Celestial Plea is the first album from composer and synthesizer artist Gene Newton. The introduction to "Dreamscapes" offers an inner panorama of bubbling lifeforms, a caldron of crickets and swarming noises; the melodic theme, played by the harpsichord, strikes out with heartfelt assurance as angel voices light the way. The path of "Interstellar Echoes" is set by angel voices; a racing cadence and spacewinds quicken the pace, as melodies are handed off and embellished between instruments. Overall, Newton's sonic interpretation of the astral planes (most tracks are titled "Blue Ether," "Angel Dances," and the like) are crystalline, with each sound vividly etched. "Astral Matrix" begins with a cosmic blues refrain played by a lonely flute, then offers a cross-stellar romp to equal that of Vangelis. The album ends with the title track, a stately anthem of victory which could almost be subtitled "the meek shall inherit." The rock guitar track, "Flight of Fancy" seems out of place in the celestial firmament, but the spirit of the whole album is heartening (especially knowing that Newton is a high school music teacher. Wish my music teacher made this kind of music.)
© Carol Wright /TiVo