Michael Gettel - The Key (1994)

Next to David Lanz, this keyboardist is Narada's most consistently rewarding composer, finding himself in that attractive middle ground between pop/rock and new age. On The Key, Gettel opens numerous doors to rooms full of everything from pastoral eloquence and atmospheric electricity (courtesy of Paul Speer's charging guitar) to soulful, bass driven tunes. Like his previous disc Skywatching, this collection offers the ultimate soundtrack to the visualization of natural wonders on a day in the country. Slow building dreamscapes like "The Awakening" and aggressive joyrides ("Breaking the Silence") more than balance the spiritual soul searches for truth, but even Gettel's plain acoustic pieces find a rhythmic intensity that rarely goes stale. Splashes of violin, oboe, and French and English horns add a classical tinge.~The Key Review by Jonathan Widran