Album Review: Valentine Court

<a href="http://richbatsford.bandcamp.com/album/valentine-court" target="_blank">Lyndall by Rich Batsford</a>

This debut album from contemporary pianist Rich Batsford is the ultimate aid for subliminal relaxation.

Tracks such as 'Lyndall,' a short, sentimental piece with a calming lullaby effect and 'So Steve,' have a surreal, dream like quality that drifts from one magical place to another.

'Sensawunda' could be the soundtrack of a fairytale and reminds me of that mesmerising sound that accompanied the little twirling dancer in my musical jewellery box as a child.

Every piece on Valentine Court has it's own special attributes be it: the evocativeness of 'Namaste', the frantic vibes in 'Five Speed', the climatic crescendo of 'The Cello Song' or the eccentricity of 'Chazzawakka'.

Add to that my personal favourite, 'Gudonya'. A beautifully charming track starting out quite calm and almost bluesy before gradually building towards an uplifting crescendo and you have a stunning debut album.

Valentine Court is available to buy on iTunes here.