Customer Reviews

The Second Half of the Journey

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This CD is both challenging and rewarding. On *Second Half of the Journey*, multi-instrumentalist J.D. Warrick serves up 12 smooth, soothing aural excursions. Many of these tracks evoke images of the great outdoors-perhaps of the expanses of the American Far West. Warrick's music can't be described as ambient, though, as that term is used by, say, Brian Eno, who ought to know. It is too "busy," and too diverse both musically and instrumentally, making use of the full range of instrumentation (acoustic guitar taking the lead on "Sorrow Breaks Season," for example). While I've never been wild about the term *New Age*, it fits. While several of these tracks begin by exploring realms of melancholia, as they develop they seem to break free and soar up into the sky (e.g., "The Next Choice," "The Last Dance, With Love."). Certain tracks ("Not So Very Far To Go," for example, or "Dear Katie" or the CD's best track "On My Way") recall a more restrained Yanni, but obviously without Yanni's distinct Mediterranean sensibilities. German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius also occasionally comes to mind, but Warrick's compositions avoid his repetitiveness. "Great Spirits" conjures up images of benevolent sprites moving slowly about over a campfire at night. "The First Time," finally, approaches a somewhat jazzy rock. The bouncy and playful "Issaquah" closes out the CD on an upbeat note.

Every track on this CD is something like a sound painting, full of shimmering, multifaceted gems. Each conveys a different mood. Each is short; the entire CD clocks in at only 45 minutes and 11 seconds. At first glance, that might seem a drawback, but *Second Half of the Journey* is sufficiently demanding listening that what would have been the length of a vinyl record comes out about right.

J.D. Warrick the next Yanni? If enough people get to hear him, who knows? There is more instrumental diversity here than on a Yanni recording, though. Don't expect to appreciate *Second Half of the Journey* on just one, two or even three or four listenings. I've played this CD over a dozen times now, and I am still hearing things I missed the last go around.