I hadn't visited Thomas Regin's site in awhile. When I first logged into mp3c, he was one of my first "finds" and I downloaded a couple of his pieces, with the intent to return when I had more time.

Thomas Regin hails from Denmark and is quite an impressive musician. His work seems most strongly influenced by Elton John. If you like Elton John you'll love this guy. He's been writing music practically all his life, and his power ballads soar with a vitality and emotion very rare and precious. His music builds with a lot of energy, has a rhythmic use of piano chords, some lovely synthesized strings, and the lyrics really strike a chord with me as well.

I was impressed immediately by the grandiose and immense breadth of the sound in Less Than Asleep. It encompasses the space in which it plays with sound. It fills up the room. And there's a delicious combination of angst and hope in the chorus. By the time you get to the bridge the experience is electric and explosive. He builds up the song with a driving rhythm and keeps peaking higher and higher, and then he delivers with a potent bridge and reprise of the chorus before letting us back down in the end like a sleepy head on a feather pillow.

The lyrics to Always are simply precious. "You can read my mind like a magazine, and you can see right through my eyes.." Simply breathtaking work here. Sheer power in the crooning. He really knows how to deliver a song to get the meaning of the lyrics through. The tinkling piano is repetitive but there's enough slight variances to keep it lively and welcomed. Again, we see a grand breadth of space in the flourishes and tympanies.

I'm listening to Evolution Parts I and II as I type these words. Very rich and fluid. Usually electronic new age music doesn't seem to go anywhere for me, but this orchestral creation is a journey and a soundscape. Very light with a driving rhythm. I like it.

I Can See Clearly Now is playing now for me on hifi radio. Regin's got a strong Elton John influence, so if you appreciate Elton, Thomas Regin is a must artist for you. This song is a slow ballad with endearing lyrics and marvelous music composition. I'm a lyric nut! Phrases like "And tell me with words i can see" or "Like eyelids of small waterfalls" really work for me. Ben Ohmart is an impressive poet.

To The Moon is another New Age work, but this is much more rhythmic and expressive. Lots of strange voices fading in and out of a driving rhythm and brush strokes of sound. I may put this one in my Eargasm station.

The Redhead Was Mine really sounds like Elton John here and there. I also can compare this to Randy Newman. It's a bit too singsongy in the beginning, but within a moment it picks up and starts rocking. Very upbeat and fun, with bittersweet lyrics.

Your Name Is Loneliness also starts slow but has a wild electric guitar-like sound kick in. It's a bit noisy and over the top at places, but his talent is consistent throughout these pieces. Regin has a strong sense of music theory, and drives his work with rhythm, potent melodies and great lyrics by Ben Ohmart. The 'oh-oh' backups remind me of the Beach Boys and the early work of the Beatles.

Looking Up has such a variety of emotion. There are many hills and valleys. It's over too soon. I found myself just reflecting on the song with a dumb grin on my face and as I'm typing, the next song is playing now. I can't think of anything more to say. Simply precious work there.

Tonight has great piano work that lends to the bittersweet melancholy of the lyrics. Love is a timeless subject matter, which has admittedly been used to the point of overkill in pop and rock music, but Regin approaches the topic from a fresh angle, revealing both the pitfalls and the promise simultaneously in every song.

The Captain Was Away may be his most unique approach to music. There is the influence of everything from reggae to sea shanties to polka, with a hint of the Cantina song from Star Wars. It's laugh-inducing without being embarrassing. And once again we hear some brilliantly crafted and creative lyrics from Ben Ohmart.

A Legend is a simple light piece with many nuances and little tidbits.. It's like a potluck soup of sound. Many tasty surprises. It's a bit repetitive, but at times sounds like it would make great theme music for a stage play or movie. It needs a bit more variety from about halfway through towards the end.

And speaking of the end, this ride is over. That was a pleasant auditory trip through Thomas' mind. He's on my list of artists whose CDs I hope to eventually buy. I would like to do more detailed reviews of artists here in the future. I'm waiting to receive a copy of Diana Lorden's CD when it comes in the mail. I may do a review of that here, as well as reviews of other CDs I've purchased and some of my favorite mp3c artists' music online here. If you have suggestions or comments, they're always welcome.

Thanks for reading.