Sunday, May 19, 2013

CD Review – Knights and Damsels, by Isaac Shepard


Isaac Shepard’s latest solo piano CD is inspired by tales of knights and damsels and derring-do and yet is refreshingly not the stereotypical kind of music that you would associate with such mythological iconography.
 
Instead of turning out a dashing type of grandiosity, Shepard opts for a more understated approach, yielding a quiet, fairy-tale lyricism that speaks more to the chivalry of character than it does to the swagger of swashbuckling.
 
This allows Shepard to bring out the tranquil beauty of his medieval muse, with tasteful, masterful playing that brings his gorgeous, elegant compositions to vivid life.
 
The evocative album art design by Shepard is also clever and snappy and adds to the feel that he is going for.
 
It must be challenging to find new and interesting things to say with just a piano. Shepard is one of those artists who manage to do so.
 
--Raj Manoharan

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