Matthew Shell - Towards New Beginnings II: Songs of Healing
Matthew Shell is a music producer, sound engineer, eLearning professional, guitarist and percussionist. Growing up, Shell learned how to play piano and guitar from his parents and his skills have since grown to incorporate production and composing, giving him a skillset he can shine with. We have previously covered a pair of Matthew Shell’s singles and today we will take a dive into two tracks - “Drifting Through Dreams”, and “Peace From Within” - from Towards New Beginnings II: Songs of Healing, Shell’s new album and a sequel to Towards New Beginnings via Narked Records.
Towards New Beginnings II: Songs of Healing starts off with “Drifting Through Dreams”, featuring Douglas Lira on flute as well as Commoninterest and Erik Fredriksen. This track does an excellent job of opening the album and drawing listeners in right from the start. Throughout the track, we are treated to dueling guitars and some beautiful flute work by Lira that combine to make the track truly special. Like the previous material we have covered from Shell, “Drifting Through Dreams” takes its listeners on an epic journey, utilizing its melodic and textured nature to present an experience that is full of life and inspiration.
“Peace From Within” is the tenth track from Towards New Beginnings II: Songs of Healing. This track does an excellent job of showcasing the talents of Shell’s contributors Vahagn Stepanyan on piano and Sami Turunen on guitar. Truly, the piano and guitar work of these musicians play very well off of each other, creating the kind of layered texture that Matthew Shell is known for composing. A peaceful and deeply serene track, “Peace From Within” will help a weary soul rest and a conflicted soul to stop and breathe for a moment; the track’s peaceful nature is truly a splendid respite from any bad things tearing at your heart.
Other tracks we enjoyed a great deal include “Tribute”, which serves as a tribute to those we have lost during the pandemic - and truly serves as a stirring tribute, metaphorically painting the names of those we have lost across the sky with its uplifting sound. The funky, modern approach on “Soar” served as a nice changeup in the fourth slot on the album, though it still contains that familiar Matthew Shell sound. “Life’s Journey” is another wonderful song, taking the listener on an yet another adventure. The track drives forward with an inspirational vibe, starting slow and building up until the very end of the track when it shifts to a more reflective and almost bittersweet sound - as if to simulate life’s stages and the beauty within life itself.
Towards New Beginnings II: Songs of Healing is yet another special release from Matthew Shell. Shell’s ability to express genuine emotion through the instrumental music he creates is truly a one of a kind experience. Thanks to help from Vahagn Stepanyan & Sami Turunen as well as a full cast of other talented musicians, the album’s sounds turned out amazing and it truly is a work of art. You can follow Matthew Shell on Twitter and Instagram (@MTS_Music). We have Towards New Beginnings II Songs of Healing embedded below!
