DARRYL WAY

Destinations 2 SPIRIT OF UNICORN

Ex-Curved Air man’s instrumental journey across the planet.

Darryl Way’s 2019 album Destinations was a musical interpretation of a variety of places he’d travelled to around the world. With the follow-up, he revisits even more far-flung locations.

From the beatific Mother Earth to the bohemian Café De Paris and the gentle flow of Ocean Blues, it’s all beautifully realised. The passion and admiration Way feels for the distinctiveness of each stop along the way is evident. Musical motifs reflect each locale: Fiesta Mexicana has the whirl of a Mexican festival and Vegas is glitz and jazzy glitter, while Hungarian Rhapsody acknowledges classical composer Béla Bartók. Every track is accompanied by detailed written explanations of the inspirations behind the composition. But while they’re insightful, the music is as evocative and all-encompassing that it stands alone without any exposition being necessary.

The finale Across A Wide River

(The Immigrant Song), featuring vocals from Way and his wife, brings it all home, completing the journey he began two years back. Whether he plans a third volume of Destinations remains to be seen, but this album matches the high standards of the original.