Despite its title, ‘For Sunny Days’ finds Steve Orchard in something of a reflective mood, contemplating blue skies and the warmth of the sun with a gentle, heartfelt longing. Kind of akin to strolling along country paths without a care in the world, while taking in the wonder and beauty that surrounds you.
Indeed, the music drifts effortlessly past you like the summer breeze, lifting your spirits with delicate rhythms and warming your soul with gentle melodies and memorable themes.
There are nice rhythmic interludes, like the deep drums that kick in after 2 minutes of the title track. Or the gentle rhythms on the excellent ‘Heart Haze’,  ‘Southerly Breeze’ and ‘Beach Life’. For the most part though, the rhythms move gently beneath Steve’s impressive orchestration and arrangements. And this is an album where Steve’s excellent guitar work takes a back seat for the most part, with keys and synths very much to the fore.
Steve has the knack of being able to conjure up moods, whether it be his ambient excursions or on new age albums like this. ‘For Sunny Days’ perfectly reflects a mood of summer without ever venturing into cliche. Recommended!