11 years after the release of «The Sorcerer’s Daughter», Medwyn Goodall has a sequel ready for us. It has a gentle and positive vibe, just like the original release. Yet again Medwyn proves that he can create a unique character with a story to tell, worthy of a whole series of albums.
The first «The Sorcerer’s Daughter» instalment is the album with «The Crystal Shard», one of Medwyn’s most popular songs of all time. I think it is safe to say that no songs on the second album in this series has such potential, but we get a wonderful «The Crystal Shard» reprise in the end called «The Blue Star».
Beautiful tableau
Listening to «The Sorcerer’s Daughter 2» is like stepping into a well-written fantasy novel, right down to the atmospheric use of sounds of nature. The first song is called «Winter in the Mountains». The selection of instruments – the soulful pianos, harp, flutes and strings – are breathtakingly beautiful. It has Medwyn’s fingerprint all over, yet it feels original and new. That is an amazing accomplishment after 150+ releases.
«The Book of Dragons» has drama, intrigue and magic. The neo classical sound is wonderful. There’s a great build up here too with many interesting twists and turns. It is good to see that there are dragons also outside the Game of Thrones universe…
«When it snows in the Forest» has a lovely atmosphere. The song would fit beautifully with Enya’s vocal, but I guess that is a little too much to ask for… Speaking of vocals; «The Sorcerer’s Daughter» had some vocals, but this year’s album is strictly instrumental – which is ok too, of course.
The Quest
The best song on the album is «The Quest». Celtic and Medieval inspirations are never far away in Medwyn Goodall’s music, which ”The Quest” is a great example of. It is not a very dramatic quest though, and it seems like our female hero, the daughter of the sorcerer, has the situation well under control. “Daybreak” is a song for thinking and contemplation, and the album ends beautifully with “The Blue Star” (“Crystal Shard Reprise”).
To me Medwyn Goodall is the Stephen King of New Age music. Not because his music is filled with horror and suspense, but because he is highly productive and still manages to create new and exciting titles, years after years – just like the American bestselling autor. While other aritsts struggle to redefine themselves, Medwyn do that album after album. “The Sorcerer’s Daughter 2” is far from Medwyn’s best release. It might not end up in my top 20 Medwyn Goodall album list either. It is still a lovely album, both for the long-time fan and the casual listener. I would love to meet the sorcerer’s daughter again.
Score: 87/100 – See how I rate music here.
The album is available for purchase on Medwyn Goodall’s homepage.