I noted in the review of The Beyondness of Things that many film composers try out something new for their concert music, but Barry doesn't seem bothered to push himself and seems content to provide exactly what his fans have come to love about his music; broad orchestral textures (the titular opening track, among others), lush melodies (most of them) - with varying degrees of melancholy - and the occasional light brush of jazz (most enjoyable in the lazy Slow Day and the more upbeat, vaguely Bondian Fred & Cyd). And so he does. Eternal Echoes is rather more sultry and insular than The Beyondness of Things, which did occasionally break into larger musical landscapes, but for this collection, there is feeling of personal contemplation. Some tracks are inspired by Barry's own life, but the larger inspiration is from writer John O'Donahue who Barry compliments in his brief liner note.
A couple of soloists contribute on several tracks; Barry's favourite solo instrument, the harmonica, is performed by Tommy Morgan, while David White performs on sax for the lazy swinging passages. It's easy to say of an album that if you like the composer's other music, you'll like this, but in Barry's case then it's true more often than not. Eternal Echoes doesn't have the immediate, memorable tunes of The Beyondness of Things, nor that album's warmer and more plush tone. It takes a little more careful listening to fully appreciate, but it's easy to slip into Barry's emotive emotional groove. Easy listening, but in the best possible sense.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 43:34