Rich Batsford, Valentine Court, 2009

And now for something completely different! I got this from a fellow Thoughster who asked me to review it.
This is an instrumental, all piano album. Yeah you understand me right, piano only!
I must admit I think it is extremely brave for someone to release an album like this. This must feel very naked for a musician.

So what about the music?  There is no doubt in my mind that Rich is a very talented individual with a lot of strong ideas. I am confident that anyone who likes and understands piano, will recognize his skills. In the about 43 minutes the disk lasts he is able to show that. He plays steady, yet is able to express himself with variations in volume, song tempo´s, etcetera, and to project his intentions through his songs.

That said, I have a few suggestions also:
I think he could try some ideas with very little notes. A little Satie like. I would be very curious to find out if he can work with silence. In this collection I feel he is at times too present with his playing. And I do not mean the way silence is used in Just Sitting ;-).
More really slow tempo´s and sometimes fast could also help to variate more.
On the production side I sometimes felt the sound could use a little more room to make the piano sound bigger.
But overall, my congratulations to Rich, great work.

Personal play tips: Lyndall, Namaste, Jewel.

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