Label: unsigned

Producer: Catherine Duc

Release Date: 2005

Catherine Duc's 'Visions and Dreams' arrived at R Cat's PO Box about five hours ago and here I am writing the first few lines of a review that, under normal circumstances, would not have even been considered for at least another four to six weeks! The thing is.. after playing the first two tracks, I thought... nahhh this review needs to be written immediately... a larger part of Australia needs to know this girl exists. Then I thought nahhh the rest of the planet also needs to know that Catherine Duc has written, composed, and produced an absolute masterpiece of an album that blends ambient, world, celtic, and electronica themes in a seamlessly dreamy kinda fashion that also happens to be kinda excellent!

Essence of Dreams is our introduction to Catherine's bright and colourful world that's entirely composed of healing pools for the heart and soul. With some lovely pipes and cleverly arranged srings, pads, and textures, Catherine has provided us with a glimpse of true flawless beauty through her musical vision. It's a startlingly beautiful piece filled with unpredictability the likes of which we haven't seen since Enigma first arrived on the scene. Dancing in the mist on the other hand is desert-like in it's widely inspiring scope and presentation. Percussion treatments are so well thought out you'd expect there to be a 'name' percussionist responsible. usually, in electronica, percussion is very often presented as the weakest part of a track when it's not done right. Catherine has equalled the percussion's delivery with that of the other instrumental treatments all executed with a kind of middle-eastern/meditteranean accent that quite simply blows you clean to the other half of the sky and back!

Evocation arrives on the wings of some amazing keyboard work with the promise and beauty of some of the finest background vocal arrangements I've heard in quite a while. The vibe in the track belongs to the intermittent string instrument ebbs and flows and the transcendental bass work that keeps the pace while all we need to do is remain transfixed. One Autumn Day is magnificent in style and production but dear me... the musicianship is astonishing in a track that could sit comfortably alongside some of the best composed soundtracks in recent years. It's feel good music folks.. of the platinum kind!

Secret Sanctuary is the track that offers that otherworld glimpse of staggering beauty and a very sensual sound experience that comes to us complete with bird calls and water effects inserts that guide you clean out of your armchair straight to the heart of the otherworld forest where most right minded people would sooner be at the press of a play button. Heart of Andalucia meanwhile, is a uniquely stunning piece of musical accomplishment that bridges early celtic influence with South East Asian flavourings and some truly brilliant string and percussion work that tell us once again that Cathwerne Duc knows a thing or two about putting the 'feel it' concept back into the music marketplace.

Midsummer Twilight is an ethereal masterpiece of a track that one could hear while riding the heavens and beyond with. There are some gentle jazz bits in the arrangement as well as the beautifully rendered wave-like pace of the sweeps and strings. A perfect title for a perfect pearl of a soundtrack.

Listen to Incense through your headphones and you'll be well and truly hooked. What Catjherine excels in here is the marriage of bass and strings with the occasional flirtations with percussion. I love this track... my favourite so far and one that will no doubt have countless admirers and appreciators begging for more. Watch out for the very uniquely delivered wanderings in the arrangement around the three minute mark... fantastically inspired and magnificently realised. All I keep thinking is... when's the next album out Catherine????

Rivulet is rivetting... Catherine Duc's approach to creativity and composition is really intriguing especially when you consider the very wide number of global horizons this track encompasses as one. Trickles of vivid Oriental dreamscaping entwined with some bright and colourful western sprinklings makes this one very fine piece of music indeed.

In The Light of Day brings this soul enriching collection of superbly constructed music to it's conclusion as we reach the end of the album. With some Vivaldian string work and some deep blue sky flute and harp leanings, this final piece is an absolute diamond of a track from an absolute teasure chest of an album. Contemporary classical at it's very best!

Catherine... it was an absolute pleasure to review this album!

I hope that music lovers and appreciators everywhere get a glimpse of what I have from this remarkable piece of work from a remarkably accomplished musician composer.

 

Colin Lynch - June 07 2006

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