Kent Heckaman: Reviews

“Kent Heckaman’s album Songs From Those Days has a dreamy, ethereal quality to it and sparkles with classical sensibilities...The haunting voices of youth bring stories to life on this album…I just love the smoky, sultry feel of Kent’s acoustic piano along with the edge of Kate Myers in a stellar vocal performance.”

“Pianist Kent Heckaman takes a leap towards prominence with the release of his second album, Songs From Those Days…follows the Santana archetype with Heckaman laying the framework and structure, creating a gentle balance with the whispery vocals that float alongside his keystrokes….masterful musicianship and piano-centric aesthetic are complimented by the record’s genuine and soulful feel.”

“I recommend this album to anyone that thinks…While I keep a file of everything that is sent to Guaranteed Reviews, I don’t usually keep the music in my personal rotation – but I’ll be doing exactly that with Kent Heckaman’s Songs From Those Days.”

“Fans of Tori Amos and Norah Jones will find much to like here, as Heckaman displays a lot of the same ambient melancholy as those artists…a well-produced indie project”

These are a set of beautifully written new age singer/songwriter ballads with an incredible performance and a full sound. The instrumentation on this disc is outstanding. The guitar work, violins, and bass work is reflective on the pianos and vocals. The drumming and added percussion is precise and dynamic and impressive. The songwriting is excellent and the vocals are smooth and soulful and melodically inclined. The backing vocals at times covered with reverb add depth and emotion to the tracks. The tracks have lounge, new age, pop, and jazz acoustic aspects to them which make them very diverse. These songs were written with depth and musician intuition that drips from the entire album. The overall feel is strong and powerful. The quality of production is professional and the mix is done very well. There is nothing negative to be said about this disc. Kent Heckaman reaches to a musical part of the soul we all try to reach and it’s done while keeping a sound that’s fresh with today’s sound in general. The music is timeless and that’s a quality not easy to come across. Impressive all around.