I'll say the one I like the best from the Portals II discs is Earnest Woodall - Crossed Fingers. That made me stop and listen.

Janet

http://www.ewoodall.com

-Earnest Woodall: Crossed Fingers
This track begins just trippy enough for me to like it already. Weird
keyboard lead over it makes it even cooler! Around 3:30 this song gets
too insane for my ears to decode. An excellent composition!

Mike Shetzer

I've seldom been shaken very much by electronic music after
only one listening, although I do love to add some TD or
Jarre to my weekly menu of music. But I must admit: 'Crossed
Fingers' by Earnest Woodall (PMS II, Disc 1) is a
masterpiece of contained emotion expressed in a complex,
subtle, intelligent and extremely inspired synth language.
You won me, Mr. Woodall! And I want more!

Richard Poulin
NP: PMS II

http://www.ewoodall.com

Woodall, Earnest - Classical music fans have nothing to fear from Earnest Woodall, whose intricate melodies and counterpoint mix with unorthodox rhythms, syncopated percussion and seemingly offbeat tonal backdrops to create a totally fun soundscape for the listener. If you enjoy complex melodies, unusual tempos and intelligent composition, this is the stuff for you. Reviewed by the The Ghosty Show - 100% Indie Powered Progressive Radio Show

http://www.ewoodall.com

THE WIRE Issue 233 July 2003
EARNEST WOODALL
TIME TO THINK
ZEPHYRWOOD MUSIC
Woodall's music issues threats to bombast and posturing. New York based and with a background in jazz guitar, his compositions are pieced together from dinky toytown melodic cells that grow into whimsical and precise miniatures. The delicate purring of glockenspiels and guitars is
high in the mix, and Woodall uses the possibilities of attractively outmoded software to push his material into more abstract shading. Bonemia Lies By The Sea (2002) is especially engaging. Written in a kind of limping popular song form, he occasionally jams his material into post-Feldman loops before sending them on their way. A charming and constantly inventive disc. Reviewed by Philip Clark

http://www.ewoodall.com

Above Ground Testing
http://www.angelfire.com/on/abovegroundtesting/agt54.html

The other CD is from Earnest Woodall and is titled: "Time to Think". It's a compilation of a number of his past CD's and allows the listener to sample a number of his works. As I listened to the various tracks I thought I could detect styles that have been developed and styles that were discarded. This is a good thing since some of the early works I thought had a rather tinny, almost toy instrument sound to it. However, let me say that the few that I disliked were compensated by the number I enjoyed. I liked the songs from the CD's "13" and "Strike, Light, Puff". Consider this a sampler of his work and as I mentioned in my review of his CD, "Pictures in Mind", it's music that relaxes you and then he does something that grabs your attention and makes you listen to the various layers of sound.
   
For more information, visit his website at: http://www.ewoodall.com

Ambient Trance

http://www.ambientrance.org/0503/

Earnest Woodall: Time To Think (Zephyrwood Music - 2003)

A 20-track/72-minute retrospective from independent composer Earnest Woodall delivers e-music which is quirky without going full-on into kooky. Semi-symphonic Peculiar Attributes is all intertwining twinkles and strings, seeming to seep into a sputteringly faster version of itself from a year before (Uncovered Wanderings). More-sedate atmospheres hover over Open Umbrella, where electro-jungle-drum-sounds thump-n-bump through pretty layers of brassiness. Old-worldish moods bounce through 128 Details From A Picture, a chipper arrangement of strings, bass and bells.

Frenetic violin-like twirls perform acrobatics alongside Discover Darkness' dancing ivories, counterbalanced by echo-beaty 13 Black Cats' sonorous woodwind drones and gently crawling pace. Nicely somber-yet-bright Crossed Fingers (7:06) blends tonal progressions of piano, chime, brass and more into a meandering cinematic view for your ears. With piano perkiness and beepy hornplay, Wisp (1:16) prances around like a hyperactive kid. The mellower tracks are less irksome, like 13 Broken Mirror where environmentalesque accents (birdlike radiowave chirps?) adorn a spacious vista of foghorn blurts and low rhythms.

The sounds are interestingly-arranged, but preternaturally crisp and overtly faux, though if you're put off by all the really "weird" stuff listened to around here, perhaps these more normal sounds will appeal to you... "straight" e-instrument applied with good-natured animation get a B from these ears.

http://www.ewoodall.com

Tarkus Magazine
Sven Eriksen
http://www.tarkus.org/

Earnest Woodall
Time To Think

So large is Earnest Woodall?s output ? and so high is the quality ? that
a collection based on his last four albums is easily justified. Woodall
is ? for your information ? an electronica composer with his feet placed
in both the jazz and ambient genres. His music is about creating a lot
of atmospheres, both pleasant and unpleasant, with few and simple
keyboard tones ? a style which may be called dadaistic pop.

A collection shall be a practical introduction to the music of an artist
which you do not know very well. This is how "Time To Think" works. But
be aware that this is not a record suitable for listening through from
beginning to end. Woodall is an experimental musician who prefers chaos
(or at least unease) before relaxation.

When I first heard a studio album by Earnest Woodall, I thought the 45
minutes which it lasted was just perfect. The more than 70 minutes of
this album is a little too much. My recommendation therefore is that
"Time To Think", which consists of 20 tracks, is a collection best
enjoyed in small doses.
-----
Tarkus Magazine
Sven Eriksen

http://www.ewoodall.com

The Dutch Progressive Rock Page
http://www.dprp.vuurwerk.nl/reviews/

Earnest Woodall - Time To Think

Country of Origin:        USA
Format:        CD
Record Label:        Independent
Catalogue #:        -
Year of Release:        2003
Time:        71:39
Info:        Earnest Woodall

Tracklist: Peculiar Attributes (4:38), Uncovered Wanderings (3:03), Open Umbrella (3:46), 128 Details from a Picture (3:53), Strange Nature (1:26), Bohemia Lies by the Sea (6:30), Discover Darkness (2:22), 13 Black Cats (2:32), Delirious Pant (1:37), Bizarre Temper (3:00), Crossed Fingers (7:02), Wisp (1:14), Autumn Rhythm (3:58), Odd Personality (4:55), 13 Broken Mirror (4:20), Curious Temperament (3:33), Pale Puff (2:01), Unusual Qualifications (3:31), Ariadne (5:24), Spilling of Salt (2:23)

I was fascinated by the accompanying letter with this CD in which the enclosed music was described as "Post Modern Electronic Ambient Jazz". So intrigued was I, that straight into the player went the disc. As the CD contains twenty tracks I felt assured that all would be revealed soon. Before delving into the material a little background on the man behind the music. Earnest Woodall is a native New Yorker, a composer, musician and producer with an impressive list of credits to his name. With thirteen independent releases, not including this one, Earnest has been actively producing his material since 1987 and has composed and written film scores since 1992.

Time to Think is a collection of tracks taken from four previous releases, Pictures of Mind (1999), 13 (2000), Unusual Characteristics (1999) and Strike, Light, Puff (1998). It would appear that each of the albums has it's own concept and the styles, although within certain bounds, have their own distinct musical individuality. Strike, Light, Puff for instance has a classical, orchestral nature to it and the keyboard sounds and arrangements excellently capture this. A more percussive slant is attributed to the recordings to be found on 13, again choice of keyboard sounds nicely cultivates the moods - tribal/industrial/ethnic. A darker album at times, although the contrasting string parts during Open Umbrella made this track one of the highlights for me. The recording is crystal clear and much detail has been afforded to the mixing of the tracks, although some of the orchestral tracks suffered a little from the clinical timbres inherent within digital sounds.

On the whole an enjoyable album, one that can be played in order to relax to, whilst retaining the depth to retain your interest. Earnest Woodall is a fine musician and his abilities in this area combined with his compositional and production skills, make this an above average release. This is not really my "cup of tea" and it would be fairly simple of me to place this along side other "ambient" releases to have graced DPRP recently, however, this would be wrong. Much thought, composition and meticulous editing have gone into these tracks and for those with penchant for ambient music might well look to this album for something a little different.

About the reviewer

Full Name: Robert Mulvey
Year Of Birth: 1957
City + Country: Billingham, UK
E-mail Address: bob@dprp.vuurwerk.nl
Occupation: Audio and Lighting Designer
Instrument: Bass and Classical Guitar
Other: Click Here for more information

http://www.ewoodall.com

Pictures In Mind

http://www.ewoodall.com

Eclectic Connection
I felt that I had to go to the Met Museum site to see Chirico's Ariadne to fully appreciate Earnest's expression in this piece. Having done that, I have to say that this Northport, New York, composer and artist is not only talented, but imaginitive as well. I wonder if the whispers you hear in the piece are from his real life experience in the museum or an extension of things not seen, but hinted at, in the painting? There is a stark, minimal "feel" to the music yet after a few hearings, you pick up complexities and nuances, much like the painting. Review by -Andy Schmidt at Eclectic Connection

http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/201/eclectic_connection.html

DME - Let It Rock

http://dmme.net/reviews/reissues/reissues4.html

Four albums down the line, the ambient jazz purveor pauses for a breath.

It's teasing to guess which route Earnest Woodall's music will take now, when all his records make a wonderful shadows-and-light cycle so whole this compilation has a life of its own. Life is a key word here, as mostly there are synthesizers but perfectly operated to take a listener on a moody journey. It's spectral both ways, colorful and ghostly, "Peculiar Attributes" from "Unusual Characteristics" building from diffuse spattering to the solemn organ cloth and sharing its court dance shape with "128 Details From A Picture" off "Pictures In Mind". That's about as jolly as it gets, and sometimes a certain nervousness comes through, as in "Crossed Fingers" (that's an album called "13"), yet with all the pieces' chamber beauty and light sophistication you can hardly find a better soundtrack when set to pondering and wondering. Review by Dmitry M. Epstein

****3/4

http://www.ewoodall.com

Review of PICTURES IN MIND

Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, April 2003
http://www.progressiveworld.net/woodalle.html

Earnest Woodall's Pictures In Mind is a collection of 11 solo instrumental pieces each based upon a piece of art found at various New York museums, including both the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) and the Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA). The inclination is to be clever and walk you through each track as if in this review we were going on the very same museum tour - but I'll resist. There is something that can be said about each of the pieces, however. It does feel as though you are walking through a museum as there is an arty way in which Woodall composes - I can imagine standing before the piece of artwork while the music gives another dimension beyond what the artist was able to capture. Not familiar with the artwork that inspired Woodall, I cannot say how accurately he has captured in music what was on canvas - assuming that all the works are paintings. Besides, it is unlikely the museum would let me bring in my own audio device, so listening to this on headphones while I tour the very same museums - assuming the inspirational artwork is part of the museum's permanent collection - would be impossible. But it might be an interesting experiment to try.

Meanwhile, you can listen to this CD outside of the museum setting - and I recommend you do. Woodall plays everything here and that everything includes a number of instruments (or very natural sounding synths). The music itself is a mix of modern classical, contemporary instrumental, new age, ambient and jazz. Sometimes, all these elements are in play all at once. The overall feel is very warm and rich, the production values are excellent to boot, every nuance can be clearly heard. "Bohemia Lies By The Sea" (inspired by Anselm Kiefer's painting of the same name) is a subtle piece that features violin, piano, xylophone and what may be a cello. The piece is light on the surface, darker underneath, with a hint of the old world thrown in. It is a bit on the avant-garde side at times. "Ariadne" (Giorgio De Chirico) is more avant-new age, as discordant bass piano notes cut across smooth washes and a plucked strings. The new age/contemporary instrumental aspect is at the forefront --- you might say that it's Narada-style music. Spiky percussion and warm, hesitant violins create the tense atmosphere of "The Hat Makes The Man" (Max Ernst) making this a mix of "Third World" and European Classical.

"Stepping Out" (Roy Lichtenstein) even has a jazzy title in this lighthearted, slightly whimsical piece (seemingly recorded live, but perhaps part of the setting). Electric piano and walking bass play off each other in a knowing way. It's as elegant as gentlemen in the early part of the last century stepping out in top hats, tails and spats, escorting equally finely dressed women to the theatre or whatever social event has brought out the city's elite. Jazz returns a few tracks later when a happily tootling trumpet sings lead on the jazzy "Report From Rockport" (Stuart Davis).

Xylophone (or maybe vibes) and more violins feature in a number of the latter tracks including the oddly metered "128 Details From A Picture" (Gerhard Richter) and in "Sea Gulls" (Arthur G Dove). Here swelling keys mimic the languid movements of birds on the wing (though it also, for the briefest of seconds -- a nanosecond -- made me think of the theme from the original Star Trek).

Like all high art should be, listening to Pictures In Mind is an enriching, fulfilling experience - except that you will find that multiple plays are required to get the full benefit.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.ewoodall.com

"Smooth Jazz and More"

Check Them Out Athttp://www.geocities.com/smoothjazzandmore/

Earnest Woodall - Time to Think
3 Stars out of 4
Woodall is a talented musical artist who was looking for exposure for his album of collective works over the last 15 years.   The CD contains 20 tracks of New Age and Electronic music that were used in film, video and other media. Upon listening to his work, I found his style similar to other New Age artists such as Shadowfax and Philip Glass, who he happens to be a protégé of. Woodall challenges the listener to think outside the box of the normal flair of music. The result is an abstract, but entertaining piece of original music.
I've been playing one of his tracks on my playlist, "Open Umbrella".   His CD can be purchased on his website at http://www.ewoodall.com

Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, April 2003
http://www.progressiveworld.net/woodalle2.html

Time To Think is the latest release from Earnest Woodall, a New York based composer with 13 albums under his belt plus soundtrack work for a number of independent films. From his bio: "[Ö] Woodall took up the guitar at age 10, inspired by rock, blues and jazz players. A local teacher Peter Rogine introduced him to Phillip Glass, Steve Riech and John Adams, which sparked a lifelong love of both Modern Classical Music and Jazz.[Ö]" This is evident in the music he has created (though I'll admit I've only a passing familiarity with Glass and Riech, and none with Adams). Time To Think is a compilation comprised of material from some of his more recent releases, the earliest being Strike, Light, Puff from 1998. The selections include also material from Pictures In Mind. The selections from each of Woodall's albums reveal what might be the overall character to each release. All the pieces have in common an emphasis on percussion, whether it is the xylophone, as can be found in many tracks from Unusual Characteristics (1999) , or a more natural, earthy sound as can be found on 13 (2000) (where bad luck is the underlying theme, as the song titles will reveal). In between is Strike, Light, Puff where many tracks have some frenetic element to them.

The tinkly, wind-chime sound of a xylophone is played against a backdrop of a violin or, in the case of the first track "Peculiar Attributes" (Unusual Characteristics) an orchestra full strings. Their rich tone is at odds, but in a good way, with the higher tones of the xylophone. The pieces from this album have "oddness" about them, a left of center quirk Ö something that might appeal to RIO fans, though in "Bizarre Temper" it's played in softer tones E? trilling flute rather than brassy trumpet, here playing against xylophone and piano. "Odd Personality" begins with the sound of choppers flying overhead and birds chirping before clapping percussion takes center stage. I imagine the sound as two plastic blocks being banged together. Underneath this one can hear a drunken organ and chatterbox violin converse. Something, for a moment, quiets the other two as the violin begins to sing, but the blocks yield attention only briefly before the two competeÖ the violin gets melodramatic for a momentÖ but then, forgetting, begins to chatter again. "Unusual Qualifications" seems to be a variation on "Odd Personality" though the piano seems more sober, though xylophone trills happily along side equally upbeat flute like tones. "Curious Temperment" begins with a train rumbling by and tooting his horn, though stylistically it is a mix of the material found later on 13 -- natural percussion E? and the irregularly metered arrangements of Unusual Characteristics).

In "Open Umbrella" (13) where rhythmic percussion is what might be called in shorthand "Third World." By that I mean the sound of perhaps woodblocks or steel drums E? or even found sounds. A languid, peaceful muted flute-like atmosphere provides the backdrop. Here I thought of Steve Roach, especially his work with Jorge Reyes and Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories. This naturalistic approach can also be found in dark, cautious "13 Black Cats," and the dark, subtly threatening "13 Broken Mirror." An exception to this is the quirky "Crossed Fingers," where piano takes the lead most often.

The pieces taken from Strike, Light, Puff have some frenetic element about them. "Uncovered Wanderings" (Strike, Light, Puff) is a sometimes twangy, frenetic piece E? sometimes reminding me of Copeland's "Hoedown" but on speed. The frantic feel comes from both the xylophone and violins. "Discover Darkness" from the same album could easily have been used as background music to an X-Files episode (and I heard of hints of, I think, Mozart in there, too). It is violin that gives "Delirious Pant" its sense of breathlessness. You might think that a piece titled "Wisp" would be atmospheric, but here instead it is a conversation between two folks (piano, horn) that don't finish one sentence before going on to the next.

Time To Think is a wonderful collection of music. Because of the disparate elements, this compilation stands on its own as a richly textured and varied release all impeccably played.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.ewoodall.com

NEW MUSIC BOX

Issue 46 - Vol.4, No.10        February 2003

http://www.newmusicbox.org/index.nmbx

SoundTracks: February 2003
Time to Think
EARNEST WOODALL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The music contained on Time to Think is pensive & moody therein creating tension. Nearly all of the timbres used throughout the CD replicate, in one way or another, familiar acoustic instruments?strings, winds, piano, percussion, etc. Woodall coaxes a lot of emotion into the recording through his assured, lyrical writing. Also to Woodall?s credit, he does take advantage of the impossible precision only achievable with electronically music.
RN

http://www.ewoodall.com