The Sea Has Spoken - Premium Ocean-Inspired Jewelry for Beach Weddings & Coastal Getaways

Product Description This new release from eclectic folk artists, Songs of Water, is a vibrant blend of ethnic, folk & American songwriting. Featuring instrumentation from around the world in an American folk context, "The Sea Has Spoken" is a primarily instrumental journey through sound. The Family Tree features guest fiddle work by acclaimed bluegrass musician, Ricky Skaggs. Review Mountain Xpress CD Review Posted on Apr 27, 2010 at 07:07 PM SoundTrack Web Extra: Songs of Water by Alli Marshall on 04/27/2010 Songs of Water s new album, The Sea Has Spoken opens w... [more] SoundTrack Web Extra: Songs of Water by Alli Marshall on 04/27/2010 Songs of Water s new album, The Sea Has Spoken opens with a breathless peal of hammered dulcimer that is quickly integrated though never really absorbed into the orchestration of the full band. It ebbs and flows. The whole record ebbs and flows with graceful gestures, sweeping strokes of light and dark, complex layering and effortless playing. The Greensboro-based band which performs at The White Horse this Saturday (May 1) recorded Spoken at (among other locales) Skaggs Place Studios in Nashville. The studio is owned by Grammy-winning country musician Ricky Skaggs, who appears on Spoken, along with his daughter and son, Molly and Luke. Luke is actually a member of Songs of Water and, according to the band s MySpace page, plays mandolin, sitar, violin, percussion, other funky stringed things. But that s pretty much run of the mill for this group, as each member (Stephen Roach, Jason Windsor, Marta Richardson, Greg Willette, Michael Pritchard and Sarah Stephens) play multiple instruments, from dulcimer, baritone guitar and cello to shruti box and (tongue-in-cheek) hacky sack. Sycamore is one of few tracks with vocals. Roach (who wrote it and sings on it) has a soft and easy tenor; Molly Skaggs proffers backing vocals so clarion and ethereal that it s only the metallic jingling of bells and earthy thump of bass drum that tether the otherwise soaring melody. Marta Richardson s electric violin aerials really propels the piece into the ethers. As if aware of the floaty tendencies, the band anchors the listener with a very crisp, percussive next track. The Great Russian Catastrophe suggests military tactics and muscular, acrobatic dances. That songs is followed by the taught, heavy drumming of Through the Dead Wood. Window Seat also has a wicked percussion solo between Roach on hand drums and Pritchard on kit, but before the listener can decide that this is a world music album with a penchant for doumbek (the world music influence comes from band leader Roach); the refined classical influences pull the ear in another direction. Final track Willow pairs a rather minimalist tenor banjo part with a lush string arrangement; Luminitsa reaches even farther into far-flung influences, layering banjo and mandolin with Latin beats and toothsome Spanish-style guitar. At times the wild juxtapositions of instruments challenge the ear, but on the whole the album is so well constructed, so daring and yet simultaneously so careful that instead of descending into auditory chaos each track remains fresh and uncluttered. It s hard to name the audience for Spoken, though one would be equally hard-pressed to rule out any group of listeners. The lack of lyrics hardly detracts from the music and the collection as a whole is so engaging that, surely, to see the musicians in action would only add to the experience --Mountain Xpress MagazineSongs of Water Sets Sail with The Sea Has Spoken Greensboro, NC-based band reveal lush world folk sound on their sophomore album, to be released Friday, March 26, 2010 Songs of Water are set to release one of the most beautiful records of 2010, unveiling a new line-up and a fully refined sound that is uniquely their own. The Sea Has Spoken is at once compelling and soothing, thought provoking and soul affirming. Melding disparate musical styles and eclectic influences from the world over, this second album from Songs of Water is the sound of a band that has found its sea legs. Formed in 2002, Songs of Water s newest record is cinematic in style and sound. Almost completely instrumental, it draws on inspiration from the best Americana traditions, coupled with an international sound that harkens back to traditional music found throughout a myriad of nations. Stephen Roach (vocals, guitar, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, percussion, tenor banjo) revels in the cross pollination found within the band s members and their individual talents. One of the unique qualities about the band is that most of our backgrounds are very different than one another. Luke Skaggs (violin, guitar, lap steel, percussion, backing vocals, tenor banjo) and Molly Skaggs (vocals, accordian, banjo) grew up with a strong bluegrass heritage thanks to Ricky Skaggs being their dad. I had that heritage as well, as my father s a bluegrass musician and Tony Rice is my cousin. But don t mistake the sounds at work on The Sea Has Spoken as being purely bluegrass in nature. Roach cites a multitude of influences for all the band members. Luke and I both went into a different direction from our roots and studied the folk music of other cultures: Classical Indian music, along with West African and Arabic percussion. Molly studied Appalachian folk music. Marta Richardson (violin) and Sarah Stephens (cello, vocals) are both classically trained musicians who have played in the symphony. The line-up is completed by Jason Windsor (classical, acoustic & baritone guitar, mandolin), Greg Willette (bass guitar, acoustic guitar), and Michael Pritchard (drums, percussion, hammered dulcimer, acoustic guitar). The Sea Has Spoken also features guest spots from Mark Daumen of Chapel Hill-based Lost in the Trees and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs. What began as a loose community of friends has evolved into a tightly knit family. The warmth of the personal connections within Songs of Water is woven throughout the music they craft, though Roach is quick to point out that it s coupled with great passion, a concept that s central to the band s name itself. The music pulls you into a deeper, perhaps even spiritual experience. I think the impetus for creating the band was a desire to share that experience with others. As we began to play out more, the band became known as the Songs of Water, and it just stuck. Over time its meaning has continued to unfold, so I think now it rightly fits. Water can be a peaceful stream or it can be a violent tsunami. Our music has that same tendency from moment to moment. It may be a contemplative classical guitar one moment or a raging orchestra of percussion the next. --Jeremy Hunt - Freelance WriterSongs Of Water - The Sea Has Spoken 2010, Songs Of Water Just two months into the year, we're ready to declare that Songs Of Water's The Sea Has Spoken is one of the most finely crafted (mostly) instrumental albums for the year. Others may come along and vie for the crown, but it's going to be tough to take it out of Songs Of Water's hands. Mixing and melding Classical, Celtic, Bluegrass and New Age styles into a coherent sound around highly original compositions, Songs Of Water has far and away surpassed their self-titled 2008 debut. It doesn't hurt having much of the Skaggs family sitting in throughout the album (son Luke is a member of Songs Of Water), but Ricky Skaggs and two other members of the Skaggs clan ad instrumental support without impinging on Songs Of Water's highly original sound. The Sea Has Spoken drops on March 26, 2010. From the opening notes of Everything That Rises you'll know you're in for a different experience than on most pure instrumental albums. Hammered dulcimer, violin and guitar entertain in an energetic musical conversation that is as uplifting as the song title might imply, even amidst the note of relinquished sorrow that runs through the main theme. The musicianship here is absolutely incredible, a symphony of sounds gained by non-symphonic means. Bread And Circus ranges from modern to antiquity, sounding at times like the sort of chamber music that once entertained European illuminati. Window Seat makes use of contrapuntal rhythms and soaring passages that evoke vivid images in your mind; a sort of soundtrack to dreams you don't quite remember. Stephen Roach steps forward on vocals for Sycamore ; a pleasantly mellow tune that's a nice change of pace but doesn't carry the same vibrancy as the instrumental work on The Sea Has Spoken. The Great Russian Catastrophe is highly rhythmic with heavy Slavic influences that are quite enjoyable, but Through The Dead Wood takes the manic rhythms a step further as a thoroughly percussion-based composition that is nothing short of amazing. Fans of groups like Rusted Root in particular will love what Songs Of Water has going on here. Bluegrass chutes push through beneath The Family Tree , an amazingly lyric composition full of some of the tightest, most precise musicianship on the album. For all of that fine control, not an ounce of spirit is lost. Luminitsa plays like the musings of a Romani Bard, blending Spanish, Middle Eastern and Eastern European musical elements into a style that's instantly foreign yet familiar. Luminitsa brings an air of mystery to The Sea Has Spoken, dark and beautiful and ever so slightly out of reach. Hwyl carries with it a distinctly urgent feel, tearing along at breakneck speed as Songs Of Water heads into the final stretch home. Belly Of The Whale plays on the Biblical tale with a mystic mix of rhythm, ambience and truncated instrumentation. The Sea Has Spoken is a resigned if not mournful undulation that seems more a running monologue than a time-oriented pronouncement. The title track is a thing of beauty, slow in pace and measure; deriving beautiful arcs of melody, particularly from the violin. Songs Of Water closes out with the plaintive Willow , the second and final track featuring vocals on the album. The cyclic nature of the mandolin part and the cadence of the melody seem to speak of the eternal ebb and pull of the ocean on the earth, or the wind through the trees. The song is elemental in feel and emotional impact, winding down the album almost as day blends into night. Songs Of Water made is very apparent with their self-titled debut that they were a band not to be taken lightly. They could easily have trod the same ground they did on Songs Of Water, but instead chose to continue wading deeper into their muse. Consequently, The Sea Has Spoken --Wildy's World - Blog