Alesa Lajana - Secret Garden

Alesa Lajana - Secret Garden

2010, Alesa Lajana

We were lucky enough to become acquainted with Australia’s Alesa Lajana last year by way of her debut album, Celtic Gypsy.  Lajana shows a remarkable depth of talent, not only as a singer and songwriter but as a guitarist.  It’s rare to find an artist who shows virtuosic tendencies in three distinct areas, but Lajana is very much the real deal.  Alesa Lajana recently released her sophomore album, Secret Garden, building on the utter beauty first unleashed on Celtic Gypsy.

Secret Garden opens with “Lightning Ridge”, a baroque Americana composition with an unusual mix of sounds.  Lajana doesn’t ease into the album, blending highly complex musical ideas into the guitar part juxtaposed against a darkly beautiful vocal line.  There is a sense of mystery and foreboding here, making “Lightning Ridge” an intriguing and vaguely unsettling start.  “Brolgas Dance” is a beautiful composition infused with a light dance beat.  Lajana sets her voice against a lush electronic/acoustic arrangement that speaks of tension, release and the mystery of nature.  We get the full flavor of Lajana’s guitar skills on “Umubathina (Rain Falling)”, an extremely complex and inspired solo piece that retains a clear theme in spite of its intricacy. 

“Secret Garden” again finds Lajana playing her voice against her guitar, with an ethereal melody dancing over a dark and complex guitar Spanish/classical guitar hybrid.  This is one of Lajana’s finest moments in her short career, which is actually saying quite a lot.  “Get Me Out Of Here” is a kiss off song swept in baroque armament and honed to soft edges with Lajana’s guitar strings.  The mix of power, beauty and grace here is stunning.  “Wild Flower” is a song of longing with intricate and articulate guitar work.  The introduction of strings here is a delicate touch that finishes the song off perfectly.  Lajana busts out a country/Appalachia feel on “The Blind Heart”.  In a sign that Lajana might keep topping herself “The Blind Heart” is easily the best work on the album.  The instrumentation is amazing; giving the song a subtle and refined but incessant feel that can’t be ignored.  Lajana shapes words into pictures like a sculptor working with clay.  “The Owl The Fairy & The Grasshopper” is a dark musical poem constructed with layered sounds and dark edges against a light and airy vocal line.  The instrumental work here is brilliant.  Lajana closes with “Notnehs Monster”, an out-of-the-box guitar instrumental that would make William Ackerman proud.

Alesa Lajana is one of the most impressive, all-around artists to have graced this page in the almost three years we’ve been up and running.  Working in the unusual musical milieu than runs where classical, new age, Americana, Celtic (Irish  and Scottish), blues and pop meet, Lajana is among the most original and inventive young artists in music today.  Secret Garden has the potential to take Alesa Lajana far beyond her native Australia.  Don’t pass this one by.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about Alesa Lajana at http://www.alesalajana.com.au/ or www.myspace.com/alesalajana.  The only way to get Secret Garden is through Lajana's sales staff.  You can reach them at sales@alesalajana.com.au. 

Murray Flint - The Journey

Murray Flint - The Journey
2010, Murray Flint

Murray Flint was called to the guitar like many teenage boys. Strapping on the six string and emulating rock n roll heroes comes naturally to some, and Flint spent sixteen years with the guitar as a major part of his life. Unfortunately tendon pain got in the way and in 1991 Flint put the guitar away for good, or so he thought. Eight years later on vacation Flint came across a guitarist playing Fingerstyle guitar, ala Merle Travis. This style didn't appear to put the sort of pressure on the fingers that had caused Flint so much pain years before, and he made a point of seeking out instruction and trying to learn this new technique. A few adjustments later Flint had found his way back to his first love. Twelve hard working years later Flint is a regular performer for corporate events, receptions, private parties and the like. Now Murray Flint makes the next leap of faith: an album. The Journey was released in July, and features an inspired set of eight instrumental pieces that might make you wonder about the dreams you've left behind.

The Journey opens with the frenetic fingerstyle of "The Matrix". Flint flashes dexterity and speed that are mind boggling in a shot across the musical bow that's certain to gain your attention, keeping it simple in melody and development but more than compensating with an awesome display of technical skill. "Breeze Blues" is something of a jazz/blues hybrid with a bid of William Ackerman-esque ambience thrown in for good measure. Flint weaves a sordid and sorry tale here in the strings, evoking a modicum of theatricality and an intense, lovely melody in the process. Occasionally Flint breaks out in a riff that soars like a voice leaping out of the instrumentation, a sort of exclamation point that quickly resolves back into the wave-like form of the song.

Flint offers a big nod to his idol Merle Travis with "Travis Pickin" while treading lightly in the direction of Django Reinhardt. Indeed, there's almost gypsy flair to this tune, and Flint imbues it with all of the energy and sprightly glee you might expect. "The Journey" is more of a contemplative noodle, with Murray Flint growing the melody in expository passages, pausing now and then as if to collect his breath. "The Journey" opens with a sense of uncertainty, as if undertaken on newly minted feet. In time these baby steps become the hustle and flow of life, the contemplative derivations of middle age and ultimately the spiraling upward of a life on the verge and then passing beyond always returning to a central theme that is both vibrant and comforting.

On "The Bohemian" Flint provides both a walking bass line and a mildly jazzy progression where melody and harmony merge and blend like water and wine. The piece is a pleasant diversion that could easily serve as incidental music in a film. "Highway Pickin" is a brief snack that's more about speed and accuracy than development but is a fun sidebar nonetheless. Think of it as the musical equivalent to an amusement park ride. "Mythic Morning" greets listeners on a fade-in, as if Flint has captured a sample of the music he hears in his mind without cutting it re-arranging it in any way. The song has a "soundtrack of life" feel to it, complex in its course and gentle in feel, and fades back into the ether from which it emerged. Flint bows with "Penelope", a sweet and gentle musing that rises and falls in gentle arcs, fading into the twilight at album's close.

As with many artists, Murray Flint spent a lot of time going nowhere before he found a modality that suited him. The discovery of the fingerstyle method of guitar playing was a eureka moment that has been twelve years in development. Flint has spent that dozen-year cycle developing the technical skill to match the passion and touch he plays with. The musical sensibility on The Journey may not be the most complex, but Flint imbues each passage with heart, and has the technical proficiency to make complicated choices with simple lines of melody, opening up a rhythmic landscape that is only limited by Flint's imagination. The Journey is a very solid effort that's great for a relaxing night at home, but offers enough ear candy to become part of the conversation and not just part of the background.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Murray Flint at http://www.murrayflint.com/.  The Journey is available as single track downloads only on CDBaby and iTunes.