ROY RASERA AND

ROD IBIETA

Rain

(part of the Earth Ambience series)

Second Sunset (2002)

review by Bill Binkelman

I have frequently admitted my fondness for recordings that combine nature sounds and music, especially the sounds of falling rain and thunder, so it's no wonder that I enjoyed Rain, a unique collaboration between Roy Rasera and Rod Ibieta. I describe this collaboration as "unique" because instead of "co-writing" the music, Rasera and Ibieta "take turns" with the tracks, each one composing either an "even" or "odd" numbered one. The only downside to this method is that you may pick up on the "dissimilarities" between the two artists the deeper you get in the recording - which is where the unifying effect of the constant falling rain and occasional clap of thunder greatly enhances the CD.

While I used the term "downside" above, don't take that as an overt knock on the album. I like this CD and even love some of the songs. Musically, some selections feature piano more prominently, while others rely more on electronic keyboards. The musical styles themselves vary quite a bit, which surprised me. "Float" opens the CD in an ambient/new age vein, as the gentle rain sounds are slowly enveloped in warm washes of electronic keyboards and twinkling synth bells. "Piano Meditations" (the next track) is, of course, a simple but most pleasant new age piano cut.

And this is how the album goes, Rasera composing the odd-numbered songs and Ibieta the even-numbered ones (on track 6, he is assisted, both writing the track and playing it, by Lorrie Sarafin, who plays Native American flute). Both artists exhibit their talent at craftng a combination of short (just over two minutes) and longer (one song is almost eight-minutes long) pieces. Songs alternate between softly rhythmic adult contemporary ("Calm Space" and "Candlelight and Cabernet"), low-key solo piano ("Ghosts from the Past" and "In the Company of Friends"), and new age electronic keyboards ("Private Spaces"). One track, "Gray Skies" even compares favorably to Ray Lynch's work, owing to the particular synthesized instrumentation used and the combination of musical accessibility with a more new age sound to the keyboards.

Rain is undeniably perfect as background music (provided the genres described above are to your liking). However, the lack of musical cohesion (owing to what I mentioned above, i.e. the contrast in musical styles between the two artists) may present some continuity problems if you want your massage or bodywork music to be musically unified. The unifying factor here is the sound of rain underneath the music. Of course, the variety of music also makes it better "active background" or even direct listening music. It's more involving than a lot of "usual" massage music (which is not meant as a criticism of the latter).

What it boils down to is this: I love the sound of falling rain and thunder and I love gently flowing melodic music, whether it be electronic or acoustic in nature. Both are in abundance on this well-recorded album. For me, Rain is a solid recording. Ibieta and Rasera compose memorable and listenable music, whether simple solo piano improvisations or well-layered electronic keyboard pieces. According to the liner notes "Rain has been crafted for stress reduction, relaxation, reflection and renewal of spirit." It sure works for me as such. If you like music that is warm, friendly, and conveys a variety of emotions, set against a backdrop of falling rain, you will likely enjoy this fine CD.