One Deep Breath
| One Deep Breath | ||||
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| Studio album by Bradley Joseph | ||||
| Released | February 14, 2002 | |||
| Genre |
Instrumental Adult contemporary Easy listening |
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| Length | 57:07 | |||
| Label | Robbins Island | |||
| Producer | Bradley Joseph | |||
| Bradley Joseph chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Wind and Wire Magazine | link |
| Solo Piano Publications | link |
| Instrumental Weekly | link at the Wayback Machine (archived July 6, 2002) |
| Allmusic |
  link
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One Deep Breath is Bradley Joseph's fifth album. It held a position on NAV's top 100 radio chart for over six months.
Bill Binkelman of Wind and Wire Magazine writes, "One Deep Breath is an album with two distinct 'feels' to it: the more serene new age/ambient soundscapes that bookend the inner tracks and the more radio-friendly and mainstream music in-between. While I doubt fans of Liquid Mind or other mainly electronic new-age music artists would wholly embrace the overt romanticism of piano-led tracks like 'Dancers Waltz' or 'Dreamer's Lullaby', there is definite appeal on the album for fans of adult contemporary piano pieces as well as for lovers of the more minimal approach to new-age music." Reviewing for Solo Piano Publications, Kathy Parsons describes the album as "...a fascinating combination of structured melodic pieces and free-form, ambient compositions".Allmusic's, Jim Brenholts views One Deep Breath as a set of smooth adult contemporary pieces in which Joseph adds "world music flair and inspirational touches". "The vocal expressions by Clystie Whang and Joseph have devotional qualities that weave through the atmospheres and soundscapes smoothly.""One Deep Breath opens with a fairly quiet and unassuming tone, and gradually reveals a highly sophisticated soundscape that keeps your attention for the full duration of the album", states Instrumental Weekly.
The opening track, "Is This A Dream?", is a simple but "lovely" piano melody supported by various, understated synth elements. "Wildflowers" has been called "sweeping and romantic", and "rich sonic tapestry". "The wistful piano brings images of brightly-colored wildflowers gracefully bending in a gentle breeze." "A Moments Rest" borders on melancholic, which serves as illustration of the range of emotions to be found on One Deep Breath. "Dance of Life" was inspired by Antonín Dvořák's "Rusalka". Parsons describes it as being both joyful and pensive - almost anthemic in places. It is a bit more straightforward in its piano presentation, and will probably appeal the most to hardcore fans of solo instrumental music, says Instrumental Weekly. Joseph reveals his jazzier side with "Water Voyage", giving way to some "slick synth work" along with "fantastic and moving vocalizations". "Inside the Sky" opens with floating synth chords fused with ethnic percussion samples and twinkling bell trees, but soon develops into a reflective piano tone poem enhanced with discrete use of synth strings and keyboard textures here and there. It is rhythmic and mysterious at the opening, and then becomes a much more ambient and free-form piano solo that floats among the clouds and mists of the sky until the rhythm re-enters, perhaps symbolizing gentle winds. "If I Could Fly" is an "upbeat and positive" four-minute blend of piano and synth with an "almost angelic chorus" providing some "colorful" vocal backgrounds.
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Wikipedia