‘Victory of The Spirit’ is a remarkable piece of music on a number of levels. It is a remarkable demonstration of enormously high quality musical integrity. And it is remarkable that the composer, arranger producer and performer has, in the words of Marc Béziat’s bio, only recently discovered and begun to develop his musical skills.

‘Victory of The Spirit’ is also breathtaking from the outset and displays significant musical virtuosity. The Minor scale introduction builds to a crescendo which, with a delicate touch of echo, conveys an almost cathedral-like expectation, a promise of greatness to follow.

The section ‘The Yearning of The Soul’ in particular develops phrases that are delightfully reminiscent of Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures of an Exhibition’ (Emerson Lake and Palmer).

The arrangements in this work are simple yet pleasing, although the lack of consistency in the compositional phraseology sometimes makes listening a challenge. Perhaps the composer would be advised to steer a line either closer to the avant garde or stay closer to traditional classical principles, rather than fluctuate quite so much between the two?

Aside from this minor note on stylistic consistency, the values of ‘Victory of The Spirit’ are obvious. This is an opus in which the composer has taken extraordinary care. The precise nature of the score and the detailing of the notational values are examples of extreme attention to detail. The composer’s musical ability and his sheer enthusiasm are both clearly obvious throughout every stage of his work; frankly, it is these qualities that make listening to Victory of The Spirit far more enjoyable than listening to many more widely-recognised works in this genre.

In any musical field bold structural changes are difficult to carry off. In the pure classical genre there are few composers who have routinely achieved this with success (Dvorak, Bartok, Stravinsky). Classical composers who have successfully developed thematic pictures as a process are even more rare (notably Sir Edward Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variations’; Johannes Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini). Marc Béziat ‘s work is also an attempt to develop the thematic process and it is staggering that a composer of relative musical immaturity has achieved such impressively high standards.

Summary:

With ‘Victory of The Spirit’, Marc Béziat has given his audience a modern-day classical work that successfully captures a variety of moods, a range of styles and a rich diversity of techniques. His work is never unpleasant, usually captivating and always a complete joy to listen to. The compositional technique varies between pure classical and modern classical but even this variance is not unlikeable. This listener is torn between seeing the composer’s potential in the purely classical arena or following a path in the classical/film accompaniment world. However, given the relatively short time that Marc Béziat has begun to develop his skills over, whichever path he chooses to tread, he will be an inspirational figure. I look forward to following his work with great interest. If Marc Béziat can entertain us so well now, what will he be doing for us in ten years?

Reviewed By Brennig Jones

Brennig Jones, Reviews Marc Beziat, Victory of the Spirit

The genre of Christian Rock is crowded with the remains of many unsuccessful artists. Those who have survived, flourished and gone on to achieve national and international success are surprisingly few.  Globally, the most famous international act to have sprung from the Christian charts is undoubtedly Evanescence; with their hardened, multi-layered, strobing guitar-work, haunting, crystal-clearly delivered lyrics and (in their early work) a Belief message carried at a subliminal level, Evanescence took their appeal to a huge audience. This is a fundamental requirement in the Christian Music genre.

Musicologists accept that the genre of Christian Music is split in to a number of sub-genres. These are:

·         Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

·         Christian Alternative Rock (CAR)

·         Christian Hardcore (CH)

·         Christian Hip Hop (CHH)

·         Christian Metal (CM)

·         Christian Punk (CP) and

·         Christian Rock (CR)

This reviewer finds that ‘God Has No Name’ by the IMARi toNES is, for the most part, in the CCM sub-genre, with occasional forays in to CR.

With the album title ‘God Has No Name’, IMARI toNES airs, of course, the age-old paradoxical question: how can God have no name if His name is God? The band then attempt to answer their own question through their own highly individual style. A mix of fast bass riffs accompanied by some wonderfully supportive drumming set the framework; overlaying these sections is a muddled blend of lighter guitar-work and distinctive vocals. The clarity of the lower registers – the bass and the percussion – are regretfully unmatched by the upper elements. At times the delivery of the vocal performance borders on the hysterical. The compositional skills of the group are remarkable given that the Occidental musical frame is so vastly different from the Oriental pattern.

The messages contained in the track titles transcend religious messages: Freedom, Never Too Late To Learn, Stay Beautiful… but the unsubtle doctrinal messages contained in the lyrics firmly mark the potential audience to this album as the ‘already committed Christians’ group. If IMARi toNES adopted a more understated approach to the Belief message they might be able to find a wider audience – and one with less conservative musical values.

It is worth noting that the market for Christian Rock is contracting. The seminal Christian band The Crucified has now explicitly rejected the classification of “Christian punk” and they have shifted to the extreme periphery of the Christian music industry. Even the hugely successful Christian rock band Zao has turned away from the Christian Rock genre. So too has Evanescence. Internationally, Religion is a contracting organism and Christian rock will contract with it. To be successful in a contracting genre any artist has to appeal to the widest possible audience. ‘God Has No Name’ doesn’t hit that mainstream appeal. As a starter though, God Has No Name is a promising work; it promises things for the future.

Reviewed By Brennig Jones

Brennig Jones, Reviews God Has No Name, IMARi ToNES

The word ‘evocative’ is used far too frequently to describe musical works which would be better labelled as ‘good’. Common use of ‘evocative’ cheapens those special occasions when an exceptional work is accidentally discovered. Yet ‘evocative’ is a word that is so right to use with St Patrick’s Day by Katie McMahon. This stunningly woven tapestry of music conjures up memories of many visits to Ireland. To hear English and Gaelic sung so beautifully to traditional and original tunes is breathtaking. The delightful arrangements serve only to underline the performances whilst they manage to captivate and transport the listener to a very special place.

With St Patrick’s Day Katie McMahon has delivered an enticing collection of music and musical artistry. She has come a long way since performing her breathtaking solo in Bill Whelan’s ‘Riverdance’.  Dublin born and bred, but now living in Minnesota, Katie has performed recitals for many of the World’s Great and Good and these include a Presidential performance. Every time Katie McMahon takes the stage she gains richly deserved acclamation and praise – and she will continue to earn richly deserved tributes from audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Katie’s striking intonation and beautiful diction add dimensions to her performance that most other performers could only regard jealously. But Katie’s musical arrangements are so delicately made that this album deserves many, many listens – if only to truly appreciate her talents. Every St Patrick’s Day listener will immediately find their favourites within the selection this album offers, but the artistry with which the entire piece has been put before the listener is undeniable.

We should thank Bill Whelan for putting Katie firmly in the World’s spotlight, though as a result Dublin may be missing a talented daughter; the rest of the world can continue to enjoy work from wherever she plays and sings.

St Patrick’s Day by Katie McMahon, this is a wonderful collection of art and artistry wrapped in a beguilingly evocative package that you won’t want to listen to just once.

Reviewed By Brennig Jones

Brennig Jones, Reviews Katie McMahon, St. Patrick's Day