David Lanz And Paul Speer - Bridge Of Dreams (1993)

The pianist and electric guitarist have transcended new age boundaries to create majestic, rock tinged masterpieces that press the groove button as they enchant the listener's spirit. Their mid-'80s recordings, Natural States and Desert Vision, are widely regarded as benchmarks in the genre, and while the dynamic pair have never stopped working together on each other's solo projects, Bridge of Dreams shows what can happen when they each contribute equally. Lanz' gentle ivory graces and soaring symphonic textures nearly make contemporary classical music from grand and eloquent statements like the title track and its follow-up pieces "She Stands on the Mountain, Still" and "Veil of Tears." Yet Speer's biting electric riffs, which underpin them, turn the Lanz sparks into unquenchable wildfires. Speer wrote the bouncy, guitar driven "Walking with Alfredo" and turbocharged "Out of the Shadows" as great counterpoints to Lanz's whimsical motifs. A cover of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" is given the royal treatment, a many-years-ahead preview of Lanz' all-cover album of the late '90s, Songs From an English Garden.~Bridge of Dreams Review by Jonathan Widran