- lauryverdoux
Rene Erickson Presents New Single 'Never Gone'
Rene Erickson’s single, “Never Gone,” begins rather strangely. It sounds
like Erickson is tuning up, before getting into the composition. Then
again, maybe not. I’m not a guitarist – at least, not a very good one –
so maybe this is not what I think is happening. However, the first few
seconds of “Never Gone” just don’t sound all that musical. Be not
dismayed, though, because once Erickson digs into the meat of the melody
and the intricacies of this acoustic guitar instrumentation, it is truly
a lovely piece of music.
At about the 20-second mark, Erickson applies an arpeggiated chord
progression to create an enjoyable instrumental. This selection is taken
from Silent Street, Erickson’s most recent long player. The song sounds
a lot like vocal-less folk music. It rolls to a gentle, contemplative
feel. It may remind you of music that came out years ago on the Windom
Hill label. Remember that? Music from that company was called New Age
music, which was such an inappropriate description. New Age was/is also
associated with many times wacky religious practices. Just why so much
wonderful, precious music received such an unfitting association is a
question many of us have been asking for years. Worse still, much of the
music created under that New Age banner was just plain bad instrumental
music. (Not most of the Windom Hill stuff, mind you). Too much of it was
too-smooth-jazz, to be honest.
STREAMING:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6XdAcp7lKW7J8OQL7OupnV?si=4c1b241c317c4a6e
VIDEO:
“Never Gone” creates a calming aural atmosphere. It’s like the eye of a
hurricane, in that once you put this track on, you soon forget all the
noise of the world. Both the literal and figurative variety. Do listen
to it with a good pair of headphones, so you can completely block out
the unwelcome sounds of the busy planet. It also creates a kind of
mental quiet and peace, though, too. There’s something comforting about
an expertly fingerpicked acoustic guitar that just brings one a
contented sense of well-being.
It's not always wise to speculate on what the title to an instrumental
recording means, but one can’t help but wonder about that, anyhow. What
do we have in life that we can never lose? That’s ‘never gone’? It can’t
be material possessions, as these can break, wear out or get lost. It
also cannot be about people, as friends come in and out of our lives and
– tragically -- some pass on to the great beyond. It could be related
to our spiritual state. It could also refer to special memories. How
many times have we had a great experience where we stated, ‘I’ll never
ever forget that?’ All or none of these suggestions might fit Rene
Erickson’s musical creation’s naming. Then again, it may just be a handy
title.
ONLINE:
Whatever its inspiration, “Never Gone” is a lovely piece of acoustic
music. Like all stellar instrumental tunes, it begs the listener to use
his/her imagination. It will paint whatever picture you invite it to
make. Erickson is both a skilled and creative guitarist, and this short
piece – with its pleasurable simplicity – is the sort of track one can
listen to over and over again, never getting tired of it. Put it on, and
see if it doesn’t immediately calm your nerves.