Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 6

Running Time: 1 hour and 3 minutes

Genre: World Music

Personnel: Martin Simpson (guitar), Wu Man (pipa)

Producer: Kavichandran Alexander

Record Label: Water Lily Acoustics

Recording Location: Christ the King Chapel, St. Anthony Seminary, Santa Barbara, California

Art Direction: Michael Sexton

Best Tracks: One More Day, A-Minor Blues, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

Quick Verdict: A truly artistic and unique mix of East and West

This is a unique collaboration that sounds like a recipe for success, which the idea of was the brainchild of album producer Kavichandran Alexander. These two creative virtuoso stars had never met in person before the recording of this album, but worlds definitely collided on this album. Martin Simpson is a singer-songwriter and Folk guitarist, and Wu Man is an internationally renowned Chinese Pipa player, both of whom were living in the USA at the time. Both of these instruments are based on the Middle Eastern Oud instrument, but have their own historical and cultural identity. The album is comprised mostly of traditional pieces of music, except for a composition by Martin Simpson. The reviews for this album were overwhelmingly positive, and it seems like the perfect way to begin enjoying music that is a combination of Western and Eastern culture. Let’s take a listen to this ambitious project, and hopefully it will sound as inviting and refreshing as it should.

1. One More Day begins with some soft acoustic guitar in the left channel, and evolves into a very lovely and sweet instrumental at hand. The Pipa appears in the right channel. This unusual combination of sounds is way better than expected. It just sounds right. To be fair, nobody beforehand had thought of such an awesome idea for a music album. Martin Simpson and Wu Man play like they are creating a romantic symphony at hand. This is exactly the sort of album that those of you who have ever wanted to hear a genuine mash-up of East and West culture in a World Music frame should hear. It sounds tranquil and acoustically beautiful throughout. The music is simply structured, yet absolutely an winner for being so beautiful. A gorgeous tune of magnificent proportions and sound. Also, this never gets dull or boring, either. An absolutely sweet listening experience that more people need to hear. If you truly want to put aside cultural prejudices and listen to some fantastic World Music, look no further. This performance is absolutely magical. The end of this piece sounds very lush, tranquil and musically magical, above all. A truly fantastic idea for music and a great performance as well. Just beautiful. If you need to test your musical sense for five minutes, this is for you. Fantastic.

2. A-Minor Blues is a Martin Simpson piece. It goes on for over 16 minutes. It begins with some sweet acoustic guitar harmonics and sounds really great. This has some awesome and expressive lead playing in the left channel. It sounds beautifully dramatic and fresh, and very emotional as well. This is a gem. Pipa follows in the right channel. Who knew that both instruments could make a genuinely great impression together on a recording? This utilises wonderful professional and melodic playing by both players throughout. It is a perfect mash-up of the acoustic guitar and pipa, and both are totally underrated in their own way. All in all, this music is really fantastic and it will move you emotionally. No beats, no electronics and no autotune, just two fantastic musicians playing alongside each other. This music will take you places, from the acoustic guitar soloing of the USA to the ancient Chinese traditions of the Pipa. Fantastic, and absolutely rightly so. This music is genuinely really great to listen to, and it has some fantastic use of techniques, picking and harmonics on both instruments throughout. A great combination and a representation of where classically trained musicians should go in a musical sense. If you aren’t smiling while listening to this, then you are missing out. All in all, this is a super piece of music that may be based on a specific key in the Blues scale, but sounds really awesome overall. This never gets boring, either, which is proof of the musical success of this album. Melodic and rhythmic sections throughout that are being played sound absolutely amazing to hear. All in all, a fantastic composition. This music is absolutely perfect for being at home with one’s eyes closed and with headphones on. For anyone who is interested in mixing English and Chinese music and historical culture together, this is an absolute must listen to overall. The Pipa playing complements the traditional Blues Music approach in a musical way very, very well. Sure, it might be unusual for some, but this is a genuinely great album to listen to. A truly sensational music composition is present here. By the midpoint of this piece, there is zero boredom listening to this music. This sounds very interesting, to say the least. This isn’t party music, and is not designed to be that. Instead, it is a great composition that has skilful effort to it, however. A really amazing-sounding piece, nonetheless. Fantastic listening at hand is present. This music varies melodically, but flows with freeform melodies and playing that is truly lovely and unforgettable. Nice to hear such a mish-mash of music present on this tune. A seriously great and interesting performance is present. For those of you who want a taste of the best of USA-style acoustic guitar soloing and Chinese-based Pipa playing, then this album is a must for you. Extremely awesome to hear, and this flows magically and wonderfully. A truly mindblowing listen. For those of you reading who wish to put a toe in the water of Chinese culture, this is a fantastic starting point to experience such a wonderful thing to experience. The second half has some dramatic playing and shred-like virtuosity with the Pipa in particular, matched by a more melodic acoustic guitar section to go along with it. When worlds collide in music, this sort of listening experience is made. All in all, if you have the patience and open-mindedness to sit through a 16-minute-long instrumental, then this will tick the right boxes for you. As we gradually reach the end, the instrumental playing becomes slower and more dramatic overall. This slowly reaches a sweet and gentle musical conclusion that is very lovely indeed. A truly fantastic listen to behold. The Age of Aquarius certainly delivers some unorthodox music styles, if Western astrology is to be believed. This wraps up very softly and beautifully. Fantastic.

3. White Snow In Spring is much shorter, at six and a half minutes long. It begins with dramatic Pipa playing, and is a nice midtempo number to listen to. Acoustic guitar softly joins in, and this piece comes nicely alive. This is a nice take on the traditional Chinese Music classic. The Pipa in particular is very expressive on this tune, and the acoustic guitar matches it perfectly, note by note. A sensationally great piece of instrumental music is present throughout. A really sweet, melodic and unique tune is present that will take you to the beautiful countryside of the USA, or to some of the ancient delights of China, depending on how you hear this piece. A truly wonderful and fantastic listen that definitely deserves your attention. All in all, this is pure magic of music. Anyone who needs a break from EDM beats and autotuned vocals should give this a spin. This music is like finding enlightenment in pure instrumentation itself. Credit goes to both Martin Simpson and Wu Man for having the guts to test out this unique music and musical combination instrumentally. A really interesting and solidly decent tune that is a magical freeform instrumental that seriously counts and needs to be heard by many more. This music is a really top listen throughout. The magic and decency of these professional players, and every note, will make you feel at ease. An awesome listen, nonetheless. This is extremely heartwarming. At the end, it has a single repeated chord, followed by melodic acoustic guitar and pipa playing that sounds fantastic. Totally awesome listening. Very expressive, and beautifully so.

4. Dives and Lazarus runs for nearly 20 minutes. It begins with a soft acoustic guitar playing with a slide and some sustained pipa bending throughout. This sounds really fantastic to listen to. It builds up with musical suspense and just sounds really cool. This plays some Chinese scales on the acoustic guitar with a slide, which is a nice and different touch throughout. Martin Simpson and Wu Man make heavenly sounds, provided that you enjoy East/West Music and culture. A really thoroughly fantastic listen that should inspire many acoustic-based generations of musicians to come. All in all, this music is a very sweet and sensationally enjoyable listen. Full of dramatic suspense and perfectly played music, this is exactly what one deserves to hear now and again. It is a very moody listen as well, with some fantastic melodies that just work right. This nearly 20-minute-long piece may take some effort for some to sit through, but this is definitely rewarding to hear. The music is absolutely fantastic to listen to. Period. The two stars play a beautiful interchange of music and melodies throughout. Martin Simpson’s acoustic guitar and Wu Man’s pipa sound just made for each other, really. This music will stir up emotion in your heart, and it certainly sounds amazingly beautiful. If you need a leftfield World Music turn, this is for you. If you have the desire to find some East/West Music to meditate to as well, this may fit you perfectly. Again, this is truly fantastic to hear. A really moody, intense and consistent listening experience is on this album. Very mellow, yet very interesting. Absolutely different and intelligent music to listen to. Great, all the same. The acoustic arpeggios and expressive pipa playing do sound really awesome. This is music that you will want to have a copy of in your music library. A seriously mellow and interesting track to listen to. There is a brief break with some slapping sounds on the Pipa whilst the guitar plays away, followed by a continuation of playing by Martin Simpson and Wu Man. This music is for those of you who dare to dream. Simple, melodic and understatedly beautiful music is present on this album. Also, this is very emotional listening for those of you who love both Western-based acoustic music and Chinese-based classical music. It moves the listener to a place of enjoyment. A fine and fantastic piece of music. The second half of this piece has freeform and repeating sounds throughout that are absolutely magical. A very sweet and passionate listen. Just close your eyes and listen to this seriously amazing album. The melodies are truly unforgettable throughout. Seriously cool to hear. Martin Simpson and Wu Man capture an interesting idea at the right place and time in music history. Some muted and interesting string plucking is in the second half of this piece, which continues on this album with power and glory. A very picturesque and lovely listen, period. This music will genuinely take you places that musically and spiritually you have never been to. This sounds mindblowing. About halfway through the second half, a dramatic music change occurs with the use of acoustic slide guitar and pipa plucking that sounds insanely good. A really fantastic combination throughout. This music will hit those of you who value emotion hard. The acoustic slide guitar solos along for some time, sounding sweet and melancholy. This continues on for some time, and sounds like a sweet Chinese lullaby. The Pipa then plays a solo section in response, and this magical tune takes you there. A really fantastic listen is present, through and through. This music will remain immortal to those who listen to it and cherish it. One can be reminded of Chinese and Western hybrid films that mix the cultures together seamlessly in this tune. The final section of this piece sounds very sad indeed. A really fantastic and emotional listening experience. This music is a treasure. Absolutely so. It finalises with some nicely structured and improvised music playing. This will touch you if you have an inclination towards this kind of music. A fantastically beautiful and inspiring listen from beginning to end. This sounds very wonderful. It wraps up nicely after 19 minutes of brilliant playing.

5. The Coo Coo Bird is a seven-minute-long piece that begins with some explorative acoustic guitar playing. Pipa quickly joins in, and this sounds almost like a Nick Drake-style instrumental piece, except with Pipa thrown in as well. This is another solidly great and memorable listen from Martin Simpson and Wu Man. Again, it will take the minds to the West and East, respectively, just in a completely beautiful sense. This tune is still deep and meaningful-sounding, and it has a promising and understandable musical character to it all. The Pipa is much more prominent on this piece, with the acoustic guitar taking a back step, and it is played rhythmically. Above all, a really awesome and sweet listen. Very unique and sweet listening is present on this track. This has a fairly minor key sound to it all, but it utilises Chinese and Western scales and notes to establish its musicality. A really, seriously awesome listen, all the same. The intricate playing continues on very, very well, and it sounds fresh and brilliant. This music is super sweet and something that both Martin Simpson and Wu Man should be personally proud of. The second half of this piece takes you where no other musicians have before in this world of music. The acoustic guitar becomes far more prominent and sounds absolutely awesome to listen to. A seriously great combination of playing, techniques and tone is present on this album. No doubt that some listeners will be honestly inspired in a musical sense after listening to this album. Eventually, this begins to wrap up with more fantastic and articulate playing by both of the stars of the album. Another great listen is present here. This sounds seriously wonderful and solid throughout. Another great tune that ends on a subtle note.

6. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child is the final piece on this album. It begins with some sweet acoustic slide guitar, which sounds very emotional indeed. This sounds very moving indeed, to the point that one feels like crying upon hearing it. Nonetheless, this is another fantastic piece to listen to. The music and performances on this piece sound just right. A truly sad and moving listen from all the instrumentals on this album. If you don’t feel like shedding tears to this truly beautiful tune, then you are not going to see the purpose of this music. Regardless, a fantastic listen throughout that is wonderfully played and performed. A really bittersweet-sounding piece, this is very much like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with English subtitles, to draw a comparison of similarity to it all. This is a fine and fantastic piece of music that sounds moody, brooding and fantastic in a very original way. East and West combine on this album to give us a fantastic music listening experience that is powerful to the listener. The midsection is very dramatic, and the music from within is absolutely magical and fantastic. Seriously fantastic to hear. This sounds exceptionally and wonderfully great to listen to. The music is solidly great to listen to. All in all, a deeply lovely and emotional album that has flavour and character to it all. The second half continues the downtempo moodiness of this composition. Sad but real. This music is a fantastic and life-changing listen throughout. The mixture of acoustic slide guitar and effortless pipa playing is absolutely legendary. A seriously interesting and emotionally moving listen. Obviously, the intention of this album was successful in creating unforgettable instrumental music. As this wraps up, those reading should seriously contemplate visiting the Far East. Yes, the USA is great as well, but the music here is truly inspiring. A fantastic piece of music throughout. It ends with some sad playing.

This album is sensationally good. Seriously. It is one of the greatest instrumental albums ever made in recent history, and rivals the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart in its own way and originality. Martin Simpson’s acoustic guitar playing and Wu Man’s pipa playing are immortalised here. This is a must-hear for all music listeners, provided that you can sit through an hour or so of some of the best instrumental music ever. Give this a go. You will not be disappointed.