Sherry Finzer - Sanctuary III Beyond the Dream (2014)

There are some things in life worth waiting for, and there are some artists who you just hope and yearn for to release another album to placate your musical desire to be satisfied, Sherry Finzer is one of those rare musicians, who are so beautiful in their approach to their art, that you just cannot wait for new material to hit your senses.
The new album Sanctuary 3 (Beyond the Dream) is a step forward in her career, and this is an album dear reader that I would advise you to take a lot of time over, it is sublime, it’s moving, it’s simply delightful, like track one, entitled The Way, a slow and ponderous thought provoking composition, with a under pinned gentle beat that takes you on a journey into the very heart of this majestically performed album.

Finzer isn’t just a good flute player, she is a woman who truly has found her calling, something about her reminds me of a female Deuter, listen to track two and you may see a comparison, the beautiful floating flute hovers over our senses, like the mist over a lake at dawn in summer. She then goes on to give us the most haunting rendition of the classic Hallelujah, an emotive piece in its self, but in my opinion Finzer has added a new level of passion to this arrangement.

With a deft hand we arrive at the location of the title track, it’s of course called Beyond the Dream and here Finzer creates a real arrangement of ambient bliss, filled with such melodic and memory filled playing, there is just something special about her style, it is as if she can make time stand still with her instrument and in this sumptuous title track she does just that, the tempo is unique and almost inner dimensional, a truly peace filled performance.

The subject of winter is always a fine instrument to give any artist a palette to work with, within the piece Frost Runes, Finzer creates a moody and crisp composition, not only does she do this extremely well, she also uses some divine instrumentation to give an almost static feel to the arrangement, through the chimes and sombre refrains, she produces a track of a silvery presence, the dreaming fields and January sunrise, are all catered for in this almost Pink Floyd like harmonic arrangement, without doubt one of the finest tracks on the album, or perhaps of all time?

From Hallelujah to Amazing Grace, and this brought back a mountain full of memories for me, I lay in bed last night dear constant reader, and I trawled through various tracks that had been my very first induction into the world of music and this is one of them. Traditional pieces can sometimes be fraught with danger to rework, but Sherry Finzer has some very powerful magic in her flute, that somehow creates a musical wisdom that captures the sprawling wake of many years, and transforms a much worked composition into a soulful and almost southern style flute exploration of this classic.
With a natural soundscape we enter dear reader and listener, into the world of the next track, called Another time and Place, Finzer’s flute is always the catalyst for greatness, and yet again, were treated to a piece that pours a timeless barrage of brilliance, upon every cell of our musical light bodies. This is a track that captures in essence, a moment of time, that is in fact out of time, this is both sensual and graceful, and a composition that has such a soft and tender feeling to it, perhaps with the sounds that accompany it, a meditation moment can be found here?

We now move to Wayfaring. My first thoughts when I heard this piece was, that it took me way back to the 1991, and an album called Zen by flute legend Terry Oldfield. There is a real feeling of energy here, and with the storm sounds creates probably the most powerful track off the album, there is an almost latent narrative of movement across lands un-travelled here, and possible dangers yet to find. This is one amazingly powerful and outstanding arrangement, and reminds me of a more intense version of the music that was featured on the film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”
One of the words I found bouncing around in my head, whilst writing this review was “Wow”, when we move dear reader and listener to the track Grace, you will see why, this is the penultimate track off the album and it is so emotional I can truthfully feel a tear forming in my eye, and my loving heart is now beating much deeper than before, with such a deftness of skill, Finzer performs a track that has such depth, it takes me back to the days of Tim Wheater, and I have an almost insatiable desire to recite one of my poems to this beautiful piece.

So we are once again at the end of another album, Sherry Finzer has taken us on a journey through sight and sound and her map has been Sanctuary 3 (Beyond the Dream). She finishes with a gentle and loving composition called Song for Rex, another sublimely performed track that really says it all about this album and about the artist.
Sherry Finzer is a woman who has beauty within every note of every album she has ever produced, she is a woman who knows her musical heart, and has produced an album here of outstanding natural beauty, and as such dear constant reader and listener, you would be very wise to make this part of your ever growing collection.


Tracklist:

01. The Way
02. Hallelujah
03. Beyond The Dream
04. Frost Runes
05. Amazing Grace
06. Another Time and Place
07. Wayfaring Stranger
08. Grace
09. Song For Rex