STEPHEN WALLACK, Open

In my 2021 review of Stephen Wallack’s stellar, multi-faceted fourth album Colors, the pianist/composer was a fresh artist on my radar, so I began with my fascination about his unique array of influences.  George Winston made perfect sense considering the alternately graceful and adventurous solo piano aesthetic that’s marked his music since releasing his debut album Chapters in 2019.

Yet what really hooked me was the fact that Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready was his first guitar teacher who became friends with Wallack early in the band’s rise to fame. McCready bought him his first guitar and set him on his way with a couple of lessons. Which likely makes him the only new age piano artist who has roots in the grunge era!

I also made note of another key element of Wallack’s unique artistry – his penchant for using single word titles, which allows him to leave the visual narrative to the listener’s imagination and allows each person to find a personal connection to the song. As he says, “I don’t like giving people too much information about my music because I want them to make it their own. I want listeners to write their own stories to them. I think it makes them more meaningful.”

On his equally captivating, infectious and emotionally expressive sixth full-length collection Open, Wallack mostly sticks to those parameters throughout but provocatively includes a single hypnotic track that whimsically defies both of those parameters – “Girl in the Painting,” which is as compelling an entry point as any and a perfect choice for listeners seeking a dynamic addition to a solo piano playlist of some of early 2025’s best works. He explains it as literally his version of creating an aural movie about a girl that sits in a painting in his house.

Beginning with a seductive repeating motif that slowly builds in intensity and intention, the song “paints” a narrative of what her life must have been like.  As the melody/story progresses, its lively energy and free-flowing grace, followed by darker moments of pause and reflection, allows us to imagine the girl’s complex life, infused with joyful pursuits balanced by moments of heavier emotion and perhaps a haunting mystery at her core. This is the magic of Stephen Wallack’s music in a colorful nutshell. Those who engage may find a completely different meaning in the piece.

Interestingly, while Wallack doesn’t tack his own personal interpretations on individual songs, Open has an important overarching theme, reflecting the last few years in his life and his attempt to be more inspired by all of our differences in this world. His personal experience has found him trying to “open” up his heart and mind to fresh ideas and new people while challenging himself to see life through multiple lenses. “Open,” he adds, “is my journey to connect with a deeper self-awareness and a greater hope that we can all find that inner peace we so desperately need.”   

Where so many solo albums feel dominated with meditative or introspective ballads, Wallack truly draws upon the legendary Winston dynamic in bringing the ivories alive most often with joyful melodies and playing that help us visualize his hands jubilantly dancing on the keyboard – and will maybe prompt some listeners to exult, tap their toes and get up and dance at times. A title like Faith might make folks think it’s going to be some sort of sacred hymn, but this sparkling, gem falls more in line with a rousing gospel service, punctuated at the perfect junctures by a slower pace to ensure a thoughtful, prayerful mindset.

The pianist infuses the same type of exuberance into a jubilant celebration of a beautiful “Love Story,” the whimsical, ever-charming “Fall” and a freewheeling, frolic-filled, road trip to explore the splendors “Maine,” which is one of Wallack’s two geographical centerpieces; the other,  “Ireland,” shades slightly darker, offering cautious sparks of optimism simmering amidst the landscapes of green hills and mist.

A title like “Changes,” a more deliberately paced tune that perfectly balances dark tones and shards of high register dazzle/sunlight – could be interpreted as a reflection of Wallack’s mission statement to shift his thinking to more openminded. Among the other two multi-word titled tunes, the snappy, quick-witted “Once Upon a Time” is pure lighthearted innocence, while “One Last Run,” like the closing track “Storm,” feel like gentle cooling caresses, offering brief yet soulful cloud cover to artfully balance out the higher energy tunes. With Wallack, you never know where the next Open door, the next enlightening revelation will come from – but it’s bound to be spectacular!