Fiona Joy Hawkins has built a career on creating music that is both emotionally direct and musically refined. An ARIA-nominated pianist, composer, and singer, she is known for blending classical influences with elements of new age, Celtic, and jazz. Her artistry has taken her to some of the world’s most iconic stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Grammy Museum, and her work has appeared on a Grammy-winning album. Based in rural Australia, Hawkins has always written music with a sense of openness and honesty, aiming to connect with listeners in a way that feels healing and personal. When Shadows Talk is the latest chapter in her story, and it is one of her most reflective and intimate works yet. The album opens with Stasis, a piece that captures the quiet pause before change. Its gentle chords and measured pace give a sense of stillness, almost like holding one’s breath. From there, The Ghosts of War Are Marching introduces darker tones, a piece filled with shadows and echoes that feel like memories moving forward in solemn procession.
Lava and Snow brings contrast, its rolling passages balancing warmth and fragility, as if fire and ice are locked in dialogue. Angel’s Message softens the mood with lyrical phrases that seem to float above the keys, carrying an air of hope. In The Lost Ballerina, Hawkins paints a portrait of delicacy and grace, the melody almost dancing across the piano in fragile steps. The brief but powerful In the Deep feels like a meditation, diving inward to places seldom explored. By contrast, Outside the Circle carries momentum, suggesting a step away from conformity and into a wider space. Finding the Clearing follows this path, its brighter lines creating an image of light breaking through trees after a long walk in the forest. The Mirror is contemplative, with gentle phrasing that reflects the idea of looking inward with honesty and vulnerability. The Journey, one of the longer tracks, expands the mood into something more sweeping, capturing the passage of time and the persistence of growth.
The sharp Hitting the Glass provides a sudden jolt. At just over a minute long, it feels like striking against a boundary, unresolved but deeply expressive. The closing piece, The Brown Bird, brings the album to a delicate and poignant end. Its soft lines are like feathers falling, a reminder of beauty in fragility. Performed on a rare 97-key Stuart & Sons grand piano, the album highlights Hawkins’ gift for nuance and expression. Every piece feels carefully crafted but never forced, allowing listeners to connect on a deeply personal level. More than just a collection of piano works, When Shadows Talk is a storybook of emotions—quiet, bold, painful, and comforting—told by an artist who has dedicated her life to creating music that truly matters.
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