Next time you’re feeling stressed and worn out, find a cozy room with somewhere comfortable to lie, turn out all the lights and stick a copy of “Touch the Sunlight” by Ellis Hadlock into your player. If you’re not in some way moved by it, transformed by it, warmed by it, then I would seriously suggest you consult a psychiatrist.
I find with ambient-orientated instrumental music you have to listen a few times before you really feel at one with the album because it’s all about intricate details and sounds that create the atmosphere and that is something I love about it, looking out for the smallest detail that can create the most vivid atmosphere. As this album goes, it does the job and does it well.
I find with Ellis Hadlock, that he takes a different approach to ambient music, compared to the likes of many infamous stars. The turns and winds of his atmospheres are compelling and completely different on each album. Hadlock’s work exceeds the boundaries of contemporary popular music moving somewhere between classical, new age and ambient. In contrast to many lesser talents in these genres, Hadlock produces enormous soundscapes that are full of subtle nuance, harmony, infectious melody and wit.
There is a further, almost indefinable characteristic of his music which is its ability to evoke feelings of nostalgia for emotions that are just slightly out of reach. I can’t explain it any other way, but when I listen to “Touch the Sunlight” I have a strong sense of familiarity, even though there is no direct reference to anyone else’s music.
There’s not a single song that does not belong on this album, and it would be like having a jigsaw with a missing piece without any one of them. This is one of the most tuneful, melodic and soothing collection of songs you will ever find gathered together in one place. Ellis Hadlock is a consummate artist who creates the most beautiful sounds in music imaginable.
Heavenly, ethereal, poetic are just some of the words which come to mind, but cannot do his work justice. For proof try tracks such as “Face The Light”, “Dream To Be”, “Words I Try To Say” and “Beyond The Sun”. The music comes from the heart and reaches places other music doesn’t even know about. It’s so enlightening and inspirational giving you that warm safe feeling inside.
Ellis Hadlock produces great flowing piano-dominated mood music that just keeps on going, creating a luminous atmosphere that is unmistakably his own, and listening to “Touch the Sunlight” can indeed feel like your cares and worries tend to dissolve in the flow of his music and the glowing radiance he brings with it.
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