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review by Bill Binkelman Real Music has released three compilations in their new Peace of Mind music series. As I have stated in previous reviews, one thing this label knows how to do is package compilations and these three are not exceptions. Combining artists on their own label with others who are not and mixing previously released material with new compositions, each of these three releases are solid examples of new age music and would make ideal introductions to the genre. What Calling Wisdom, Peaceful Mind, and Oasis of Bliss celebrate is the diversity of the category while seldom straying from music that soothes, calms, or softly invigorates, all within a global context, i.e. integrating music from all parts of the globe. Calling Wisdom is delightful, opening with the stately Asian textures and rhythms of flutist Tim Wheater's "Contemplation," followed by pianist Kevin Kern's delicate "Softly Falling" which blends his whisper-subtle romantic melody with occasional light bells and bell trees as accompaniment. Among the others on the album are Karunesh ("For The Joy Of It All" is a sensuously rhythmic pan-Indian fusion piece with synths, sitar and tabla), multi-instrumentalist Gandalf ("Peaceful Heart" blends synth strings and harp to solid effect) and Ben Leinbach ("Khumjung" is a twelve-plus minute long excursion into yet more East Indian fusion music, this time anchored by sultry bansuri and droning tamboura). Peaceful Mind is a little less world-flavored and more centered on providing rich warm melodic music that hews closer to the traditional new age style. Back To Earth contribute "Children of Hope" (sounding more than a little like Enya, with echoed piano, lush keyboards, and overdubbed breathy female vocals). One of the gems on the album is next: Zen Garden's minimalist nature sound-enhanced "The Secret Place." Here, mysterious piano mixes with the sounds of waves crashing to shore, with moments when birdsong and subtle synthesizer shadings are added to drape the song in even more sensations of "secrecy." Label stalwart Kern is also on this album, contributing the melancholy yet beautiful "Fairy Wings" as well as the hauntingly sedate "Ancient Guardians. " There are some world fusion pieces here, too, such as Karunesh's "Ancient Voices" and Qi Gang's delightful koto and synth piece "Blueness" (which brings some needed levity to the party). 2002 (the duo of Pam and Randy Copus) end the album with "Bliss," one of their trademark soundscapes featuring flowing synths, warm piano, and touching flute melodies. On Oasis of Bliss, a non-Real Music artist, keyboardist George Skaroulis, is featured on the opening and closing tracks, ("Numinous" with synth strings, bell tones, and nostalgic piano tinted with regret, and "The Calling" on which he combines synth choruses with his piano to yield an angelic mixture of keyboard colors with sparse yet accessible ivories). The late (and sorely missed) harpist Hillary Stagg is here via "Beyond the Horizon," and as was always the case with Stagg's music, it is beautiful and filled with delicacy and grace. Karunesh livens things up with "Stargazing" (from his chill-out album that blended ambient beats with his more usual world fusion music, Nirvana Café), crossing over to pseudo-Enigma territory. Danny Wright is (thankfully) represented not by one of his Broadway covers but instead by his version of Vangelis' theme song to the motion picture, Missing, and it is indeed a lovely song and a good choice here. Also on the album (among others) are 2002, Debbie Danbrook, and Back to Earth. Of the three recordings, I'm most fond of Calling Wisdom, which strikes me as the most cohesive. While I cannot really fault Oasis of Bliss, I would have to rate it third among the three reviewed here. However, in all honesty, while these are not wholly interchangeable, I would also hesitate to write that they are distinctly different (Qi Gang and Karunesh appear on all three CDs and most artists appear on two of the three albums). With only a few exceptions, there are no overtly rhythmic numbers anywhere. All three could be enjoyed as background music for dinner, reading, or late night sitting and visiting. Owing to the variety of artists and the interspersing of world fusion with more typical new age music, I don't know if you could use this for "real" meditation, but the music is certainly relaxing and stress-reducing. Ideally, since a fair number of the tracks are previously released (but not all, as I stated earlier), these releases work better as introductions to either the label or the genre, although if you only have a few Real Music recordings, these will serve you well as pre-fab "special mixes." No matter how you slice it, you're gonna hear some solid new age music, so if that trips your trigger (and it does mine when I have a hankering for it), go with any of these (or get all three and make the folks at Real Music extra happy!). |
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