Kierre Lewis - SerenAde
Dance/Electronica, Instrumental, New Age
Ohio, United States
Overall Impression: With its fascinating and brilliantly eclectic combination of styles and genres, "SerenAde" is both a wildly adventurous and undeniably confident release by Kierre Lewis. Intertwining melodies are coupled with excellent performances and superb production, culminating in a deeply textured soundscape that immerses and engages from start to finish.
Strongest Point(s): Beginning with an atmosphere-inducing synth-led pad, the scene is perfectly set, it makes for a great way to introduce the acoustic guitar part that follows. Elegantly outlining the harmony using arpeggios, the guitar adds a melancholic feel to the intro that instantly grabs the listener's attention, this is further built upon by the introduction of the piano melody that joins. A particular strength of the writing is how the texture is gradually layered as the track progresses by means of clever instrumentation, the intro is a perfect example of this, instruments are masterfully layered to create a soundscape that is continually evolving and always presenting something new to the listener. The mix of styles is excellent, containing elements of rock, prog, classical, and electro, there really is something for everyone here, and it's all handled beautifully. The diverse range of melodic ideas on offer is inspired, and it's this diversity that keeps the listener engaged throughout, it's also important to mention that thematically, ideas are very well developed, helping to make sure that the arrangement is cohesive, as an example the high string arpeggios first heard at 1:07 act as one of the pieces main motifs and pop up throughout the track. A particularly nice touch is the key change at 2:56 which creates an interesting tonal shift in the music, ideas heard previously are also given a different shade of character by being presented around a new key center.
Target Audience Appeal: This will certainly appeal to fans of instrumental music, particularly those hybrid genre tracks that utilize a number of different styles, such as classical, rock, and electro.
Artist target suggestions: Yanni, Kitaro, Electric Light Orchestra, Mike Oldfield, Secret Garden, Tangerine Dream, Explosions in the Sky, William Elwood, Sean Harkness, Kitaro, Mehdi, Chris Spheeris
Interested in having your Song Reviewed by our Professional Staff? Head to your RadioAirplay.com dash and click Song Reviews under the Special Offers menu!
About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.