OCEANS OF THE MIND

Until I got this CD through a friend´s recommendation, I didn´t know he was a member of australian bands Sebastian Hardy and Windchase. What he plays on Oceans Of The Mind is very nice, well crafted, pop prog tunes that shows his habilities as a singer, guitarrist and songwriter. He has a very warm voice and his playing is quite charming, subtle and seductive, instead of flashy or pompous. In fact, his music here does sound like a movie´s soundtrack about visiting australian beaches during summertime (yes, it is that light and sunny).

He uses small accompaniment on this CD, mostly just bass, drums and some Hammond, plus strings and the occasional female backing vocals here and there. Most of the time he relies on his compositions skills and playing his tasteful guitar licks and solos. The instrumental Sportscar is a nice exemple of how to be subtle, simple and very good at the same time. With no fillers and recorded with the right production, this the kind of CD to be heard while relaxing with a nice background, preferably (but not only) on the beach or by the swimming pool, on a hot summer day. Not really essential, but very well done.