Brilliant Heartwarming Piano Album
Love Walks Through Rain
Ann Sweeten
GENRE: New Age / Neoclassical
LABEL: Orange Band Records
REVIEWED: by Chakuna Machi Asa April 16, 2023
Steinway artist, Ann Sweeten's new album is filled with emotionally charged heartwarming melodies mixed with brilliant textural elements.
Ann's stunning new piano album is like an ancient Lemurian quartz crystal. Just like the engravings on the crystals, the sound waves and rhythms of each song tell a story. The artist is gifted at reflecting her emotions as symbolic metaphors within the textural content of each composition. The song Seirios is one of my favorite songs on the album. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name comes from the Greek word Σείριος, or Seirios, meaning lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'. It is often referred to as The Dog Star because of its prominence in the constellation Canis Major which is Latin for Greater Dog. Much of this album is written in honor of her beloved dogs that have emotionally carried her through some serious challenges in her life. As I listen to each song, I can feel the transformative power of the artist's perseverance and the spiritual medicine of the dog's energies.
❝It is often, people ask me where I get my inspiration. As for me, the pieces almost seem to write themselves. I think it must be then, that the source is divine, and while I play one instrument, I become, yet another.”
-Ann Sweeten
Ann helps us feel all emotions with this album. I can even feel a distinct difference in her compositions after her beloved dog Remy passed away. She says "After his passing, I could no longer compose either." She headed up to their vacation home, and only then was she able to regain the connection by remembering the good times they had together. This sense of emotional relief shows up most in the song Out of Fog. A combination of Ann's piano with Saxophone (Premik Russel-Tubbs), Bass (Tom Eaton), & Guitar (Will Ackerman). The dance between the higher piano melodies and the soft rhythmically slower tones of the other instruments helps us to experience feelings of relief, hope and calm. It embodies a respect for the good memories in life.
The song Through Jasmine's Eyes is written in honor of her beloved dog Jazzy who passed shortly before Remy. It reminded me of the movie The Holiday when Miles says to Iris "I also wrote one for you. Iris, if you were a melody... I used only the good notes." The melody and twinkle of these sweet uplifting piano notes show the happy, pure and innocent nature of Jasmine's personality.
Love Walks Through Rain is an exceptional work of art. Ann is one of the best at story telling through her musical composition. If you simply enjoy connecting to nature or you have recently experienced deep grief from loss you will be soothed by the compassionate perseverance that is transmitted through these sounds. With the greatest joy in life, we often experience the greatest loss. But, most of us would agree that we would do it all over again, if we could, because it is love that makes life worth living. This message is conveyed strong and clear throughout the album, including in the beautiful poems, of the liner notes. Ann’s many fans will be delighted with this new work, evidence that her energy is strong despite her heroic battle against cancer and leukemia.
To learn more about the artist and her work go to
Website: https://annsweeten.com
Hear Now: https://annsweeten.hearnow.com/
