Search - Kit Watkins :: Sunstruck

Happy The Kit! A Stellar Collection

Douglas J. Hultsman | Corinth, Texas United States | 10/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1990 follow up the the fantastic "Azure" album gives us yet more of the aural magic that Kit Watkins weaves from an early assortment of Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Kurzweil synths at his home studio in Linden, VA.Upbeat at times, at others totally ambient with floating textures that send you into space, this one never gets boring or repetitive.Just listen to the lovely start to THIRD PLANET SUITE. Ambient synth washes paves the way for some beautiful piano before lapsing into a pseudo classical feel at the 3:40 mark. Finally, at 5:45 a lazy string section sets the stage for a lonely bell, signaling the brilliant finale, with a spacey synth bass line laying the foundation for a muted synth horn solo. It is so good, you forget that 12:45 has gone by!The 1st track on the album is the upbeat SOLAR GAIN(not Solar Grain), full of nice sequenced pieces that fit together like a good puzzle. Several of the other cuts find that same groove, and there is also some lovely slower pieces like HEAVY WATER to even out the mix.The dreamy MOON WATCHING ME is so good, it leaves you wanting more, but alas, at only 3:27 it's just too short!Also notable are the ambient masterpieces MIRAGE and CANOPY. At 13:34 and 11:52 repectively, these are as good as it gets. People that like the ambient spaces of John Serrie, Steve Roach, et al, should find these delicious.I just can't find enough words to describe how good this one is. Get it before it's too late!"