Philip Bonneau - The Final Secret Revealed (Part One)

Sometimes people know how to build ambiance. They know how to properly introduce sounds and melodies in such a manner that it taps into who you are. It feeds your soul and makes you close your eyes and drift. The scene from Gladiator where he's walking through the wheat and touching the blades as he passes them comes to my mind when I listen to the latest creation by Philip Bonneau. I don't consider Philip a musician. He's an artist and an engineer. He builds things. Whether they're visual or auditory, he crafts a space that envelopes you and tantalizes all your senses. He evokes memory. He touches your other sensing centers in your brain.

He has crafted this track, the next in his series for his "Brave New Secrets" as a jumping off point and it's so ethereal and airy that if you close your eyes you are swept away in a grand adventure. Not running through the woods being chased by anything or languidly walking along the beach but walking through rolling fields and coming upon a temple in the distance or climbing a rocky hill to finding a monk in a cave. It's self reflection and it's mindfulness and it's revealing yourself to, well, yourself. It's being open with the possibility of "what if" and seeing the infinite possibility stretching out before you. It's coming to a decision and making it yours. It's being at peace with your past and having hope for your future. It's all of these things and it's only the first 10 minutes of what will possibly be a much longer exercise in sonic storytelling by Philip.

Daley - Until the Pain is Gone (f. Jill Scott)

Silky, sultry, smooth. Makes me feel like I'm describing a 90s TLC album. The vocals are amazingly smooth and Jill Scott elevates this song to such amazing heights. I've been a fan of hers since I first heard, "Getting in the Way" and this shows that she's just grown and matured into one of the finest soul singers in the industry today. The way that she emotes and puts her own thoughtful spin on this song make it hands down one of the coolest things I've heard.