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British musician Christopher J Wray has been making music since 1987 & has amassed a sizeable discography, particularly since graduating onto CD in 2001; this particular album dates from 2004 although there have been other releases since.
Throughout the album, Wray proves to be a most accomplished musican with a strong JM Jarre influence easily discernable on such lively melodic numbers as 'Sunlight Aurora' & 'The Dream Of Flight', the latter of which proving a particular highlight while the closing 'All Good Things' mixes the Frenchman's influence with more original stylings, including some rather raunchy lead soloing that has an almost abrasive edge. Similarly it's a good bet that the title 'We Are Dreamers' was inspired by the German old skool such as Tangerine Dream, especially with the teutonic sequences that, along with the rich chordal work & light techno rhythms, make this a lively & likeable piece.
That's not to say he's content to merely churn out obvious musical impressions as, elsewhere, he stretches his wings in a most impressive manner with the uplifting 'Forgotten Realm' where the rapturous percussion makes for a Celtic-flavoured feel that proves equally effective on Part Two, which starts quieter, taking more time to reach its full, rousing potential but showing off the artist's compositional skills & really grabbing the attention in the process.
'Bird Of Sorrow' features the vocal talents of Kim Novak, whose haunting voice provides the perfect front for the touching piano & synthwork that sets a quite beautiful mood & as the track progresses, some excellent soaring leadlines add a further majestic edge to this beautiful piece. "Early Morning" likewise is another emotive piece, again with fine piano work but embellished by analogue synthleads which add to the positive mood of what is another fine piece.
Some slightly effected spoken voice add a narrative line to certain tracks although the music is more than capable of evoking each title on its own, as is proven by 'Twist Of Fury' which sounds appropriately furious & 'Nightmare' which, likewise, sets a nicely abstract mood that's just a tad offbeat although he needs to watch his diction when doing this; pronouncing lines in the manner of 'lyin' in my bed' are best avoided, really; luckily 'Dawn Chorus', which repeats the trick, avoids any such pitfalls with more piano & analogue leads to the fore again evoking the title quite nicely.
Overall, then, this is a fine album that makes me curious as to what his subsequent output is like, if it turns out that they're better than this then they'll be something very special indeed!
RATING: 8
Artist Link: http://www.cjwray.com
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