I visited your page and to my surprise you have a lot of things there (89)and a good variety. I have heard a lot of music and its very sad for me to say it but not many people are musicians. You sir, are a true musician. (at least from what you have here it seems that way) Again I love the piano, I think it is a lost art. You have captured the art form and made a very good attempt at taking it to the next level. You have combined jazz and rock in some cases to make a harmony. I hope to hear more of your work soon, because it does spark emotion....and that is what made music a universal language in the past.

"The Darkest Of Nights"

Listenability - 9/10 - The Drums and synths at the beginning are actually quite nice, and work together well. The bass is a nice touch too Even though, at first glance, it appears to be 'just another song', it actually pulls it off in a way that isn't bad for the song It's got a spiffy-fun tune and good strength ^^
Replayabiltiy - 10/10 - Must...Download...Song...
Danceability - 9/10 - Groovalicous ^^
Genre Matching - 8/10 - It almost seems more techno than ambient, but it does carry those ambient traits
Reliability - 9/10 - It keeps up a good strength and a good rythm throughout ^_^
Overall: - 8.9/10 - Very spiffy fun ^_^ It almost comes off as a game soundtrack too ^^ It's got a lot of stuff going for it

Anthony L. Smith’s “Under the Night Sky” is a relaxing, moody, and sexy new age track. The down tempo track is driven by sci-fi bass stabs that create a melody. The deep undertones help give the track a mysterious feel, and also make it sound less like something your parents would listen to. The song is also highlighted by the string arrangements that make the track smooth as silk.

The arrangement is very professional, and the instrumental loops are provided just long enough to give a hypnotic feel. Nothing is overdone in the piece – everything is repeated in a subtle and indistinct fashion. Another thing I must praise is the production quality. This bad boy is ready for the radio, and would sound great in a car or home theater system.

The only thing that I have to criticize comes at the very end of the track. At the three minute mark, the track appears to end. Nothing wrong here – but for some reason the drum beat begins again a few seconds later. I have heard this type of “fake” ending for hip hop works, but it really doesn’t work for an all-instrumental new age track. The lack of vocals make it unnecessary to “break it down,” and it can only invite people to copy and loop something I’m sure Smith worked hard on.

So there you have it – “Under the Night Sky” is sure to please anyone looking for a relaxing piece with style. As a matter of fact, it might even please fans of instrumental hip hop due to it’s crisp bass and smooth rhythm.
-Justin Hess

Did you ever wonder where ambient music comes from? Sometimes it is derived from other genres of music, and in the process of making the transition the composers adapt all that they have learned and reshape it into an interesting and innovative presentation. At other times, it springs from a rambling exploration of sounds and tinkering with musical patterns which results in an incoherent mess. Somewhere between these two realms is where ‘Ambient Dreams’, by Anthony L. Smith, makes its home. Although it was listed as a New Age Piece, this number leans way toward Ambient. The artist lists this piece on his site as Progressive Electronica.

In fairness to Mr. Smith, the piece is fairly well done .and is of some interest. He has good production values. I did find that the overuse of some patterns and sounds makes this more akin to an incidental music track in a video game. You know this type of track that I’m talking about… While wandering though an adventure game, you work your way up and down streets and alleys, going in and out of buildings, and all the while the repetitive background music makes you feel it’s presence without ever being distracting. This is that kind of number.

I get the feeling that this piece was rather experimental on Anthony’s part. Even though I have reviewed another of his numbers, I took the time to again listen to some of the other music on his site. Quite a bit of it is rather innovative. This piece allows it’s theme to get a much too repetitious, and could do with some light counter melody to balance out its cyclical nature. This track could use a little more depth in the instrumentation, but overall, it is a simple, nicely understated number.

Bill Wright

First I want to thank Mr. Smith for his genre placement of this excellent piece... here at GOM, he had no choice, but at MP3.com he could easily have placed it in Native American, and chose not to. This tells me that Anthony L. has done his homework, both musically and politically, with great sensitivity and intelligence; nothing enrages the NDN community more than appropriation of their culture and their sacred sounds. "Forgotten War" delves deep into those sounds, reproducing them almost flawlessly, yet presents them to an audience who might never hear them otherwise... an audience that HAS forgotten this ancient war.

When I say "almost flawlessly", I'm referring to the synthesization of the Native flute and drum in this song. Done traditionally, the flute often has an imprecise intonation that is hard for the western ear to digest, and the drum relies more on tonality than it does on rhythmic perfection. Smith has smoothed these idiosyncrasies out, making "almost flawlessly" into a distinct advantage, and a service to Natives that traditionalists, sadly, will reject and misunderstand until the day they drop.

"Forgotten War" sacrifices nothing in authenticity; the truncated scale of Native flute, the tonal drop-offs at the end of phrases, and distinct timbre of the instrument are all here. The melody is haunting, and the synth drums actually seem to amplify sacred intent. The dynamics are impressive... the silences speak volumes! This beautiful tune does not appropriate Native culture; it honors it with the respect it deserves, and that is a bridge built that few who attempt this genre actually achieve. This should appeal to less traditional NDNs (who have NOT forgotten) and New Agers alike; I'm adding it to my permanent collection. Kudos, Mr. Smith!

~~~~tod~~~~