When I first received this disc it didn’t register with me that this was an artist that I had heard beforehand, but when I listened to it the music was instantly recognizable. Sean Christopher was none other than Sean (Christopher) Dockery, the remarkable artist behind the stunning album Sojourns, which was released a few years ago. With Transcendence Sean takes your soul on a extraordinary otherworldly journey, leaving earth and journeying across the universe for what seems like an eternity before finally reaching paradise. Musically he does this with evolving synthesizer textures, celestial choirs, and the stunning playing of violin virtuoso Andrew Sords. Also featured on this album is the voice of boy soprano Collin McKinley on the piece “Into the Black Hole.” All of the material on this album is original, with the exception of “Luna’s Song,” which is a beautiful re-working of the haunting opening movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
Sean only entered the new age genre about ten years ago, and his long-standing love of classical music permeates throughout the music that he creates. This was very evident with Sojourns, an album that won several awards, and has continued impeccably with Transcendence, which in my opinion is destined to achieve the same renown as its predecessor did. All of the tracks on this album are brilliant, and the album flows beautifully from one selection to the next. I particularly enjoyed the opening track “Gloria” with its heavenly choir, “Into the Black Hole” with the stunning voice of Collin McKinley, and the ghostly “Sleeping on Oort Clouds.” No sophomore jinx with Transcendence, just a superb follow-up to Sojourns, and another new age masterpiece from Sean Christopher! (Independent, seanchristopher.net) John Iverson