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Review by Bill Binkelman While not as inviting or engaging as the previous release from Elivia Melodey, Journey to Wholeness, Crystal Portal is arguably more mystical, haunting, and also sounds more improvised, which is to be expected given the circumstances of the album (recorded during the Lunar Eclipse of the Harmonic Concordance on November 8, 2003). The CD features Elivia Melodey on singing crystal bowls, freenotes, Celtic harp, imbarimba chimes, bells and water drum, Amrita on singing crystal bowls, Earth bowls, tingshas, gong and bells, and Gene Passofaro on silver transverse flute and tingshas. There's absolutely no reason to buy this CD unless you find the sound of singing bowls as enchanting and mesmerizing as I do. While flute is present on the CD, this is not "pretty" new age music as many would define it. It has a more pronounced ambient/experimental feel to it, as the drones, reverberating notes, and rimming vibrations from the bowls resonate and produce a sonic background that is at once both soothing and strangely invigorating. The way the drones (via sustained bowl vibrations) hang in the air and surround everything else, e.g., the wafting flute melodies, is intoxicating and heady if you're attuned (no pun intended) to this sort of music. If you've never experienced crystal bowls and their amazing sonic qualities, this may not be the ideal album for you simply because there is a lot more going on here than just them (a better choice might be Deuter's Tibet &endash; Nada Himalaya 2). For example, on track 1, "Cellular Initiation," Passofaro's flute gets a real work out, playfully lilting at times and flowing softly at others. This doesn't so much distract from the bowls' music but it does grab one's attention away from them sometimes. "Beyond Time" is more minimal and courses more serenely throughout its twelve-minute duration than the previous seventeen-plus minute opening song. There are two other tracks on the CD ("Exultation" and "Concordance") and while there are obvious differences between each cut, (e.g. "Concordance" features deep resonant vibrations from gongs, while "Exultation" has delicate harp notes playfully integrating with the most lively flute on the album briefly at the outset and also contains high-pitched bells), the nature of the music on Crystal Portal is such that this CD is four pieces of a whole, rather than separate and distinct entities unto themselves. I suppose new age music fans will gravitate towards this release more than ambient or spacemusic listeners, although honestly, I think the improvisational and "textural" components to this music are actually more aligned to an ambient sensibility than they are to "typical" new age music. However, preconceptions being what they are, narrow-minded individuals will read that this was recorded during the Harmonic Concordance and just automatically reject it. So be it. This is true music of the spheres and is as wondrous and ethereal as any spacemusic or floating ambient of recent memory. The flute does have a mild East Indian/Middle Eastern characteristic at times, but I'd hesitate to refer to this as world or world fusion music. Whether you personally will attribute any special healing or consciousness-raising benefits to Crystal Portal will probably depend on your willingness to believe in the sonic qualities of the instruments. I find myself captivated by Elivia's singing crystal bowls (and Amrita and Passofaro provide excellent accompaniment). As with Journey to Wholeness, Howard Givens (of Spotted Peccary) mastered this album and did his usual exemplary work. All in all, I solidly recommend the album, moreso for those who already know they like singing bowls, rather than neophytes. |
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