The Church of England Newspaper reviewed Sakis Gouzonis' 2nd studio album, New Earth.
The Church of England Newspaper is a newspaper based in London, UK. It is the original church newspaper and one of the oldest newspapers in the world, dating back to 1828. It is a weekly newspaper that covers church news, issues affecting Christian life in the UK and abroad, features which focus on the mission of the Church, reviews of latest books and music albums, and more. It is arguably the most quoted church newspaper in Fleet Street and in recent years has established itself as the prime source for news in the Anglican world.
A big thank you goes out to Derek Walker, music reviewer for The Church of England Newspaper, for helping Sakis Gouzonis reach more listeners.
View a screenshot of this album review or read it below.
CD Choice: Sakis Gouzonis – New Earth
Album Review by Derek Walker
Music Reviewer for The Church of England Newspaper
United Kingdom
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Though a new name to many, in his homeland of Greece, Sakis Gouzonis has topped the MySpace Pop and Electronica Charts. Closer to home, he has been a semi-finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition (Instrumental section) with two tracks, including Eternal Peace from this disc.
While his First Contact release lacked variety, this more fluid follow-up sees him developing range in his music.
So This Is Heaven has hints of the hymns that he recorded at the start of his career. The invigorating opener From the Sky uses separate synth tones for different melody lines over a pulsing Euro-beat. He adds enough variations to keep the track fresh throughout.
As stately as their names suggest, Elohim and Eternal Peace are typical of the bulk of the disc; and the rather direct Thank You For The Music has Andy Hunter written all over it.
There are two aberrations: A New Beginning feels a bit cheesy in places, while the staccato Cosmic Crossroads is too reminiscent of the novelty hit "Popcorn" for comfort. Overall, it can feel a little formulaic.
Otherwise, this soaring instrumental music, which provokes unavoidable comparisons to the work of Jean-Michel Jarre, should do nicely as a soundtrack to the sunnier days ahead.
News #95 about Sakis