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Classy
genre-hopping acoustic roots collection from Leicester-based musician.
If you’re one of those people who equates authenticity with rough
edges, dodgy production and grittiness, who thinks genre-hopping is
best left to frogs and thinks that anything that sounds even slightly
pleasant is MOR and therefore to be ignored, then read no more. If,
on the other hand, you’re a little more open-minded and want good
music whatever it’s labelled then read on and discover a little gem
of an album.
Michigan-born
but long-time Leicester-resident Chris Conway is one of those infuriating
musicians that you’d have to kill, just to give the others a chance,
if he wasn’t so good and such a nice guy. He plays numerous instruments,
all of them superbly, and creates jazz, fusion, filk (look it up),
New Age and roots music, to name but a few. “My Mind’s Island” is
his last roots/song collection, and a mighty fine thing it is too,
exuding warmth.
If it has a theme then that theme is life and how to deal with it.
It’s shot through with wisdom, insight and understanding,
as on “I Don’t Know”, a cross-generational “what’s it all about”
song that says all that needs to be said on the subject in just
under six minutes, the grace and acceptance that the narrator of
“Just Around the Corner” displays in the face of an ending relationship,
or the addressing of low self-esteem on “Proud Of You”. There’s
also a lightness of touch and sense of fun on the Twenties-styled
“Nobody Loves Me”, a paean to the solitary life, some twenty-first
century Celtic dancery on “The Garden”, and a timeless folk tune
in “Air of Morar”. “My Mind’s Island” is an album for a glass of
wine and a lover, an album of timeless truths and honesty, and an
album you ought to have. - Review by Jeremy Searle
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Holding
Together Magazine
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Two
new shiny circles from Leicester's own David Crosby, both featuring
our man on a plethora of instruments - guitars, keyboards, theremin,
kalimba, zither, vegetables etc - and his trusty lieutenants the Talking
Fish in support.
My Mind's Island is, if you like, the regular album, replete with
beautiful, elusive melodies and arrangements that shimmer effortlessly
from folk to West Coast to cool jazz without seeming to swap genres,
so comfortable is Conway in all settings.
There are no duffers here but especially pleasing are the rippling "Just
Around The Corner" with it's superb chordings and lovely multi-tracked
CC vocals ; "The Garden" with it's funky folk ambience and
lyrics of withdrawel from society's madness ; the brief but immaculate
"Between" and the haunting perceptive "Spring In Winterland"
Both albums are recommended. - bp
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Chris
has a very easy to listen to style and voice..and when you read who
he has supported and likes you can see where some influences have come
from.
It also has some tracks that stick in your head that you cant get
out..usually a good sign to me!!
Style...acoustic mainly..real across the board mix..celtic..rock..ballads...
Lets say..its been playing on repeat for a long time now....easy to
have in the background and you find yourself just into the tracks! -
9/10
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I
never cease to be amazed at this prolific guy and the sheer amount of
stuff he produces. Not only does he keep down a full-time pivotal role
as multi-instrumentalist within the Vikki Clayton Band, but he's a prodigiously
talented musician, singer, songwriter, composer and producer in his
own right. This time he's released - simultaneously! - two brand new
albums which showcase these talents to the hilt.
Describing Chris's music to the uninitiated is not easy, for its definitively
genre-hopping nature ensures that it falls between an awful lot of stools
- although it often settles on one or the other for long sittings!
On My Mind's Island we experience to the full Chris's skill in producing
well-crafted and thoughtful songs with predominantly acoustic-based
settings. Having said that, there's a fair helping of Celtic folk and
ambient grooves in these songs too, and the relaxed yet committed, often
deeply touching and generally life-affirming nature of the lyrics makes
for an attractive 55 minutes of listening.
David Kidman
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Songbook
Magaine
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Give
'My Mind's Island' a listen. You can't fail to enjoy the intelligently
constructed songs, shimmering with musical colour, rich vocal harmonies
and stunning instrumental work. - Dave White
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Mojo Magazine
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My Mind's Island suggests that Chris Conway is wise, warm, loving and
understands Life.
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Chris
Conway is a US born musician who has not been unknown in the British
folk scene.
Conway's style is singer/songwriter with a good folkrock touch. He gets
help from Vikki Clayton and a whole group of good musicians. Nice songs
brought in a relax and professional way. His voice is nice to listen
to and he arranged his original songs into catchy pieces of music. Sometimes
with only guitar but mostly with band. Strong fact is that even with
band his music still sounds small and honest
A talented singer songwriter who brings his music with fantasy and the
right feeling. A welcome addition to my collection. - Eelco Schilder
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