Of all the titles held by Louie Zong, from Burbank, California, – which include engineer, animator, game-designer, illustrator for Cartoon Network, and storyboard artist – one of the least touted is his remarkable career as a musician with a body of work spanning 56 solo albums. Before embarking on his solo career, the artist was also a part of two jazz groups and a pop rock band. How Louie engages and excels in so many passions is beyond me, but the fact that his music is gorgeous, I can attest to with great enthusiasm.
In making his music, Louie takes inspiration from the oldest and perhaps the greatest source of comfort known to humanity: nature. His albums’s titles and covers, and even track-titles, all reference the natural world and samples of earthly sounds like that of dripping water make their way regularly into his instrumentals. Like strolling through a forest or observing the waves in an ocean, his latest album, Water, aims to be a restful and rejuvenating experience. Hardly exceeding the 2 minute mark, the tracks function as quick, byte-sized reveries. As soon as we press play, we are engulfed in the twinkling melodies of the opener Safe from the Storm. Toninha, meanwhile, charms with its jazz-influenced guitar solo whereas Ripples Radiating Out takes a break from the album’s mellow ambiance to give us an energetic, bluesy guitar jam. Water is a soulful and relaxing album that is bound to be enjoyed by lovers of all genres.
Favorite Tracks: Toninha; A Walk in the Fog; A Shady Oasis; Ripples Radiating Out
Track List
1. safe from the storm 02:10
2. toninha 01:39
3. a walk in the fog 01:20
4. ripples, radiating out 01:32
5. across a great sea 02:17
6. the intertidal zone 01:40
7. burbank rainbow 02:10
8. a shady oasis 01:38
9. waterfall music 01:53
Related Links
Louie Zong’s Website
Louie Zong on Twitter
Louie Zong on SoundCloud
Louie Zong on YouTube
Louie Zong on Spotify