You Gotta Follow That Dream
When I met Lynn Tredeau a while back, I was charmed with her unassuming smile and mischievous eyes. Although I had only heard a little of her music, I was delighted with what I did hear. Lynn is a contemporary pianist with a wistful vision, a dreamer, sort of like me. Her solo piano album A New Dream is a hopeful collection of songs that are on the lighter side, but with plenty of color.
Tredeau hails from Star, Idaho, but she has lived in several locations around the U.S. She played piano starting at a young age, but family life and others interests put her dreams on the back burner for a while. Well, things have heated up for this talented pianist as A New Dream is her third album to date. It has 13 tracks of reflective piano music and each track has a story to tell.
It opens with the track Awaken. The tempo of the song reminds me of a rosy dawn, but one might awaken to many thing. The main theme is subtle and quite romantic at times. Perhaps it is a time when hearts awaken, but nevertheless, this ballad is the perfect beginning.
The very title of the next track, The Deepest Part of the Lake had me intrigued. For me, the imagery is one of sorrow, I think. Was it the place where you shed the most tears, only to have them become the lake itself? Or is it the place where you hid your most precious treasures? Listen to the tune and judge for yourself.
Pixie Dance had an intentional music box feel to it. I could imagine little girls in pink satin dresses, the fabric making pink bells as they twirl about. One can witness the embodiment of innocence when watching little girls dance. Inhibitions do not exist in their world.
As soon as I heard Lunch With Vincent I felt I knew what it was all about. Lynn’s incredibly vibrant melody set the scene straightaway. Somewhere, along the Seine, perhaps overlooking Pont Neuf, we sat at a small table and drank the Bordeaux. He described lavender and turquoise skies, almond blossoms and he told me he was in love.
On the tune Land of Enchantas, Lynn takes on the wonderful variety and differences of people and creatures from Corey M. LaBissoniere’s book of the same name. The tune is not a feathery, whimsical score, but one that says, “Get ready, an adventure in the making”. The music promises that the journey might be difficult, but we’ll make it together.
A Quiet Memory is a somewhat lugubrious tune of days turning pages in the photo album or maybe opening that cardboard box from the closet shelf and reliving all the dreams that were fashioned or perchance not fashioned way back when. The tunes is gentle, but it has the air of melancholia about it. Not so much of regrets, but more of what-ifs.
Shadow of Your Absence has an almost bluesy theme, yet retains a sense of yearning that only an empty heart would know. Sometimes we love so hard that we want to take every aspect of a person and keep it safe in a room deep within us. As we sit around, musing, we see the crumpled up sweater on the chair, the half-filled cup or the open drawer. We just want to refill everything, turn back the clock and relive every moment with them once again.
I liked every track on A New Dream. Lynn Tredeau’s style is warm and dynamic. Listening to her music is like listening to the stories of an old friend. The friend is so dear and so delightful that you never have to feign interest. Every story is a gift. I for one would love to hear more.
—RJ Lannan- Zone Music Reporter