Sketches From an American Journey

David Arkenstone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Gemini Sun Records
• ASIN: B000HKDEOC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,390 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

David Arkenstone's 15th career album is the most instantly likable package the multi-instrumentalist has assembled since 1991's Grammy-nominated In the Wake of the Wind. There's a near-total emphasis on straightforward melodies and traditional song structure, while scene-setting mood pieces and soundtracklike vignettes are mostly sidestepped. The outcome is highly rewarding. The disc's feel-good opening track, "New Day," is a sunny melodic charmer, one of Arkenstone's best tunes ever--so engaging that it leaves you sighing when the notes begin to fade. (If you're a fan of Michael Gettel, this track is your cup of tea.) Arkenstone, principally playing keyboards, guitar, and pennywhistle, designs other gems as well in this valentine to American landscapes, notably "Voices of a New Land," a more traditional Arkenstone blend of atmosphere and rhythm, and "Full Sail," a sweetly propulsive reminiscence of a day on the ocean, nicely augmented by members of the Utah Symphony. Guitarist Marc Antoine lends a guest solo to the appropriately named "Sunset Highway." It may be less an "experience" than a smooth-pop recording (yes, saxophone surfaces on a number of tracks), but Arkenstone's facility with melody makes American Journey a trip well worth taking. --Terry Wood

Product Description

Look back at the first twenty years of David Arkenstone’s career and you’ll find his music being influenced by every dimension of his personality: The contemporary-progressive musician; the ethnomusicologist; the Sibelius disciple; the internal time-traveler, and the deep-space dreamer. This time, David Arkenstone’s beautifully melodic portrait of American landscapes brings us home, through winding roads, through fields of gold, rising above the highest peaks, and traversing the deepest valleys.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New age / jazz...but still Arkenstone, June 12, 2003

By 

Hoodie Wilson (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sketches From an American Journey (Audio CD)

I came into the whole Arkenstone scene with "Return of the Guardians," which was (arguably) the final and most effective installment of David's adventurous "trilogy" phase. Subsequent albums have proven to be lighter, more casual, and more contemporary - an interesting shift for die-hard fans of David's early works.

However, I think as an artist one must try on different outfits from time to time. Sketches successfully demonstrates David's ability to craft radio-friendly (new age jazz?) songs that might appeal to the more casual listener. I'd say something similar happened with "Another Star in the Sky," which got a lot of radio play, and which probably piqued the listening ears of many budding Arkenstone fans.

"Sunset Highway" and "Pacific Rain" are, in my opinion, the finest tracks on this album, and demonstrate David's contemporary skills quite nicely. There are even a few cinematic moments throughout, such as on "Surrounded by Beauty."

His sound has changed gradually these past few years, but beneath it all, it's definitely still David Arkenstone at the helm.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, August 23, 2003

By 

Sherwood Smith "sherwood-smith" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sketches From an American Journey (Audio CD)

I bought this to listen to on a nine thousand mile drive across the USA and back. The third song, which I listened to while driving slowly through the Shenandoah Valley, was especially effective.

This has become one of my favorites; there are none of the dreadful commercial-jingle songs that marred earlier albums, with the cliche lyrics. Nothing but evocative music, which matched admirably with memories of subtle desert colors, spectacular waterfalls, striated mountains, forest green. Thank you, Mr. Arkenstone.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but a bit disappointing, July 15, 2002

By 

Christian Wheeler "Husband/Father/Gamer/Proud... (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sketches From an American Journey (Audio CD)

This could have been so much better. The American landscape, all of its beautiful vistas and wondrous cultures--it seemed like a perfect project for Arkenstone, whose evocative portraits of times and places--both real and imagined--have made him one of instrumental music's best composers over the past decade and a half. This is a nicely done set, but it comes frustratingly close to being great. It resembles in tone and structure Arkenstone's "Citizen of the World" and "Spirit Wind," in that it is mostly sedentary slices of music punctuated by the occasional stirring anthem. Now, I didn't care for either of those efforts, but their fans may like this more than I do. I care more for his adventurous works, like "In the Wake of the Wind," "The Return of the Guardians," "Caravan of Light," and the Middle Earth album (which proves that Arkenstone would have been a great choice to compose the music for the trilogy). There ARE some good moments on "Sketches," tracks so well-done that they almost make up for the others. "New Day," the opening piece, has a nice, optimistic feel; "Full Sail" evokes some of the sweeping instrumentals Arkenstone does so well ("The Field of Cormallen" from the Middle Earth set comes to mind); and the dynamic "The American Journey," guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. I do have to admit that even the tracks I didn't care for were at least nicely composed; they just didn't inspire me as the aforementioned pieces did. As a whole, "Sketches" also reminds me of Michael Gettel's "Skywatching" and some of the works of David Lanz and Tingstad & Rumbel, plus a touch of Tim Janis. If you like David's more sedentary works, you may receive this better than I. If you enjoy his "adventurous" works more, then you may want to skip it.