The Dream of Peace by Kelsie Kimberlin is a hymn of hope and witness-- sung amidst conditions such as would have caused lesser artists to keep their mouths closed. It is not merely a peace song, but a statement about music, carefully considered and crafted to make aspiration a reality of sound.
The production directed by Ukrainian composer Yuriy Shapeta and Colombian Pedro Vengoechea is built up in a stepwise architectural precision. The orchestra and choir lead to a crescendo which is heavy emotionally speaking and the mixing of Grammy winning Liam Nolan and the mastering of Stuart Hawkes are all part of each element serving the heavy message of the song. The orchestration does not drown the clear and pure vocals of Kelsie who sings with a sense of conviction and the energy is accompanied with the belief in what she is saying.
The unusual aspect of this song is the renouncement of uncertainty. The song is bright and catchy without the content loss, and it is powered by electric bass and drums that create really positive energy. The keyboard layers are wisely incorporated to add the liveliness and the choral part, made by the vocal director Larry Friedman is applied to back the ideas of unity and collective action with the strength of miracles. These are not hollow platitudes to sweet music; this is deliberate construction that is geared towards getting one to become really interested.
This circumstance makes the success better. "Dream of Peace" symbolizes the power it glorifies, as it is shot in Kyiv, at one of the most dreadful attacks of the war, interrupted by the air raid sirens. The Ukrainian legacy that Kelsie possesses informs all the choices in this case, this is not the type of performative activism but instead a highly personal activism being turned into an art.
Kelsie is twenty-six years old and she has been honing her skills under the guidance of the world-class producers and it demonstrates that she is mature in her art and she understands that the message and the medium should correspond. Dream of Peace succeeds because it makes its optimism with all the sincerity and professionalism, it does not run away but, on the contrary, it gives a soundtrack that enables one to confront harsh reality with optimism in the heart.
