Chris Murphy – The Tinker’s Dream – Album Review | The Ark of Music – The best music in the world…you never knew existed.

New York state born and raised Irish-Italian world-music guru Chris Murphy is the kind of stuff legends are made of. He writes music. He records music. He performs music. He teaches music. We are guessing, when cut, he bleeds in song.

A lifelong student of the musical art-form, there is not one genre, style, or instrument that has not inspired and informed his sound in some capacity. At 22, despite being self-taught on percussion, guitar, mandolin (and even some Eastern instruments), he met his true love when he picked up the violin for the first time, charmed by it’s profound historical and geographical relevance.

“Forget the exaggerated reports of the music industry’s demise. It’s only the record industry, a relative blip in the history of putting tones in sequence, that’s suffering. Music, and the opportunity to make a life’s work out of it, well, that’s not going anywhere.”

—Chris’s bio

Now based out of Los Angeles, this music troubadour fills his days teaching (guitar, mandolin, violin), composing music for films, performing for audiences local and abroad, and of course, recording his work. Known to record up to six albums in a year’s time, Murphy’s vast catalog of music is indicative of a level of creativity rarely encountered—in any time period. His latest album, The Tinker’s Dream, will be released on 1/27/2017.

Here’s what we dug most…

Connemara Ponies pairs flutes and fiddles in the album’s lively and inspiring opening track. (Note to budding musicians: This is how one sets the tone for an album.) As the melody races on, one can feel the air in the room become clear and nourishing, and suddenly there’s an urge to run across some remote, dewy, European meadow from long ago.

Penny whistles and more ambient acoustic guitar create a pallet of sounds which seem to pull from all corners of the earth while they dance and flutter about in Gibraltar 1988, an honestly beautiful and epic journey-style piece.

Our Favorite Track:
The Tower‘s simple fiddle, acoustic guitar and lone drum kick unite to fill up the airspace and create something contemplative and focused—something that, perhaps, belongs on a Coen brothers film.

The Thistlewood Bridge again showcases the bare-naked greatness of an acoustic guitar, a fiddle, and a humble bass kick. Uptempo and enthusiastic, this is Friday night pub music somewhere in ole’ Ireland.

Saturated in bluegrass and wold tones and themes, experiencing The Tinker’s Dream is like walking back in time, across a Braveheart-esque landscape, or perhaps a morning jaunt through Tolkien’s Hobbiton. Murphy has mastered his ability to blend multiple styles, scales, instruments, moods and soundscapes into a truly unique—and just damn lovely—new form. Perhaps we could dub it Worldgrass music!? Either way, this is quintessential world-music…brisk, clear, and vibrant, a true piece of art.

Whose lovechild…?
Dave Mathews Band meets the Soggy Bottom Boys. Can’t wrap your head around it? Then listen my dear, just listen.

BELOW, you can listen to music from Chris Murphy’s album, The Tinker’s Dream, connect with his website and social media platforms, watch his music video, and find his booking & contact information. Please support Chris Murphy by visiting him online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!