(label)
04 July 2011 (released)
16 July 2011
It is unusual, if not unheard of, to find an artist that has been featured on radio stations as varied as Classic FM, 6 Music and Kiss, but that highlights the kind of variety and range that is covered in the music of Richard Anthony Jay.
For his second album the Somerset based composer has teamed up with the Halle Orchestra again to provide some lush and affecting melodies. Influences are the likes of Dead Can Dance and Henry Mancini, and if you picture something in between those two, you won’t be far off what Jay produces.
The use of an orchestra underlines Jay’s urge to get a much more real and textured feel to his music. This separates him from predecessors like Robert Miles, whose music was more upbeat but also more synthetic.
Of the eight tracks here, The Tailor is the most impressive, combining haunting piano and strings wonderfully. In fact, the track has evolved into a short film shot in Bath that can be found on YouTube.
Other tracks like Silence, evoke similarities with Vivaldi, while Boubat would be a perfect accompaniment to a TV thriller cliff-hanger. However that would be an unfair suggestion that these tracks need a visual aid to engage, they don’t. The album does lack a little extra magic dust though, meaning it is not as interesting as it could be. Still it is impressive stuff from someone who is totally self-taught.
