Pastel Reflections is a delicate track that immediately invites listeners in to Kern’s inimitable style. With each composition building with craftsman-like precision, listeners will be touched. There needs to be nothing more than Kern’s piano to create a richness of sound that emanates through rooms. Kern’s greatest strength on Enchanted Piano is in the arrangements. Each of the album’s cuts works well as an isolated track, but they provide ample linkages to other tracks on Enchanted Piano. Childhood Remembered is a wistful and slightly playful track, one that builds upon a considerably fleshed body.
It is precisely this density of arrangements, narration, and emotion that makes Enchanted Piano memorable – each track will reveal something new to its listener whenever the disc plays. Remembering the Light plays at the higher registers at its inceptions, with Kern providing humanity to the track with each note. The penultimate track, Hide and Seek, is marked by the furtherance of two distinct stories.
While there is a bold piano line that rests at the front of the track, I find the secondary line takes a more interesting journey. When the two are taken together, listeners are left with one of the album’s strongest tracks. Kern’s latest ends with The Enchanted Garden. This track acts a bridge between the past, present, and future. There is a timeless feel to the track, with an overall sound that touches upon some of the trends on the album. The future presented by The Enchanted Garden is one of bright, sunny days, with a journey awaiting one that listens in. The eleven tracks on this album will have listeners keeping the title on repeat; Kern wows here.
Top Tracks: I Am Always Right Here, Pastel Reflections
Rating: 8.8/10
Kevin Kern – Enchanted Piano (CD) / 2012 Real Music / 11 Tracks / http://www.realmusic.com