Sacred River – Gandalf (Real Music) www.realmusic.com

We’ve encountered CDs by Gandalf before, here in the KS office, and his chosen moniker has often caused a few derisory snorts. Has the guy got an ego inflated to the heights of Barad Dûr (I’m assuming it wasn’t his parents' fault), or is there no translation for the word pretentious where he comes from?!

However, as they say: one shouldn’t judge a CD by the name on the sleeve notes, and I was pleasantly surprised from the very first track. Don’t expect any magical fireworks shooting forth and turning into dragons, as for the most part this is just a finely balanced and understated blending of ‘new age’ keyboards with twinkling guitars and homely melodies. There’s nothing particularly new here, but it’s simply well done. The melodic content soft-pedals comfortably within the compositions, and thereby never overpowers the simplicity of the form to become either irritatingly catchy or trite, as is sometimes the case with music of this genre.

Judging from Gandalf’s picture inside the CD cover he looks like a sensitive, unassuming sort of chap, and his brief but heartfelt dedication to his lady Marianne I found most endearing. So if you’re looking for a new relaxation genre CD, then don’t be put off by the name, because Gandalf’s Sacred River should be well worthy of your consideration.

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