Danny J Lewis – Night Tales 2 – Just Underground Recordings

I don’t encounter stories, written down in words, set to the accompaniment of music as often these days. Maybe drifting back to a bygone era when such things were important, or perhaps it’s just a means of reflecting the abundance of film soundtracks jostling for position in the twenty first century. In light of which comes this follow-up continuing the thread cast from last year’s initial instalment of Night Tales.

For the record, and with the benefit of lived-in hindsight, my tastes tend to get much more animated by music feeling like the direct result of contemporary process. Sounding distinctly modern, radically rewired to the here and now. Being electronically fed by a history of knowledge is of course a given, rather than the explicit use of sounds readily defined by a previous era, albeit one I revelled in back in the 1990’s – the spirit of Frankie Knuckles always shines brightly.

However, what so resolutely attracts to this album, apart from the superlative production values and fine-tuned arrangements, is the innate power within this music to transcend timelines because what felt good then, inevitably works the same way today in the hands of Danny J Lewis. While we’re engaging in inescapable musical prowess, numbers such as Echoes In My Mind fluently dance around the room stepped in emotional beauty, complimented by soaring strings plus an injection of soulful keys feeling a touch sublime. The span of the music’s stylistic reach is diverse dipping into slower tempo’s where necessary as part of the storyline, while at others stepping up to drum and bass highs on Liquid Life, or there’s the tonal intensity broadcast from the Detroit referencing Motor City for contrast. Titles are important to the narrative of this modern day romance. Indeed, the breadth and skill of interpretation of genres course throughout the album, eventually reaching the breathy chorus of The Cathedral and all that entails.

It must be appropriate to recuse the term, something for everyone. As Night Tales 2 holds that sentiment very close to its heart. And is as apparent as the music deftly soundtracks the walk and talk of an adventurous night out in the city. Before and after. Driving the message home further are the three versions of the album: edited, extended plus a continuous mix.

Release: December 1
https://dannyjlewis.bandcamp.com
https://linktr.ee/dannyjlewis