Bolivian pianist Ruddy Franco is releasing his magnificent album, ‘Om Shanti Om’. It is an impressive collection of songs which takes the listener on a journey of discovery and intrigue from start to finish.

‘Om Shanti Om’ opens with the track, ‘Obertura’. It is an uplifting listen with a mysterious beginning which soon blooms into a superb song filled with rising synths, luscious harmonies and delicate moments. There is a moment where all of the instrumentation cuts away and we are left with a stunning classical piano solo which is filled with emotion and sentiment. Blissful.

We also adored, ‘Merudanda’ for its tender rising strings, gorgeous harp and the addition of the percussion in the final third of the piece. ‘Magnificat’ for its vocals and driving drums. It has an Arabic flavour to it, with tribal moments provided by the use of the bongos.

Our favourite track was, ‘Hermes’. It is an impressive 8:48 in length and in that time the listener is taken on a full circle journey. The piano and flute dance around each other, flirting with one another and never intruding on one an-others territory. There are gentle strings in the background which create texture and the harmonies provided by the vocals are simply stunning.

The final track, ‘Sikuri’ is also very special. The driving percussion provides the heartbeat to the piece and the electric guitar solo is a most welcomed surprise. The solo is melodic and has gorgeous bends, it creates a shift in the feel of the album and perhaps is a tease as to what will come in the next release. Staccato texture can be heard at the end of the piece followed by a string fade out at the very end. Superb.

It is quite clear upon listening to this album, what a special and thoroughly engaging composer Ruddy Franco is. His talent is so great he is able to transcend time and space and take the listener to places in their imagination by simply the power of music alone. Franco has been awarded ‘Winner of the 2011 Bolivian Junior Chamber International TOYP Award’ recognizing Outstanding Young Persons, in the category of Cultural Achievements. Upon hearing ‘Om Shanti Om’ we can most certainly understand why!

Check out this glorious release today!

Reviewed by FVReviews October 2018

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