Return Trip, a project started by composer and film scorer Martin Richardson, aim to deliver traditional melodies and harmonies developed in central and south America, then evolved around the Mediterranean in Spain and Malta, wrapped by compositions inspired by films. ReScore is a 5-piece showcase of Richardson’s rich style in arranging and composition.
Based in Cadiz, Spain, Martin Richardson has resided in Spain for many years, and having studied music composition in the Open College of Arts, Berklee College of Music, and the Film Scoring Academy of Europe, Richardson’s Return Trip and their EP ReScore are a good display of the man’s academic and artistic merit. ReScore consists of 5 relatively short and simple pieces that were recorded by artists from the European Recording Orchestra, accompanied by guests from the UK and Venezuela.
The music on ReScore showcases both the width and the cohesion of Martin Richardson as a composer and an arranger. Putting the strings usually in the forefront of the ensemble, Return Trip manages to capture a wide range of emotions, from the melancholy of the lamenting starter ‘Sheltering Sky’ and it subsequent conclusion ‘Under a Sheltering Sky’, to the whimsical and curious pizzicato on ‘The Ocean’, Return Trip effortlessly weaves effusive sonic textures that are direct and easy to love. ‘Olivia’ is a piano based stunner that follows the starter quite smoothly that I never even noticed the transition the first couple of listens, sharing a similar ambiance of accepted melancholy, while ‘Cosmos Laundromat’ features a regal interplay between a lush string ensemble and a wandering piano that plays consistently rhythmic arpeggios. The accompaniment from woodwind instruments mark this piece as a standout through the album’s 5 pieces.
ReScore is effortlessly beautiful. The kind of small collection of pieces everyone can agree upon. A solid showcase of a learned academic’s compositional abilities, supported by vividly colorful performances by capable players. A delightful -and delightfully simple- listen.