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Album Review: All the Pieces
Lynn Tredeau
Cover image of the album All the Pieces by Lynn Tredeau
All the Pieces
Lynn Tredeau
2019 / Heart Dance Records
42 minutes
Review by Kathy Parsons
All the Pieces is the sixth solo piano release from pianist/composer Lynn Tredeau. Elegant and quietly reflective, the album is a look back at the people and events that became the pieces of the puzzle that make up her life. Tredeau’s previous release, Fellowship of Solitude, was awarded the 2018 Best Solo Piano Album by Zone Music Reporter and her 2015 Christmas album, SnowLight (A Christmas Memory), was named Best Holiday Album by Enlightened Piano Radio. She released her debut album, Echoes of Life, in early 2015 and has been nominated for several other awards as well. A multi-instrumentalist as a child and young adult, Tredeau started piano lessons when she was six, but didn’t start composing her own music until after her family was raised. Obviously, the floodgates are still open - lucky us!

All the Pieces begins with “Photos Without a Memory,” and tells the story of someone with Alzheimer’s disease looking through boxes of photos and not remembering any of the people or places pictured in them. Poignant and sad, it’s a beautiful opening piece. “Love for a Lifetime” is a tribute to a “special someone” who goes through life at your side, sharing all that life brings and providing a safe place to be your true self - a tender expression of deep and enduring love. “One Drop is an Ocean” conveys the serene ebb and flow of calm ocean waves - lazy and contented. “A Weathered Heart” is a favorite and reflects on how the experiences of great joy and deep sorrow leave impressions on each person’s heart. Introspective and melancholy, it says so much without the use of words and allows each listener to personalize it for themselves. “Bohemian” is another favorite. It begins rather mysteriously with a freely expressive rhythm. In the second section, the rhythm becomes steadier while the mysterious feeling continues. There are several different themes interwoven into the piece, mirroring the unpredictability of a Bohemian lifestyle. I really like this one! “Precious Handprints” brings to mind those pictures so many of us made for our parents where our hands were painted and we pressed them to paper, preserving impressions of hands as young children. Warmly nostalgic, this piece expresses a mother’s tender memories of innocent times. “History Yet to Come” is a wistful daydream that ponders what lies ahead and brings this lovely album to a gentle, soothing close.

Sure to bring Lynn Tredeau many new fans, All the Pieces is available from Amazon, iTunes and CD Baby as well as the various streaming sites. Check it out!
October 7, 2019
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