“One word: Phenomenal” – NEW AGE CD

“From the very first notes, you know immediately this is a special album. The 10-track album is piano based, with the trio of piano, bass, and drums as a starting point. ‘Better Days’ is a ‘Contemporary Instrumental’ collaboration between Christopher James and what can only be called “an all-star line-up” of first-rate musicians forming “the small ensemble.” The album is co-produced by Christopher and Bob Stark, who have
been working together for almost 30 years. The production on this album is flawless. We can simply sum up this album in a total of one word: Phenomenal. It’s the best album I’ve heard all year, quite possibly ever, and I don’t say that lightly. Uplifting and joyful, it is true to its title. There ARE better days, right here, just beyond the sunrise, which is how the album begins and ends, with the track “Beyond The Sunrise.” And the last track is an alternate version of that song, each equally beautiful, and perhaps a reminder that life is a circle, an eternal cycle of beginnings, endings, and more beginnings. And the music makes you feel that way as if you’re already in ‘better days’ and need seek no further. We are there. Too, there is a completely effortless feel to every track. The entire album is a synergistic work of art.

-Dylan Garris, Zone Music Reporter/New Age CD