Music to Make You Smile
A smile is worth a thousand words… The need for music that makes you smile is more important now than ever before. The number one infectious human emotion is joy and often it starts with a smile. When we see it, we feel it and then we are compelled share it. These songs share their joyful energy to make you feel good and connect in a positive way. For serious people, this playlist comes with a warning: you may feel like dancing.
1/ Calling County Clare by Fiona Joy Hawkins (Moving Through Worlds)
This song is a joyful Celtic dance. All my ancestors are Celtic and though I have never visited Ireland I feel it’s somehow in my DNA because of a strong attachment to both the landscape and the music.
2/ Cherry Blossom by Robin Spielberg (Another Time Another Place)
Every time I listen to this solo piano pieces it makes me happy, its simply joyous and light and played beautifully. I love Robin’s work and this one fits the playlist perfectly.
3/ Mexican Daydream by Jennifer Defrayne (By a Wire)
I adore this song, the melody is infectious and the rhythm makes you feel like dancing. I’m very partial to this track because I co-produced the album alongside Will Ackerman and it was a day of sunshine when Jen recorded this track. One can’t help but be happy when listening to it.
4/ Joy by George Winston (December)
I have always loved George Winston and discovered his music along with this all-time favourite track when I was in my early 20s. I was quite taken by George’s circular piano style and I wore out every one of his albums. I think I’m George’s biggest fan.
5/ An Evening Walk by Bernward Koch (Gentle Spirit)
This song is beautifully orchestrated and sits neatly as a New Age piece that is both inspiring and melodically captivating.
6/ Pearls of Joy by Kevin Kern (Imagination’s Light)
The melody creates a sense happiness but with a little ‘yearning’. It is beautifully delicate like a dance that reminds me of something that would begin to play if you opened up a music box.
7/ Adrift at Sea by FLOW (Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy Hawkins, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster) (Flow)
This New Age song is unlike anything else I have ever heard. It’s infectious and draws you into a beautifully happy space. It has a relaxing element and is a well-rounded favourite.
8/ Feeling Sunshine by Fiona Joy Hawkins (Blue Dream)
Exactly as you might imagine, the sun is out and shining brightly. The piano leads and the didgeridoo follows. The Australian wildlife sounds (bird and dingo) are wonderful and you can’t help but smile or laugh a little when you hear them. The track builds gently and takes you to a happy place.
9/ Briars Above the Well by Will Ackerman (Hearing Voices)
This song nourishes the soul and spirit. The use of voice as instrument has a hymn-like quality.
10/ Sunshine Canyon by David Darling & Michael Jones (Amber)
A gorgeous Tchaikovsky’ish dance with a jazz twist that reminds me of a visit to the fair grounds. A wonderful blend of sensual strings and light piano.
Fiona Joy Hawkins is a mainstream Composer/Pianist/Vocalist with an international following, whom she greets weekly with pandemic-inspired, live-streamed concerts. The event’s growing success might be attributable to a combination of her musical talent, a love for her fans, and her disarming Aussie humour. Her latest album is Moving Through Worlds, produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records) and Tom Eaton, for her own label, Little Hartley Music. A prolific composer, she has always been interested in creating music that evokes images, emotions and tells stories.