Love is one of the strongest and most difficult to understand emotions. It can lift us up to amazing heights but also break us down into fantastic lows. But love is something that will always be there, just like music. New discovery Terry Lee Nichols channels his talent to share the many forms of love that have shaped his life. The album is perfectly titled Love Is…
The Florida-based composer and multi-instrumentalist found his love of music at the age of 4 when he would sit at his grandmother’s piano and enjoy the popular tunes of the day. That passion continued through High School where he started composing and arranging as well. Terry Lee Nichols studied composition and theory at Florida State University, touring internationally with the FSU jazz ensemble and later earned an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Though life took a detour into technology, founding and later selling a successful software company, he has since returned to his first love—music.
Known for his evocative blend of new age, cinematic, and neoclassical styles, Nichols delivers an elevent-track journey that explores the multifaceted nature of love with breathtaking depth and artistry on Love Is…. The album is a lush, piano-driven tapestry that resonates with emotional authenticity and orchestral grandeur.
Terry Lee Nichols Paints Love’s Many Shades
From the opening soundscape of the opener “Is This All Just A Dream,” Nichols sets the stage for an immersive experience that feels like a soundtrack to life’s most profound emotions. The album’s concept is both universal and deeply personal, exploring love in its many forms—romantic, familial, spiritual, and even cosmic. The classic ‘Moon RIver’ vocals tie us to our memories of peaceful times of love.
“Lying Next To You” opens similarly but adds some beautiful piano as the highlight. Rebekah Eden’s wordless vocalizations add an ethereal quality, evoking a sense of ease and timeless connection. You can almost feel the emotions as if they were your own. The pace picks up on “Morning Glory” as Terry Lee Nichols glides effortlessly over the keys. The track’s dynamic shifts, from tender introspection to triumphant crescendos, mirror the unpredictable waves of emotion that love brings. Rebekah Eden lends her vocal prowess to this one as well to punctuate the cinematic nature of the song.
The range of Terry Lee Nichols as well as the emotion of Love is shown on “Trinity.” There is a darker vibe running through this one that lets the listener use their imagination as to what happened to lead to this. Nichols’ intricate piano and subtle synth textures create a soundscape that feels both vast and intimate at the same time. There are questions on where “We’ve Had A Good Life” is trying to take us, but that is the power of music. We can let our own emotions dictate the vibe of the song, especially an instrumental.
We are treated to the warm tenor of John Riesen on “Nella Fantasia.” Gentle strings mesh with pretty piano melodies and the operatic vocals to lift us to a higher place in our listening. Riesen’s emotive delivery carries a sense of longing, perfectly complementing Nichols’ cinematic arrangement, which builds to a heart-swelling climax.
Love Is… is a testament to Terry Lee Nichols’ mastery as a composer and storyteller. With Rebekah Eden and John Riesen lending their talents, he has created an album that’s as emotionally rich as it is sonically stunning. For fans of new age, neoclassical, or cinematic music, this is a journey worth taking—one that invites you to feel deeply and reflect on the many faces of love and the amazing emotion that it is.
Dive deeper into the beautiful world of Terry Lee Nichols on his WEBSITE.
