Pianist and composer Seth Davis ventures out of the solo realm, for this globally collaborative new album Voices in the Wind.
Presenting a series of featured singers, with songs exploring cultures and languages including English, Japanese, Chinese and German, Voices in the Wind pours through with a full-band brightness and evocative depth that’s uplifting, heartfelt, and beautifully inclusive. As such, the project is both a pleasure and an inspiration to let play in full.
Beginning with the uniquely catchy Shinjuku Station, the album sets the mood with a pop-rock aura and accessible vocals, and makes sure to weave in a distinct keys riff that reappears throughout the mix. It’s a strong start, but with seventeen more original tracks to follow, it’s merely a glimpse of what’s to follow.
For Mama, we move into the relatably comforting love and appreciation for a mother, and Ame Ga Yandara leads with a similarly intimate, ballad-like progression, only the switch to Ruru’s delicate and breathy voice here, the piano and strings combination, is quick to assert a powerful degree of versatility within the collection.
Voices in The Wind offers a multitude of different instruments and voices, to help bring to life these original compositions and lyrical journeys from Seth Davis. The acoustic guitar sound and fireside warmth of You Shi Ai Zhe Ni De Yi Tian exemplifies this diversity, evolving from intimate to immersive as the song gathers momentum.
Then there’s the mildly haunting piano introduction of a profoundly moving Don’t Give Up On Me. We’re in something of a musical theatre realm, these stories and the variety of melodies and productions making for a completely absorbing audio experience. On a similar note, Horet Liebe Kinder injects a near operatic power and presence that’s wholly enveloping.
Other highlights from Voices in The Wind include the gentle to intense charm and imagery of Der Fluss, the catchy pop warmth of Shou Hou Hua Kai, and the sudden serenity and calm of a wind-led and nearly whispered Kimi Omou – a style somewhat reimagined for the blissful closing track Our Cherished Moments. There’s also something unexpectedly poignant and mighty about the bigger rock sound and intentions of War Torn.
From acoustic folk ballads to long-form pop-rock anthems and theatrical peaks, Voices in The Wind speaks volumes on behalf of the limitless power and creativity of collaboration and artistic freedom. Seth Davis’ songwriting and composition abilities shine brightly throughout the project, and the music holds the key to connection or understanding across a plethora of topics.
Find Seth Davis on YouTube & X.
