| The Dream | |
| Civil Defense Drill | |
| Falling Star |
Ken and Julie's recently released debut album entitled "The Dream" features 16 of Ken's original songs. His music and lyrics are storytelling in style, often describing personal experiences, yet reviewers have described them as "personal, yet universal in scope, poignant and heartfelt," "effectively expressive of human emotions.” The songs focus on critical events in people's lives; events that will end in tragedy or growth, taking listeners through an emotional journey. Ken and Julie perform these songs as a beautiful and lyrical story of life.REVIEW:
"A collection of wholly original works is an awesome undertaking, and DeAngelis demonstrates remarkable breadth and technical skill, avoiding the rote sameness that many singer-songwriters fall into when stacking one composition after another. The keys and chord progressions vary widely, with themes and pace running from the silly (like 'Civil Defense Drill,' a tongue-in-cheek fond remembrance of those childhood under-the-desk exercises those of us over 40 all recall) to the sublime. Ziavras' classically trained soprano rings particularly true on DeAngelis' aching ballads like 'Great Neck Farewell,' yet blends well with DeAngelis' folky alto in vocally complex weaves on 'Timber Wolf.' The duo is joined by a handful of musician friends; Steve Bernstein's mandolin work and Elana Myers' cello strains in particular add depth and diversity to the disc.The pure talent of DeAngelis and Ziavras combine to generate some real gems, sparkling with energy and life. 'Splash,' 'Hanging on to Every Word,' and 'Friday Next to the Sea' are all heartfelt additions to the folk genre that are likely to find themselves worked into other performer's repertoires around the folk festival circuit. ...all the elements are here for a highly successful folk music future for Ken and Julie: love, energy, songwriting talent, two great and diverse voices, and a community of talented musical friends ready to jump in and fill out the sound. Singer-songwriters would be well advised to listen carefully to this disc and learn how to keep their sound fresh and interesting over the course of a full-length set of original pieces; dj's for folk and college stations looking for fresh material will find plenty of play-worthy pieces amidst the sixteen tracks. And the folk world should keep a weather eye open for DeAngelis' future compositions; he may well become the rudder for the next generation of contemporary American folk songwriters."
Cindy Hill for CDReviews.com
Released: May, 2005
More about: Ken and Julie
How to buy The Dream
Also available at: At http://www.kenandjulie.com it can be purchased by credit card or mail order. iTunes
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