Overall Impression

Utilizing the fullness of grandeur that only an orchestra can provide, Mark Sutton's Spirit of Rome delivers an inspirational instrumental portrait of a monumentally influential civilization with artful compositional ability.  Ethereal and emotionally poignant string leads soar over a rich bed of intriguing and dramatic harmonic movements - patiently ushering the listener into a place of reflective admiration and offering them a brief glimpse of the Spirit of Rome.​

Strongest points:

There's so much to compliment in Mark Sutton's composition, though the most obvious and impactful element of the sound is the tone and timbre of the lead voice(s).  Bearing an emotional gravitas that transcends time and space, that ghostly melodic movement pairs so nicely with the orchestral movements beneath it - and so unexpectedly with the brief moments of melodic harmony - that the listener has no choice but to follow its motion. Very dramatic scoring, with a fully satisfying conclusion.  Well conceived and well produced - excellent work.​

Target Audience Appeal:

Fans of sweeping orchestral scores will fall immediately in love with Sutton's work - but there's a certain niche appeal to fans of period-centric compositions within Spirit of Rome that will define its reception.  Gorgeous as a standalone moment of musical meditation, Spirit of Rome also stands to resonate with fans of video game scores - making Mark Sutton's sound and skill a solid candidate for collaboration in visual and interactive media as well! - Jon W.

Artist tARGET sUGGESTIONS:

Antonin Dvorak, Jeremy Soule, Frida Johansson, Hanz Zimmer, John Williams, Thomas Newman, Alain Amouyal, The Flight, Joris de Man, Chris Tilton, Elitsa Alexandrova, Sarah Schachner, Austin Wintory, Jonathan William

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aBOUT THE rEVIEWER

Jon Wright is a trained multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and music educator with nearly twenty years of experience in the field. Working with musicians and their individual sounds is his passion and profession, and he strives to interact with and understand every aspect of the production process - from theory and songwriting to recording and mastering. He continues to teach students of all ages and is currently collaborating with artists in a wide variety of genres.
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Vocals:  Not Applicable
Lyrics:  Not Applicable
Instrumental Performance/Execution:  Strength
Melody/Rhythm:  Strength
Arrangement/Flow:  Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix:  Strength