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April 29, 2005 :: Christopher O'Riley
I don't use this space much to promote other people.
But
There is a young American pianist named Christopher O'Riley who has made two albums of solo piano versions of Radiohead songs. It sounds on the face of it as though it could be icky. However:
TRUE LOVE WAITS, which is the only one of the two cds that I have so far, is easily one of my picks for best five albums of the last 5 years.
It doesn't sound like Radiohead exactly, and it doesn't sound like classical music either. It's kind of as though someone took a little bit of Prokofiev's DNA, plus a little bit of Steve Reich's, created a new person, played them these alternative rock songs a couple of times and then said: go off and make something out of it.
I find it gripping, emotional, and utterly unlike anything I have ever heard before. That would be enough, however it is also sensitively performed and exquisitely recorded.
Do yourself a favor: It's called TRUE LOVE WAITS, and the artist is Chrisopher O'Riley.
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