There’s nothing better than waking up with a feeling of positivity and happiness, with no worries and a healthy dose of optimism. This is the feeling Terry Oldfield is communicating on Sweet Awakenings. It is a wonderful album for both meditation and quiet contemplation.
Sometimes a cover artwork says it all – and so is also the case with Sweet Awakenings; above we see Terry Oldfield in his right element, playing flute by a quiet, tranquil lake. The effect with the moon shows that this is not “just music”, but about inner experiences too; Sweet Awakenings has real therapeutic qualities.
Wake Up Happy
It is interesting to see how different Terry Oldfield’s three last releases have been; In October 2012 he released Journey Into Space, which is a synth based, meditative album. In January this year he and Soraya released the album Peaceful Hearts. This is a vocal-driven, highly spiritual album. And now we got Sweet Awakenings. It is an instrumental album and it marks the return to the meditative style, but this time around with a wonderful acoustic approach. The synths are well in the background. It shows that Terry Oldfield is still a highly versatile artist.
The album starts with the song Quiet Lake. Here soft piano and guitar is all the backing Terry’s flute needs. I find that the songs on Sweet Awakenings have just the right balance of melancholy and lightness. I especially like the song Morning Star with its positive and carefree vibe. But there are some darker material here too; no album would be complete without it. Terry’s fans will recognize elements on the song Ripples.
In conclusion: Sweet Awakenings is in every way a great album. It is a bit minimalistic in terms of sound, but its atmosphere is amazing. It also puts a fresh perspective on waking up. That in itself is a major accomplishment!