Search - Dancing Fantasy :: Moonlight Reflections

Beautiful blend of jazz and new age

Distant Voyageur | Io | 03/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dancing Fantasy in my opinion are among the best examples of what real modern smooth jazz really is. Their music is mostly new-agey jazz. Moonlight Refelctions is my favorite album of theirs. The best songs on here are the sedative Quiet Beauty, the danceable title track, Nightbreeze, Dancing On a Summer Night With You, and Stardust. Quiet Beauty is a very haunting ambient song. The title track has the drum loop lifted from Enigmas Sadeness. Nightbreeze is a very quiet ambient song to mellow out to. Stardust is a sunny upbeat song. The unique tracks on here are the instrumental and vocal versions of Dancing On A Summernight With You. These two track lift the chord structure of the Twin Peaks theme and give them a new beat. They are short but very nice. I do tend to enjoy the instrumental version a little bit more. The truth is I enjoy pretty much the whole album. The last two track are the reworkings of Voodoo Jammin and California Grooves. The version of Voodoo Jammin on this CD is far, FAR superior to the Midnight Boulevard version. I don't really like the original version on Mid. Blvd. On the other hand the version of California Grooves on here while still enjoyable, it doesn't quite rank on par with the version on the CD of the same title. I consider Moonlight Reflections to be Dancing Fantasys strongest CD to date. I say get this one. Pretty much get all of their CDs including Soundscapes."

SPELL BOUNDING

Gena Lyon | Morristown, NJ | 11/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so pleased that Dancing Fantasy came out with another cd so soon, The 2 previous cd's that I purchased are AMAZING, Love Letters & Self Titled Dancing Fanatsy, The playing of the guitar is spell bounding. This a must for every Jazz Lover the varied arrangements will keep you wanting more & more from this FANTASTIC GROUP."

The best album by a wonderful Jazz/New Age group!

Distant Voyageur | Io | 06/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Their 1991 sophomore album "California Grooves" is really amazing but their third album that was released the following year however is their best album to date at the time of writing this review. "Moonlight Reflections" showcases incredible musicianship by the McLaw/ Williams duo and this whole album is great even if some tracks rank a little inferior to others. While "California Grooves" captures the mood of California's beaches really well, it was marred by some annoying interludes but this 1992 follow-up does even better. "Quiet Beauty" is arguably the best track on this album and makes forever nostalgic for the days of 1992 when I first heard it. It's a hauntingly beautiful but dramatic yet joyous song with haunting New Age ambience combined with really unique dreamy keyboard crescendo effects and a really great melodic progression. I especially love the last minute of the song where the melody rises and falls and repeats the pattern. The title track is a wonderfully groovy New Age jazz track that incorporates wonderful tropical vibe and has the drum loop from Enigma's 1990 hit "Sadeness" and the result is a wonderful and danceable classic. "Nightbreeze" is a spooky yet really enchanting New Age classic with a seductive jazz groove and a really dark blue cloudy evening like as if you were walking down a tree-lined pathway after a rainstorm and with gardens all around you. That's what this song evokes in me. "Nightbreeze" is a haunting classic. "Twilight Journey" continues the atmosphere of "Nightbreeze" but has a brighter tone and a slightly more energetic beat and has really nice flutes and a perky sort of groove to it. "Dancing on A Summer night With You" is a bright sunny afternoon jazz track with a danceable hip-hop beat and uses the melodic structure of the "Theme from Twin Peaks". This is a really great track. "Mercury Rising" is a dark but never forboding track with a really cool aquatic feel and has some really deep aquatic keyboards that almost evoke images of swimming underwater with the dolphins. "Nautilus" is even more so. "Blue Bamboo" is almost like something that was lifted off their "Midnight Boulevard" album as it has a similar sound to what defines that album. It is a good song but one of lesser favorites of mines. "Stardust" is a joyous groovy track with a slightly cosmic twist to it hence the name "Stardust". "Nautilus" is one of the most unique tracks on here having a really unique chord structure and incorporates some dolphin sound effects. I really love this track and it's so much fun to listen to. The vocal version of "Dancing on a Summernight With You" is almost identical to the other version but with vocals. While it's good, I much prefer the instrumental version as I feel that the vocals sometimes interrupt the quality of the instrumental version. "Imagine" is a sweet-natured song with a really sunny melody and a touch of tropical atmosphere. "Voodoo Jamming" is a revamped version of the original from their debut album. While the original version was a bit annoying with the annoying Chinese voice effects that would clutter the track, this version vastly improves it and has a really excellent beat. The closing track which is a reworking of "California Grooves" (The song) sounds a lot like the original but not as great but still good. The talking sound effects from the original are removed but I actually enjoy the original more. Still, this is a good closer to a great album. While I've really enjoyed what they've done over the years since then, Dancing Fantasy have never toyed with New Age, pop, smooth jazz, and electronics like they did with this album and I strongly recommend that you go and buy this album. It may be very difficult to find but believe me, this CD is worth your hard search!"