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FINDING NEW WAYS TO LOVE
Tracklist: Count In (0.20);
Open Man With An Open Heart (4.34); Stepping Out (4.36); Returning To You (0.48); Heal Your Soul (3.15); Unstoppable Waves Of Joy (4.36); An Interlude With Monty (3.43); Beneath The Surface (1.30); Love Is For Giving (4.54); Tomorrow's God (3.36); Walk Through The Darkness (5.17); One Dream (2.50)
Tim Burness is not the most prolific of artists and (to my knowledge) he has not had any releases since the 'Infinite Ocean EP' in 1997, a CD which suitably impressed me when I reviewed it in the early
days of the New Horizons web site.
Suffice to say that when I found that Tim was about to release a new CD I was delighted, since what I have heard to date seems to show an artist happy to experiment with different styles.
'Finding New Ways to Love' is a difficult album to try to categorise. As with 'Infinite Ocean', it continues to showcase Tim's predilection for diversity, and while it is described on his web site as being
"contemporary melodic rock", it is actually a work that extends beyond these boundaries.
Some of the pieces presented here are serious, others are more light hearted, even humorous, and while this may not please everyone, the listener should perhaps bear in mind that music is after all supposed to be an art form and there is no reason why CDs should be a formulaic collection of songs, all fitting the same mould.
In addition to displaying a wealth of diversity in terms of composition, 'Finding New Ways to Love' has been recorded with a broad range of talented musicians. Among them are original Burnessence member Keith
Hastings, drummer Fudge Smith (Pendragon, Henry Fool), and on keyboards Monty OxyMoron (who also plays with legendary original punk rockers The Damned).
The album begins with a suitably light hearted piece of silliness 'Count In' before getting properly underway with the first two songs.
'Open Man With An Open Heart', a very pleasant and slightly upbeat 'pop' number with a definite eighties feel. Some nice additional touches come from the tubular bells effects which add atmosphere to the piece. While 'Stepping Out' starts out in a laid back fashion it's not long before jangling electric guitar cuts in to liven things up a little. While not outstanding this song is well delivered and well suited to Tim's voice.
'Returning To You' is a very short instrumental passage featuring Tim on 'backward' guitar, which is probably as much as I can say about the piece. Maybe one needs to record it and play it backwards?
'Heal Your Soul' is a soft slightly melancholic piece.
Instrumentation is fairly minimalist with bass, percussion and some synthesiser work providing the backdrop for the vocals along side some understated guitar playing. Very pleasant.
Next up we have a series of instrumental pieces, starting off with my favourite track on the album, 'Unstoppable Waves Of Joy'. Throughout the track there is a gradual rhythmic build up and a slow insistent
development on the opening theme.
The music has a hazy, shimmering quality that hits all the right spots and the inclusion of the hammer dulcimer (played by Chris Cordrey) is a particularly nice touch that adds the icing to the cake. Despite it's apparent simplicity this is a beautifully crafted track with a very apt title!
'An Interlude With Monty' takes us in a slightly different direction.
Still sticking with the instrumental format this is a piano piece performed by Monty. On closer examination the sound here is really quite intricate and there is a lovely sense of fluidity to the playing, which has a classical style with some possible jazz edges to it.
In contrast to the previous passages there is a definite industrial sound to 'Beneath The Surface'.
This is a short instrumental which features synthesiser and electric guitar. I would have to describe this as an ambient track, since it has no real tune as such, but uses tonal qualities to create a dark brooding atmosphere, and as such it is very effective. A little more length and a touch more development would have been most welcomed however.
Picking up the pace again we are treated next to 'Love Is For Giving'.
Overall this is a much lighter and more upbeat song. The keyboard and guitar styles lend a more progressive edge to the track, certainly at the opening, and use of acoustic guitar in addition to the electric adds a driving force to keep things moving gently along.
The final instrumental track 'Tomorrow's God' is next up, and once again we are treated to Chris Cordrey's fine hammer dulcimer playing, which takes centre stage to a backdrop of keyboards and subdued electric guitar
work. There is a distinctly 'New Age' quality to this piece, and it is great music to simply lie back and relax to.
The harder hitting 'Walk Through The Darkness' provides another sharp change in direction.
This altogether much rockier track has a strong sense of rhythms and some aspects of the song reminded me of little remembered 80's proggers LaHost.
The final track on the album is 'One Dream', a track that starts off with acoustic guitar and vocals, but mid point switches to a more ambient instrumental piece, closing out the album quietly on a soft lazy fade
out.
Blending a variety of pop and rock styles as well as providing a good mix of songs and instrumentals,
"Finding New Ways to Love" has much to offer the more broad minded listener. Although I would not go so far as to suggest that this is a ground breaking 'must have' release, Tim has nevertheless managed to come up with an excellent album that is certainly worth checking out. Hopefully the potential successor to this album will not take quite so long to see the light of day!
Simon 3rd August 2004
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