Summer Rain
First First Released: 1997
A very gentle and romantic album of gentle piano and acoustic guitar - set to a distant background of rain on a Summer's night.
Paul Clement and I had been performing together for over twenty years, and it was great to finally produce an album together. It is a very freeform recording, with raindrops throughout the background, and creates a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere.
Many masseurs and natrual therapists use Summer Rain and I think it's a great bedtime album.
I met Paul Clement eighteen years ago, when we discovered a mutual “attunement” for each others’ guitar playing styles.
There was a very rare musical connection between Paul and myself- a flow that seems to exist beyond our individual musicianship and blends into a “oneness” of melody and harmony.
On Summer Rain, we have for the first time blended our writing skills as well and produced an album that we have both longed to record for quite some time.
Over the years, while sitting by the fire, talking late into the evenings - or relaxing on the deck, listening to the soundsof the night - we have written these songs and collected here a selection of them that speak of friendship and life’s emotions.
Each piece is special to both of us and I hope that you will find as much enjoyment in listening as we have had in producing it for you.
Tony O’Connor
REVIEW - Bill Binkelman, Wind & Wire Magazine
Like a refreshing shower in June, listening to this great assortment of songs (played mostly on acoustic piano and acoustic guitar, with some keyboards and EWI used discretely) is almost cleansing in its peacefulness and warmth. With its subtle environmental sounds (of rain and water, of course), Summer Rain is as good a recording of this type as I have heard in a very long while. In fact, despite this being nothing like Kevin Kendle's work from a musical standpoint, this recording affects me the same way - I feel my cares start to melt and I just relax into my own thoughts. When I listened to this one afternoon in our sunroom, I almost gave up listening to the rest of the review CDs I had set aside. I just wanted to stay in this wonderful mood I found myself in.
The first song, "Castle of Dreams" features lovely piano and guitar each taking turns, sometimes alone, sometimes together, with a gently rolling refrain. "Follow You" starts off with wind chimes, the sound of rain falling and some animal noises, all very well done, too. Tony (the keyboard player of the two, Paul is the guitarist) then enters with a softly-played piano melody. The music is not syrupy in the least, probably owing both to the composition and Tony's obvious sincerity in his playing. Synth strings are used to add a touch of wistfulness to the song and, while strings can easily be overdone, I think that Tony does an excellent job in keeping things just on the edge of melodrama.
Whether the songs feature just Paul on guitar, Tony on piano, or both of them, Summer Rain is a delight for people who like peaceful and warm music. Unless you need an abundance of electronics in your music to help you relax, I think this one is a keeper. Between the piano and electric oboe of "Hello Old Friend," which is bittersweet and touching, or the album closer, "Raindancing," with guitar, electric oboe, and synths, the musicianship is without fault.
Playing this CD, I felt like a good friend had settled in the chair next to me and his presence brought much warmth to the room. If you have any romanticism in you, I think you will like this one a lot.