MUSIC REVIEW by Andy Rogers FOOTPRINTS - 2025
Sydney Stevens is a pianist and composer, she has enjoyed a successful musical career spanning over thirty years. Her last album, “Waltz of Life” released back in 2020, was an instrumental album. This latest album, “Footprints” was 11 years in the making and sees her taking her music into the Singer-Songwriter genre.
Alongside her own considerable skills as a pianist and vocalist there are contributions from many other musicians such as Brian Litt (guitar), Zachariah Galatis (flute), Katherine Schultz (Cello) with Jennifer Estrin and Keiko Araki (violin), all of which gives the music added depth, colour and emotion without being schmaltzy, not an easy thing to accomplish.
The vocal style throughout the album is heartfelt and emotional; the vocals are at times more operatic than “pop” in nature but always true to the song.
We start with “Fools Game”, looking back to childhood and urging kindness and love rather than threats and coercion…concluding that there are no winners and losers in life and we are all together in the end. The piano in the composition has a delicate, ponderous nature that in the latter half of the offering, dances with the vocals of Stevens well.
“Star Traveler” compares the choices we all must make in our lives to darkness and light and urges us to follow the light towards a better life, the fluent and flowing piano create a sparkling symbiosis of tone and timbre.
“Eclipse” was inspired by a total eclipse that happened in Oregon in 2017. It features a beautiful melody with wonderful lyrics describing the eclipse and makes good use of the violin of Jennifer Estrin to enhance the mood of the piece.
“Lightness” follows: amidst some wonderful piano there is a moving cello of Katherine Schultz compliments Sydney’s piano perfectly. The message is that Lightness and shared love will help lighten the darkness in the world.
Next up is “Winds of Change (Blue Jean Tuxedo)” a quirky, nostalgic look back to school days and a time when there was “more ice at the poles” and “more fish in the ocean”. This is light-hearted for sure but with a serious message.
The track “One Inside” is, to my mind, the most memorable track on the album. Piano, flute and guitar plus a strong vocal from Sydney (plus Brian Litt on harmonies) provide the perfect accompaniment to the message that no matter the different lives we live We are One inside… there’s no need to hide the wonder we hold… we are one”; just beautiful, and so true.
“You’re the One for Me” comes as a surprise after the earlier tracks… a deeply personal love song. The piano backing with the violin compliments the heartfelt lyrics perfectly. Clearly written from the heart it tells her loved one that “Hand in hand, heart to heart”… “We belong together”.
“Lilies” starts with a lovely introduction for piano and flute before the song reminds us of the cycle of life and the importance of staying positive and looking to the future.
The following 3 tracks “Passages”, “Glorious Today” and “Golden World” comprise a trilogy of songs in memory of her late mother. Written to help herself deal with her mom’s passing and played so that the sense of loss is very apparent to the listener, it seems that she hopes the songs will be cathartic and will help others in the same situation.
The album concludes with the title track “Footprints” which acts as a summary for the album. The lyrics reflect on childhood and the importance of the support of family and friends and the album ends on a calm note with a single piano note.
Overall “Footprints” is an album that, while being deeply personal, can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates meaningful and inspirational songs beautifully sung and played.
MUSIC REVIEW by Jonathan Widran Footprints - 2025
Though all 12 tracks on Footprints are centered around Sydney’s gorgeous piano melodies and transcendent vocals, she enhances a handful of the songs with sparkling performances by a number of talented musicians – including guitarist/vocalist Brian Litt, violinists Jennifer Estrin and Keiko Araki, cellist Katherine Schultz, and flutist Zachariah Galatis.
Apart from the soulful, written in the stars love song “You’re the One for Me,” the overriding vibe of the first eight songs on Footprints finds her bringing more light and kindness into the world, including several tunes written from a celestial/eternal perspective. The classical violin-tinged “Eclipse” was directly inspired by the 2017 solar eclipse that cast much of Oregon in darkness for a few minutes, while the hypnotic, soul-affirming “Star Traveler” touches on the choices we make and darkness and light in all of us as we travel through time and space as part of the universe’s life cycle. Sydney released one of these first songs, the quirky and whimsical “Winds of Change (Blue Jean Tuxedo),” as a single in 2020. Thematically, it too points us to “a better world, a kinder world.”
With pieces written over the course of 11 years (2011 to 2022), the collection’s heartfelt centerpiece is what Sydney calls her Trilogy for Mother, a three-song suite dedicated to her late mom: “Passages,” “Glorious Today” (her mom’s name was Gloria) and “Golden World.” “When I write a song,” she says, “I feel like I’m giving myself advice to help me deal with difficult life situations. I hope that by putting them out into the world, those who listen will find them comforting as well.”
Though it’s best to experience Footprints as a whole to get the full emotional, heartfelt impact of Sydney’s music and messaging – and the intimate places her creative heart wandered over the years – there are several standout pieces she likes to mention. The meditative, subtly percussive opener “Fools Game” finds her reflecting on her belief in the importance of kindness in the wake of dealing with a narcissistic, bullying family member. She sings, “Build me up, tear me down/Throw me circles to the ground. . .Winners and losers is a fool’s game/No one’s a winner in the end.” It’s her way of encouraging us to see each other as fellow participants in life, rather than competitors.
Another essential tune, and perhaps the album’s most philosophical piece, is “One Inside,” which she dedicates to Shivarudra Balayogi, a meditation teacher she and her husband worked with on a trip to India. Using examples of people living their lives differently, she ties their experiences together with the line: “We all share common ground inside.” Brian Litt accompanies Sydney on vocals on the anthemic chorus: “We are One inside. . .And there’s no need to hide the wonder we hold.”
“Sydney Stevens’ impact as both an instrumental and singer/songwriter is proof that true artists can thrive responding to many muses, and that true musical creativity need not be limited or siloed into one distinctive genre or another to cater to strict industry definitions. With both types of recordings in her three-decade discography, she’s proven to be a master at piano-driven works and as a storytelling singer with a sweet operatic voice. It’s also noteworthy that her extraordinary and deeply inspirational new album, Footprints, was written over the course of a decade rather than in a short period. It shows a multi-faceted artist responding to and reflecting on personal and world events (including the loss of her mother) as they happen, allowing her artistry to flow naturally over time, resulting in a rich expansive work that allows us to feel an intimate connection to her as we “time travel” with her over that 10-year period.”
Waltz of Life - 2020
"Waltz of Life is an instrumental album showcasing both solo piano and piano accompanied by violin, cello, bass, and other instruments. The flowing music, inspired by the beauty and transitory fragility of life itself, is an emotional treasure ideal for meditation, relaxation, or creative inspiration. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Waltz of Life", "Dreams", "BJ", "A Life", "Looking Back", "Gatherings", "Spring Light", "No More Tears", "Beginnings", "Blind Boy", "Your New Wings", "True Heart", "Harvest Moon", and "Waltz of Life"."
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Library Bookwatch: December 2020
Midwest Book Review