A Momentary Pause

“A Momentary Pause” is a melodic, magical, musical tapestry that will soothe the soul and uplift your spirit.” – Dyan Garris This is the 9th solo album from award-winning multi-instrumentalist Holland Phillips. “A Momentary Pause” is engagingly melodic, warm, heartfelt, and full of rich hues and textures. It’s a magical musical tapestry that will uplift your spirit. Holland uses a variety of instrumentation to create his unique New Age soundscapes, and here we have 10 tracks that will give you a momentary pause and opportunity to float effortlessly back to positivity. Every track on “A Momentary Pause” is “feel good,” fresh, contemporary New Age, and all here is emotionally evocative and masterfully executed. Holland uses keyboards, flute, electric and acoustic guitars, and pianos to create his compositions. But they aren’t just “songs.” Some things that stand out are the memorable melodies, the perfect pacing, the “breathing of the songs,” as if they are alive, the subtle rhythms underneath, and the intricacies, yet seemingly effortlessness, of Holland’s artistry. Yes, this is a breath of fresh air at a time when people need it most. The album opens with the gently flowing “Upon Awakening,” which is a perfect “dawn.” Following is the sweet and melodic, “Whispers.” This is piano based, yet multi-layered in all the right places. It is one to love, and is quite beautiful, peaceful, and memorable to mind, body, and spirit. Flowing, and again, sweetly melodic, with a variety of instrumentation, build, and a soft rhythmic beat, “Our Sweeter Days” reminds us of just that. A little somber in the beginning, and with an exotic feel as well, “Stepping Stones” is an emotionally evocative soundscape that draws us in and keeps us there with its engaging melody and rhythm. I really love the perfect pacing here where we literally have subtle moments to “step” gracefully from stone to stone. Wonderful. “Dreaming On Ice” is truly exquisite, and a favorite on this album. Calming and immediately uplifting, here’s one to listen to over and over again. A stunningly beautiful and engaging piano melody is accompanied by perfect string arrangements and gently flowing rhythm. I just love this. A palindrome is “a word, number, phrase, or other sequence that reads the same backward as forward.” The song, “Palindrome” here is piano based, lovely, and sparkly, with soft percussion, those great string arrangements we find throughout this album, and wonderful movement. Very enjoyable. The keyboard based, “Study In Patterns” is effortless and melodic, with a brilliant up and down kind of feel that elevates the spirit. There’s nothing dark or “shadowy” about “Casting Shadows.” This is light and airy, playful even, with a happy flute-based melody. The title track is upbeat, optimistic, contemplative, reflective, and melodic. Like an elegantly woven tapestry, this is filled with tiny, momentary pauses that are there, but almost imperceptible. Such is the brilliance of Holland’s artistry on this album. The album closes out with the brief and soul-soothing “Bedtime Prayers,” which begins like a lullaby and builds into a beautiful dream. Gorgeous tranquility for peaceful relaxation or sleep. Love this ALL. “A Momentary Pause” is a must-have.