmonious beauty of his music in relation to our earth's natural wonders, both of which are waiting for you to discover.