Roger Shah aka Sunlounger presents The Beach Side of Life

November 10, 2010 Posted by Cosmin Lukacs in Albums

Roger Shah aka Sunlounger presents The Beach Side of Life

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Sander van Doorn In 2007 “Another Day On The Terrace” was an album that have worked very well for all Balearic minded people around the world. Its title was the beginning of a great journey, that only Sunlounger could provide and it was a full statement that a whole new chapter have just emerged. Several top notch names of artists have joined forces on the project such as Roger Shah himself, in those days also well known as Dj Shah, Zara Taylor (a name that we will always love in Shah’s tracks), plus so many others. That was such a phenomenal project indeed. Both artists could go from sleepy down-tempo to danceable packed tracks with so much Las Salinas-inspired stream of consciousness that the included lyrics sheet was both a necessity and a joy to follow along with. Add to the album a whole new lists of names, from writers to producers, such as Ingo Zielinski. Alexander Pearls, Stevie Lee Young, Ezequiel Etcheverry, Martin Etcheverry, York, Britta Medeiros and you have a perfect album that still sounds ahead of its time.

After the huge success with the first instalment, in 2008 Sunlounger brought to you “Sunny Tales”. The innovation of this whole new album just magnifies the importance of this Mr Shah’s new music style in our lives, a must, a stylistic departure from day-to-day hectic life to a place where we shouldn’t need anything else since his own style is so inherently unique. This time again same as it’s predecessor, the album has the best of intentions to come up with a similar genre-bending efforts, something that we got used to. Balearic music is perceived by many to be an Ibiza-driven ‘take-me-there’ obsession and the current state of radio reflects its primary audience as becoming more and more desired by every listener and the number increases each passing year. One major effect of this album has been the popularization of an entire new elite of vocalists. Again working side by side along Zara Taylor, the album sees a new list and improved list, such as Kyler England, Cap & Stephanie Asscher, Lorilee, Ingsha featuring Simon Binkenborn, Seis Cuerdas. The artists in question shows a substantial lyrical ability besides cleverly mind-blowing melodic lines over Balearic-driven beats with enough skill to spread around the world and not just around Las Salinas in Ibiza.

Coming strong in 2010, Sunlounger offers the third chapter, a new glimpse of “pleasure island” in his own way. The album, divided in two amazing parts, downtempo and uptempo has the best of intentions to achieve his goal of bringing skills, making similar genre-bending efforts, that simultaneously manages to keep the same sound and style that we all got used to for some good years by now. In a way, Sunlounger and friends comes back, remaining surprisingly the same as we know him, giving thoughtful track names about life in a place that only imagination or dreams can get to, in a world where most listeners would rather live. For instance, take the very first track of the album “The Beach Side of Life”. Another mind-blowing track, with it’s Spanish-guitar sound-a-like, it’s the best way to introduce the listener to Sunlounger’s world. The second track “Found” (featuring Zara Taylor), Sunlounger does his best to get his own perspective and expresses his desire for a beautiful female that he once “Lost” but now he finally “Found”. Zara’s voice rises above layer upon layer, plus the lyrical structure it’s a pure understanding of what love means. Another satisfying cut, “Coastline,” finds the artist’s real talent, having so much to offer the audience in desperate need of hearing Balearic substance. “Breaking Waves” is one of the most poignant songs that he ever written and finds him highlighting over Inger Hansen’s vocals and his great guitar, that does its job properly. At one point he recalls his most cherished moments with “Kuta Beach”, something of a rarity in a world where mindless hooks seems to have replaced genuine Ibiza moments with some others he experienced in Bali, Indonesia.

Sander van Doorn

The message on “Beautiful Night” (featuring Antonia Lucas) becomes too close to validating their status as a ‘perfect duo’ making them both a great pair in desperate need of respect, being followed by “Summer Escape” along with Inger Hansen’s guitar, showcasing his unique ability to create another great track. “Trademark White” (a reference to Shah’s own on-stage persona) it’s another stellar track inspired in mood as it is in content, bringing more vibrant percussions, being laced with great piano. On the other hand “Life” crafted with Lorilee’s voice its a great production that upholds the golden spirit and venerate the power of life with a down-tempo pads in carefully-crafted compositions. Another great track just follows remembering “Acapulco Waves”, that’s something worth singing about, where again Inger Hansen’s guitar sounds so angelic and pure as usual. Speaking about angelic sounds, “Feels like Heaven” along Zara Taylor, it’s yet another profoundly moving, touching sound of them two, continues to push the margins on their production by placing a premium on Zara’s voice. What’s most impressive about “Son of a Beach” is it’s sonic consistency and quality of beach-side effect and appearances, conducts the whole album into a whole new perspective where the end its just the new beginning of a new chapter. Is like… it might seem unnecessary at this point to talk about it, considering his previous achievements in the past and the fact that he always keeps his Balearic sound-a-like alive, but there is a major necessity to those who are already aware of his previous credentials.

For the ones that loves a bit of progressive, the second part of the album sees Sunlounger’s style getting a bit more uplifting with his uptempo beat, therefore when it comes to the art of this kind of music, there is no denying that Sunlounger is the man to beat. On his latest full-length offering, “The Beach Side of Life”, the Ibiza veteran gladly demonstrates his immense musical skills with otherworldly wisdom reserved for a grown-folks audience. Only Roger Shah can match the sound of Las Salinas, being well known for it for so many years. In the end, Sunlounger keeps it real in ways that many can’t and for that, Trance music with a bit of Balearic is so much better for it. Now, that’s something worth writing about it, therefore I can easily start all over again, but will leave that for some other time, perhaps a 4th album in the making ?

Written by Cosmin Lukacs (TranceSound.net admin/founder)

Tracklist:

CD1 – Down-tempo
CD2 – Up-tempo

01. Sunlounger – The Beach Side Of Life
02. Sunlounger feat. Zara Taylor – Found
03. Sunlounger – Coastline
04. Sunlounger feat. Inger Hansen – Breaking Waves
05. Sunlounger – Kuta Beach
06. Sunlounger feat. Antonia Lucas – Beautiful Night
07. Sunlounger – Summer Escape
08. Sunlounger – Trademark White
09. Sunlounger feat. Lorilee – Life
10. Sunlounger – Acapulco Waves
11. Sunlounger feat. Zara Taylor – Feels Like Heaven
12. Sunlounger – Son Of A Beach