Everyone has experienced the loss of a loved one in some way or another, but one can only imagine the void created in a parent's life when forced to deal with the death of one of their children. This is unfortunately something Belgian musician Philippe Laloux had to cope with after his son Thibaut (T-Bo) was killed by a drunk driver at the tender age of 19 in 2003. Thibaut was an avid supporter of his Fathers music and had always encouraged him to record a CD, but Philippe would always tell his son that he'd do it when he had time. A month after his passing the time suddenly seemed right to begin work on the songs which are presented here as We Stay Together.
All of the instrumental music was composed solely by Laloux, who's primarily a drummer, but he also got some valued assistance for the arrangements from two other key musicians who play a prominent role throughout this disc courtesy of keyboardist / trumpet player Hughes Gillard and guitarist David Epis. While a big portion of the material is delicate, meditative and introspective sounding, which is not surprising considering the fact that Laloux was pretty much writing the music as a tribute to his son; there is also a strong feeling of hope and rebirth which is projected quite strongly in the music. A few tracks here and there almost reach a 'rock out' state as Epis peels off a few tasty solos in "Tears In The Rain", a track which also features some nice sax and flute interplay.. The flute playing of Pierre Gillet on songs like "Play It", "Your Gentleness" and "Take Time" really takes these tracks to a whole other level. Many of the compositions start off quite serenely before a flute or sax solo or a finely executed guitar passage suddenly gives the song its wings and it begins to take flight. If I had to describe the style of music on this album, I'd say it's a mix between progressive rock with a bit of a new age twist. There are also no individual stars on We Stay Together as everyone seeks to serve the best interests of the song and I think they succeeded.
Music has always shown it can be a great healer and Philippe Laloux has done an absolutely magnificent job with the willing and talented musicians that contributed to this heartfelt and lasting tribute to his late son; a tribute I'm sure Thibaut would be very proud of.
Track Listing
1) Play It
2) Take Time
3) Different Kinds Of Life
4) Going On
5) You Will Find
6) Love Is Everything
7) Tears In The Rain
8) Your Gentleness
9) Love And Energy
10) Treasured Moments
11) Teach Me
12) Parallel Directions
13) See You Later
14) Sending Love
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