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review by Dene Bebbington Tim Wheater must be a busy man because, as well as having worked on over twenty albums, he's also involved in other activities, including some to do with healing, which this album is about. It's fortunate for those of us not interested in the healing side of the new age genre that we can nonetheless enjoy the music. This album generally works well on a musical level, and for those interested in the spiritual side, it has apparently been inspired by the spiritual path of the Shaman. Flute is the lead instrument on Sound Medicine Man. This, of course, imbues it with a spiritual and atmospheric feel which in my case usually makes me think of mountain scenery. At times, the album is a little ambient in nature, with complementary synth pads which are sometimes more than just added textures. All this is complemented by piano, bass, and drums; and there's also Tim's wordless droney vocals which have a meditative quality to them. This is an album which is melodic in a restrained way often found in the new age genre. It's certainly pleasant and relaxing - particularly in the short track "The Blindfold Hunter" where piano and strings combine well together. On other pieces like "Healing the Earth" the vocals get more prominence; these fit with Shamanistic theme but aren't really my cup of tea as I prefer less heavy female vocals for this kind of wordless singing. I found myself liking this album even though the main theme is repeated throughout with some variation, not that repetition is a bad thing, but my criticism of Sound Medicine Man would be that it overdoes it - a little more variety would be welcome. As new age albums go, this is good, neither great nor bad. |
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