Threads of Violet Light

Album Review

Marilynn Seits was quite possibly the most underrated new age composer out there at the time of this release. Her work was some of the finest and most original that the genre had seen in a while, but for some reason her work was often neglected. Marilynn Seits' Threads of Violet Light is just as good as her work that came before it, but it's most reminiscent of Meditations Along the Silk Road, which was not only an excellent recording, it was possibly one of the best recordings that the new age genre yielded. From the perspective of the writer, there's really only one complaint, and it goes across the board, particularly with new age — and that's that sometimes less is more; the use of a sound group known as General MIDI often plays a large role in new age music, and particularly in Marilynn Seits work. Over the years General MIDI has begun to sound more and more real, but when it's placed in the beauty of her melodies and the beautiful timbre of the piano, which may be General MIDI as well, the novelty of the synthetic sounds somehow cheapens the overall compositional integrity. It's easy to get around, especially to the lay listener, but that's one thing that has made this reviewer's ears perk up. With Threads of Violet Light, Marilynn Seits has created an excellently contemplative recording, one that sounds good and that can endure. Great work!