Reviewed by Brian Carr

  Once after a concert I returned to the venue, it was empty apart from a single pianist who alone with his music was totally engrossed.  I felt I had encroached on a very personal moment.  That memory was evoked by listening to this CD.  At first glance at the album cover I had, without a listen, summed up what I was about to hear.  Smooth, sickly sweet instrumental muzak, the sort department stores play to lull you into a spending frame of mind.  But to use the slogan of a certain politician this album gets “back to basics”.  True to its title ‘Simplicity’, that is exactly what you get; stripped of all background instrumental distractions the piano is centre stage.  It’s elegantly played by American pianist Trammel Sparks.  The view of other members of the Carr clan was that there was a certain “sameness” about all the tracks, but for me personally this was part of this album’s charm, it maintained a certain mood from start to finish.  The 12 tracks include the usual spiritual evergreens that seem to get perpetually recorded on Christian albums.  “His Eye Is On The Sparrow”, “Softly And Tenderly”, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”, “Rock Of Ages” just to name a few.  Listening to instrumental music is not one of my preferences, but I have to say that there will be times when I will feel the need to play this album.  I found that I was not misled by the album cover hype.  “Quiet, serene and introspective, the fresh arrangements of traditional hymns and gospel songs offer a peaceful retreat from the fast pace of everyday life, providing the perfect backdrop for moments of meditation, prayer and contemplation.   I couldn’t put it better; it does what it says on the label.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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