 Overcome
(2005)
Winner:
"Best Instrumental Piano Album
of 2005" at the LifeStyle
Music Awards.
David’s ninth CD, Overcome
is a response to the loss of his father to cancer in 2003. However,
this album is not
about sadness nor sorrow, but rather a testimony
to the spiritual process of passing through it. On
Overcome, Nevue
includes
his arrangements of five hymns and praise songs as well as ten new
pieces and a new arrangement of his trademark song, “The Vigil.”
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Preview
Music from Overcome:
1-2
minute clips from each song on the album...
CD
Review:
by RJ
Lannen - from New
Age Reporter
Passion Unfolds Sixteen
Ways
I remember watching David Nevue perform once. An attentive group of
people witnessed a great transformation as he sat at the big piano with a small
spotlight on his face. We would soon know how much he was illuminated from
within. His concentration was visibly intense, his mood serious and his gestures
betrayed his passion. That was the word that came to mind that summer evening
and still does today as I listened to his latest album Overcome.
Passion. The new album incorporates not only David’s fervor for life and family,
but his unquestionable reliance on his faith. The new piano works are a mix of
traditional hymns, faith inspired solos, and new pieces that reflect David’s
obsession with life and all of its aspects. The music is moody and moving, happy
and pensive. And above all impassioned.
The title tune Overcome has David’s
familiar tinkling-twinkling intro.
Then the melody matures into a powerful
song of emotion and celebration. That’s what great music does to your heart.
Like a religion, it seeps into your being and your soul and gives you purpose
and a zest for living. Music is a grace.
One of my favorites on
Overcome is a delightful light tune called Winter Walk. Where I live
the snow falls in big puffy flakes. For some strange reason it falls mostly at
night. You wake to a white, fluffy gift the next morning. And for some other
strange reason it disappears the next day. You have to appreciate what the day
brings you. This song is the soundtrack for the snowfall.
Take My Life
and Let it Be is a remarkable piece. The melody was familiar to me from
a long time ago. Written as a prayer in the middle 1800s, its power and strength
are just as potent today. Words and prayers last forever. This is an
instrumental piece of course, but this stanza from the lyrics seems to suit
David quite well.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I
withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Another notable tune is called
Broken. It seems to me to
be a bit moody and yet I was drawn to it several times. It is the sound of
surrender. Not the act of giving in, but giving over to something. A belief, a
hope, perhaps a new path.
The Vigil is the best cut
on the album. Lots of strong melody here with complexities surrounding a
passionate theme. It is a holdover from one of David’s previously released
albums of the same name. It seems as though every waking moment of our lives is
spent in vigil. We watch and we wait for something extraordinary to happen.
Sometimes it does, but it just takes a squint of the eyes or heart to see it
happening.
The final cut, It Is Well with My Soul
is a hymn by Philip Bliss with words by Horatio Spafford. The hymn was written
after great tragedy struck Spafford’s life in 1875. He was stirred to write
these poignant words despite his encounter with catastrophe.
And Lord,
haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a
scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it
is well with my soul.
David’s heartrending interpretation is
inspiring for its uplifting approach to a melancholy score. Surely we can not
assume that his talent just comes out of the blue, can we?
David
Nevue is the mastermind behind Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio and the
traveling Whisperings Solo Piano Concert series. He is one of the
strongest promoters of independent music on the internet. He has more than nine
album attributed to him and his talent seems to have no end. Not only is he
inspired, but his music is truly inspiring to others.
CD
Review:
by
Steven Parente, Producer - Smiling Ear Internet Radio "Sounds for the
Soul"
Creating a solo piano CD is kind of like creating a web page, it's like a
drop in the ocean... there are so many out there. Don't get me wrong, I "love"
good solo piano music, and you'll find many good piano soloists on the Smiling
Ear Internet Radio. But to achieve a great recording, the combination of good song writing,
good playing and good sound quality can be very difficult to achieve. It's just
you and the piano... and that's it!
A recent artist that really impressed me and is being played on the Smiling
Ear is David Nevue and his CD "Overcome". Like many new piano soloists, David
was influenced by George Winston and if you enjoy George Winston, you'll most
likely enjoy David's CD "Overcome". But David has his own unique style. His
compositions are introspective and very tender. His piano playing technique is
outstanding and simply wonderful to listen to.
The title track, "Overcome" is one of my favorites followed by "Winter
Walk". Both of these tracks have a very delicate quality, but are also quite
powerful. You'll find that David's work can envoke many emotions. "The Vigil"
is another stand out track along with "It is Well With My Soul". All the songs
on the CD are very good. Listening to the entire CD was extremely relaxing, and
my wife and I continuously enjoy listening to this CD at the end of a busy
day... or starting a new one. It has a very calming quality to it, and I highly
recommend "Overcome" as a welcome addition to your soothing collection of
music.
CD
Review:
by
Kathy Parsons, Solo Piano Publications
“Overcome” is David Nevue’s ninth solo piano CD, and comes from the
emotional journey of losing his father to cancer in the fall of 2003. Nevue
emphasizes in the liner notes that the focus of the album is not
sadness or sorrow, but the process of passing through it. A deeply
religious man, and the son of a street preacher/evangelist known as
“Brother Hallelujah” to those he preached to in Africa, Nevue
includes
his arrangements of five hymns and praise songs as well as ten new
pieces and a new arrangement of “The Vigil,” which was the title
track
of his 1999 CD and the piece he opens every performance with. Several
of the pieces are very intense and convey the mix of emotions that
comes with the death of a loved one. Some are quite dark, but the
hymns
bring light and a sense of healing. The last two tracks are much more
upbeat and peaceful, having “overcome” the grieving process and
making
it through to the other side.
The title track is a very dark, powerful piece, full of deep emotion
-
one of Nevue’s best, I think. “Winter Walk” is another favorite. The
crystalline opening notes in the upper register are chilly and clear.
The rest of the piece is more introspective with the leisurely pace
of
a long walk to think things through and to just let yourself feel.
The
feeling is very sad, but not without hope. “Treasure Falls” is
another
beauty, although it is much lighter in feel. Alternately
introspective
and almost dancelike, it reflects a contrast of emotions. “Broken” is
again very solemn and deeply emotional, as are “A Moment Lost” and
“When the Hard Rains Come.” “Words Left Unsaid” is another favorite.
Nevue calls it “a lament,” and the sense of regret is palpable.
“Walking In Shadow” is based on a verse from the 23rd Psalm, and is
very dark, indeed, but a feeling of hope breaks through in passages,
again contrasting some very different emotions. “The Old Country
Church” was composed for Nevue’s father, who loved good-time gospel
music. It isn’t exactly joyful, but as the song develops, it is going
in that direction. Nevue’s arrangements include a lovely version of
“As
the Deer” as well as his personal interpretations of “It Is Well With
My Soul,” “Take My Life and Let It Be,” “There Is a Redeemer,” and
“Psalm 5.”
As an artist, David Nevue keeps reaching new heights by setting his
life experience and faith to music. His music is not complicated or
flashy, but comes from deep within, letting us know him and his heart
in a way that words would never do. “Overcome” is amazing in its
candor
and openness. Very highly recommended!
CD
Review:
by Bill Binkelman,
Wind and Wire Magazine
For me, reviewing deeply personal albums (i.e., albums that artists
record which are intensely personal in nature) is never easy. I have
to be sure I can evaluate the music on its own terms, but I also try
to take into account what the artist is going through by making music
that has its inception in a particularly moving event or person in
his/her life. In the case of Overcome, the task is doubly daunting,
since David Nevue's excellent album is basically the musical version of
the grieving process over his beloved father's death. Having lost my
own father, I also had to filter out as much of my grief as possible.
With all that out of the way, I can happily report (although happily
is a poor choice of words, I suppose) that Overcome is one of the
better piano releases of recent memory. Carefully and artistically
nuanced, the artist balances dramatic and powerful pieces with subdued
tone poems that are emotionally more ambiguous, as well as including
some interpretations of hymns and songs of worship. The overall effect
of the CD blends reflection and introspection with occasions where
Nevue's pain and loss come through via more dramatic and forceful
melodies and playing. Nothing here is particularly light or cheery, of
course, although per the liner notes, Nevue has reached not just an
acceptance of his father's death, but a degree of triumph since, in his
words, "I also want to emphasize that the focus of this album is NOT
sadness or sorrow, but rather, the process of passing through it."
The album opens with the uptempo but darkly tinted title track and
through the remaining fifteen tracks crosses through moments of quiet
somberness ("winter walk"), gentle nostalgia ( the hymn "take my life
and let it be"), delicate George Winston-like melodicism ("treasure
falls"), dramatic intensity ("the vigil"), warm yet sad new age
sensibility ("words left unsaid"), gospel-ish low-key spirituality ("the
old country church") and closes with peaceful serenity and a dash of
joy ("it is well with my soul").
Technically, as with other David Nevue recordings I've heard,
engineering and production are excellent. The piano sounds rich and clear,
with particular attention to the high end, in my opinion.
Artistically, while I didn't "like" Overcome as much as Nevue's previous effort,
Sweet Dreams and Starlight, I think it's an excellent album and
certainly one I can recommend, provided the listener can handle the
emotional weight of the album's concept and intent. It's not an easy listen
sometimes, but not because of any fault of the music, but rather the
unflinching gaze that the artist has trained on his own inner self.
Baring one's soul seldom comes easy, but in David Nevue's case, he has
done so with grace and beauty and also uncompromising integrity and
honesty. Overcome is a boldly personal musical statement from an
artist of talent and vision.
CD
Reviews:
by customers....
"The Overcome CD is
excellent.
I've played it about a dozen times in the past 3-4 days and we love
it.
Interestingly enough, my teenage daughters really like it, and that
makes me
smile because I've wanted them to have a deeper appreciation for
piano. I been frustrated for a
good
while because I hadn't taken the time to look for a solo piano that
fit my
taste. I have a few George Winston CD's and CD's by a couple of
other
artists but they did not hit the mark like your Overcome CD.
I could not be more pleased. I intend on ordering other CD's by
you as
I can afford." - Bobby
Sheet Music
for David Nevue's works available here!
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