Album Review of
Nightsong: Love Songs & Lullabies

Written by Robert Silverstein
May 6, 2023 - 5:58pm EDT
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One of the best New Age instrumental artists in the US today, South Carolina based keyboardist and composer Rick Sparks is back in 2023 with his ninth solo album Nightsong. Four of the tracks on the 10-track, 49-minute Nightsong, including the evocative title track, are originals yet, much to the delight of his fans, Rick summons up six intriguing covers, including a blissful take of the 1959 Santo & Johnny instrumental, “Sleep Walk”. A timeless song that was considered sacred upon its initial release nearly 65 years ago, on Nightsong Rick takes “Sleep Walk” to a higher level and, as a meditative New Age song, it’s positively celestial.

There’s also Rick’s version of “What’ll I Do”, a love song written by Irving Berlin in 1923 and recorded as a pop track by Frank Sinatra in 1947, that is very effective as an instrumental New Age track on Nightsong. In the spirit of Rick’s earlier covers of Brian Wilson’s music, especially on his 2018 Half Moon Bay album, a version here of Paul McCartney’s 2012 hit song “My Valentine” also sounds great instrumentally and is as haunting as any of Rick’s prior covers.

Following the Nightsong idea, another song here called “Night Rain” combines rain sounds and unfurls in a most relaxing manner, while “Lullaby For Ukraine’s Children” is a somber, mostly solo piano-based track that eschews some of the lighthearted synth backdrop featured on the other Nightsong tracks. Another cover here of Sting’s 1993 “Fields Of Gold” has been covered by other artists but rarely as an instrumental and, with its ghostly flute intro, the song takes on a new life. The CD closer, “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral” was written in 1913 and was made popular as a million selling pop single in 1944 by Bing Crosby. An album sure to please the artist’s faithful audience, the 2023 CD release of Nightsong takes its place in the amazing repertoire of New Age music recording artist Rick Sparks.