The diversity of efforts that are presented on Echoes of Love are substantial. Each track provides listeners with a different side of Akram. This transforms Echoes of Love into a title that is tremendously personal while still standing on its own as a solid musical composition.
The titular track on Echoes of Love is five minutes of expansive compositions that twist and subtly turn into something tremendously different at the effort’s end. This track flows nicely into Take My Hand. There is a warmth – almost heartbeat like in feel – that touches upon all points of the track. Akram’s skill on Echoes of Love is that he creates in music what individuals feel in love. Draw Me Close is the track that is needed for the middle of Echoes of Love. Where many artists begin to wind down at the half-way mark, I feel that Akram is able to renew himself with this track. The track marks a shift to shorter tracks; these more poignant efforts (Draw Me Close, Free Spirit, My Hope Is You, and Rejoice) keep a listener firmly focused on the disc. Rejoice ends at the two and three-fourths minutes mark; this pointed close allows Akram to move towards a wide-open ending to Echoes of Love.
Make it a point to pick up Akram’s Echoes of Love from your local well-stocked music store or from the Real Music store directly. This is an unqualified hit in terms of overall quality and Akram’s ability to place himself onto the title. Here’s to hoping that Akram can ride the success of Echoes of Love and can follow up in a short while with a similarly strong disc.
Top Tracks: Echoes of Love, My Hope Is You
Rating: 8.7/10
Omar Akram – Echoes of Love (CD) / 2012 Real Music / 12 Tracks / http://www.realmusic.com / http://www.omarmusic.com
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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