Chris Curry started his songwriting and recording career in his teens and since then he has written and composed over 100 songs. Needless to say, music is his passion along with producing as well. Over the years he has worked with hundreds of recording musicians at his own professional recording studio in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. Although he has performed in front of a live studio audience he has always felt more at home as a recording artist. Now, after finding the time to put together a healthy catalog of songs, Curry comes out with his debut album Lost Paradise.
Most of the songs on the album center on environmental themes and all of them were written over the past 20 years. Curry’s mode of operation is to first write and compose songs on piano, and then bring them into the studio for production. Fellow musicians, Terry Darling on guitars, Anthony Nicoletta on drums and Mark Mignualt on bass, were brought in to bring Curry’s vision of his first album to light. “Lost Paradise” begins the album with synth work that’ll put a smile on any hardcore synthesizer enthusiast. I loved it because it brought me back to a time when synths were at their peak of popular music, but heck, nowadays with music anything goes. Anyway, there is plenty of experimental “futuristic” sounds, a feast for the ears indeed. “Wildlands” has a nice soundscape feel where I could see open landscapes and open roads as the music started. Curry takes a more traditional pop approach with acoustic, drums, additional guitars and piano on this number. In “Corruption” Curry sings of his passion for the environment. Musically as well as lyrically, the sentiment is sad but beautifully done, and oh so important to address in any medium these days. “Crack in the Sky” mixes up sounds of traditional pop rock with additional synth work. The song’s title, I believe, is a nod to the depleting ozone layer. On “Faultline” Curry sings about California’s fault line, which could crack at any time – yes, it’s out of our hands, but we just have to be prepared for it. Stylistically, this tune reminded me of 10,000 Maniacs and was easily one of my favorites. “Sky” has a beautifully layering mix of vocals and a dreamy, inspiring style. “Save Me” has more synth work added and a nice, big open sound, while “World of Gold” begins with a more intense rhythm on guitars, piano and drums. The echoing vocals were an added benefit to this one. “Awake” has a heavier use of guitars and piano and the warm bass tones brings a nice full sound altogether. The additional violins are great as well, as Curry sings about being awake to what’s happening around him outside among nature’s elements. The last song “Earth Sky Water” gets more rocking, but in a mellower kind of way. A darker sounding tune than the others, Curry’s message is direct and gets chilling at times – “When there’s nothing left, but earth, sky and water.” I thought Chris Curry’s ideas of the environment and contemporary pop style reminded me of some of the bands that tapped into this territory back in the ‘80s, like World Party, The Waterboys and MidnightOil, just to name a few. Overall, Curry’s songs were inspiring and have a certain uplifting feel that I don’t hear much of these days. And his tenor voice is one that I won’t soon forget – a fantastic singer! I think we need to hear his kind of music more often.
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