Thad Fiscella
The Road Home
Fourth Hour Music

R.J. Lannan/Zone Music Reporter

Thank God, My Street Is Just Up Ahead

I know somewhat of the plight of Thad Fiscella as he composed his album The Road Home. For years I used to travel for work and although I was home often, sometimes the road got way too long and way too lonely. What helped me keep it together in hotel rooms and classrooms was the thought of what was waiting for me when I returned. I remember watching TV late one night in a Kansas City hotel and as the conclusion of the movie, Sophie's Choice revealed itself, it tore my heart open like a giant can opener and it was all I could do to just breathe. Thad's music, fourteen tracks of contemporary piano and light orchestration is made up of stories on the road. The experiences you have are grand, but the memories stored away deep in the heart are what keeps you going. Make no bones about it; Fiscella wears his heart on his sleeve. As far as this music goes, it is right where it belongs.

There has to be a starting place and this is it. If I believe Thad's music, then the subject of the first cut, Surrey Hills is a place of unsurpassed quietude and a source of joy. It must be quite special with nothing but bright, sunny days, blue skies with clouds that are perfect for three little imaginations to ponder, and people so loved that it aches when you leave them. I believe the music.

Beauty of Grace is one of the most beautifully sad songs I have ever heard. This is a tune chock full of memories and hidden deep down inside, wrapped firmly around the notes like the grip of a small child, may be the sound of one heart breaking. I listened to this more than any other song on the album, delighting in the delicate music box melody, and I think it is actually a song of gratitude. The kind only a grateful parent might know. 

Evening Song is not a lullaby so much as it is a tune to welcome the night. With the mauve and gold of dusk come starlight, prayers, and hopefully, sweet dreams. Thad does this one on solo piano, offering a calming, quiet ballad. It segues perfectly into Sharing the Silence. No time is really ever silent, but when all is quiet and only the creak of the rooftop cooling after a warm afternoon and the whisper of the autumn wind is outside are in the background, you might hear the sound of peacefulness.

The title song, The Road Home, again on solo piano, is a story of years of giving wrapped up in five minutes of yearning. No matter what you do for a living, there are sometimes regrets, second thoughts and changes of heart, but sacrifice carries its own inimitable cost. Thad's tune somehow tells the tale of every woman and every man that does what they do for faith and family.

First Dance starts with a slow waltz created for tiny feet and little fingers. It is the music of the innocent, the melody swirling, swaying, perhaps a few faux pas, but then the music builds as if we see her growing up right before our very eyes.

With the seasons come changes. The tune Bittersweet September is such an occasion. The leaves begin their final transformations, the winds change from murmurs, some becoming more blustery than before and the sun is about to lose its warmth. It is time to be back out on the road again. The word away seems to sum it up. Away from days filled with discovery and the wonder of a favorite story read. Away from breakfast for supper at the noisy dinner table. And away from hearts that make you whole.

The last tune on The Road Home is called At the Cross and it is a testament to one man's unshakable convictions. The music tells me that there is no doubt that Thad balances family and faith like a man on a tightrope. Only this tightrope is made of something longer, wider, and stronger than any earthly design. The hymn is beautiful and even though it is an instrumental, it seems the heart supplies the unheard lyrics rather easily.  

I could give you a long list of Thad Fiscella's accomplishments and awards, but that does no justice for his glorious music. There is so much heart in it that it just overflows from every note, every rest, and every line. The compositions are a careful mixture of memoires, faith, and love translated perfectly by Thad's emotional ballads.

Rating: Excellent