Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It is the romance of the Moon that makes many songs come alive and take on extra meaning when looked upon with grace and favourable conditions; the muse of the Moon is such that when it is seen as the beautiful counterpoint of the rage of the Sun, it gives out a calming effect that all can steer their own personal musical boat by.
The Latin love of the Moon is rarely really captured outside of fiction, cinema or poetry, if it does appear it can be often misinterpreted into one followed by the wolves and the sound of the encroaching dark; Luna though is one that is romance, remembrance, even solitude of the finest kind, that in which the memory is allowed to roam free and think with fondness of all those loved, and with regret for all that was ever lost.
Kenneth J. Nash’s Luna is not just a celestial body in which to find a way home by, a navigational tool in the heavens; it is that sense of romance made real, the softness of both instruments and voice captured in the aura of the song, of the meaning.
The heart-breaking piano on the segments Luna i & ii prove the musician’s ability to show how simple and effective a beautifully arranged piece of music can be and yet still have the immense power to feel tragedy and offer elation in the same guiding movement.
Joining Mr. Nash on the album is J.M. Jones, Fran Taylor, Alan Tang, Jamie Gilbert and Max McLean and throughout tracks such as Another Flag, Ghost, A Rook and a Dove and the aforementioned simple elegance laid down on Luna i & ii, the mystery of music and incredible composition is laid bare. Luna might not explain it all but the album gives an excellent insight into the relationship with have with our natural satellite, its sway and pulse that can move tides, influence thoughts and have us hold out for a lover’s whisper underneath a marbled balcony. Â
Once more Kenneth J. Nash springs joy into his seemingly effortless but hugely important offerings, a sense of terrific thought laid down and produced with absolute care; a simple tale but one that conducts much praise.
Ian D. Hall