by Bill Binkelman

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Ragas Relax
Chinmaya Dunster
Malimba Records
www.malimba.com

Occasionally, an album’s title paints the perfect description of the music contained within. Such is the case with Chinmaya Dunster’s Ragas Relax. Dunster plays sarod, tanpura, swarmendel, monochord, and keyboards and is joined on piano by Joseph Satralkar (samples of other instruments are present as well). Each track develops from the alap phase (i.e., pure directionless musical wandering) of a raga, whereby the listener does not know what is coming next and, in essence, explores the various images that the music conjures up as the piece develops. The freeform nature of the music is extremely conducive to relaxation and journeying inward and is likewise an ideal background choice for massage or the healing arts.

Mystic Love
Bruce BecVar and Lani Star
Shining Star Music
www.shiningstar.com

Bruce BecVar (assorted guitars, bass, percussion, keyboards, and recorder) and Lani Star (vocals, flute, and percussion) join forces on the excellent release, Mystic Love. Aided by a stellar cast of accompanists (including Brian BecVar, Peter Kater, and violinist Doug Cameron), the pair weave a sensuous tropically-influenced web of songs, showcasing both BecVar’s adroit guitar playing and Star’s alluring wordless vocals. Spirited tracks (“Garden of Light”) are counter-balanced by more serene offerings such as “Perfect Rain.” As refreshing as a summer sun-shower, Mystic Love will leave your customers refreshed as if they had spent a week on an island paradise.

Good Sign
Davol
GIRA Sound
www.davolmusic.com

If there’s a better purveyor of superbly crafted, catchy, hook-laden electronic keyboard “pop” instrumental music than Davol, I haven’t heard them. Good Sign is Davol’s follow-up to 2005’s A Day Like No Other, trumping that release’s greatness. The album’s eight tracks of infectious, bubbly effervescence are guaranteed to elevate even the sourest of moods. No matter what musical style Davol plays in, the results are uniformly appealing and instantly engaging. From the breezy melodies of the title track, to the chill-out beats of “Nautikos,” and ending with the sparkly iridescence of “Goodnight,” Good Sign is a sheer delight throughout. Play this CD in-store when your customers, or even you yourself, need a lift!

Cello and Piano Sanctuary
Merrill Collins and Joseph Hébert
Spiraling Music
www.spiralingmusic.com

Pianist Merrill Collins joins with cellist Joseph Hébert on Cello and Piano Sanctuary, a recording of variations based on chants, hymns, and spirituals. This special album touches the listener’s heart and tugs effortlessly at deep-seated emotions, thanks to the beauty of these two instruments played so harmoniously. Soothing and comforting, the album could be used as background accompaniment for everything from weddings to memorial services, so heartfelt is the impact of these 10 tracks. The occasional presence of harp, synth, and bells is an added bonus—icing on the cake, so to speak.

Songs From the Witches Wood
Kate Price
LunaVerse Music
www.kateprice.com

Kate Price has “rescued” some wonderful nuggets from her past on Songs From the Witches Wood (subtitled Vocal Retrospective 1984-1994). Using digital studio technology, the original analog recordings have had new life breathed into them. The result is proof positive that great music never goes out of style, as Price’s exquisite Celtic/English folk vocals are splendidly showcased against a backdrop of a large assortment of acoustic instruments, evoking the rich musical heritage of both contemporary and old folk music from the British Isles. While some compare her to Loreena McKennitt, I think an equally fitting similarity is to the late Sandy Denny when she was with Fairport Convention, although, to be honest, Kate Price is a true original.

One Incredible Life
Kathy Zavada
Precious Music
www.kathyzavada.com

Vocalist and pianist/keyboardist Kathy Zavada’s latest album, One Incredible Life, presents the singer at her best with her expressive voice graced by solid instrumental accompaniment (guitar, bass, drums) across various genres (e.g., folk, blues, jump boogie, and occasional inflections of country). Zavada’s vocals compare quite favorably to Mary Chapin Carpenter, which is, of course, a huge compliment. The 10 tracks’ lyrics (included in the liner notes) are all uniformly affirming in tone, and sometimes overtly spiritual, such as on “Thank You God,” and “All Things Are Possible.” However, secular humanists can equally appreciate the love and care that went into making this fine recording, as well as the great music itself.

Inner Voyages
Christopher Boscole
Christopher Boscole
www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ChristopherBoscole

Christopher Boscole’s latest solo piano release, Inner Voyages, shows why many fans of the genre are sitting up and taking notice of this artist who seemingly reemerged in 2008 after a long absence (his previous release before that was in 1993). Boscole’s style is fluid and melodic without being too commercial or schmaltzy. Some songs illustrate a classical influence while others touch on world/ethnic (“Spanish Dreamer” and “Princess Taiping”) or adult contemporary flavors. For the most part, power and drama are held in check, so the CD can be recommended to those who are seeking music that is low-key but not overly so.

Dreamwalking
Trevor Stewart and Earthlines
Isnayani Music
www.cdbaby.com/cd/trevorstewart4

This column’s award for assembling a unique yet accessible musical ensemble goes to Trevor Stewart and Earthlines’ and their album Dreamwalking. Combining disparate instruments (Chapman stick, viola, percussion, Native flute, didgeridoo, gong, steel drums, concertina, djembe, and shakers) requires the four performers to exhibit lots of simpatico, lest they step all over each other (musically). Stewart and his three band-mates (Rik Stevenson, Terry Corbertt, and Dennis Balderes) play together seamlessly and soulfully. The music, taken from the film Return to PrairyErth, has an undeniable rural-ness as well as plenty of cross-cultural spice. The fantastic cover art begs prominent shelf placement!

Didgeridoo Drum Dance
Various artists
Music Mosaic, www.music-mosaic.com

If you have customers who can’t get enough of the Australian didgeridoo, this compilation from the excellent Music Mosaic label is the solution. Didgeridoo Drum Dance should fulfill everyone who hungers for the buzzing, barking, and droning sounds of this ancient instrument. If you play this CD in-store, make sure your store’s aisles are wide, because the word “dance” in the title is not an idle claim. These sonic explorations of world-beat rhythms and Aboriginal growls will get in the blood of anyone with a pulse. Unlike similar compilations, the only instrumental accompaniment to the didgeridoo is pervasive rhythm played on either percussion, drums, or via programmed beats. This doesn’t keep this CD from being a veritable stew of many flavors!

Land of the Buddhas
Chinmaya Dunster
New Earth Records, www.newearthrecords.com

Land of the Buddhas is a career-retrospective collection culled from the New Earth recordings of Indian/world fusion artist Chinmaya Dunster, who releases music both as a solo artist and with his ensemble, the Celtic Ragas Band. Dunster excels at retaining the basic motifs of Indian raga music while infusing it with world influences (e.g., Celtic) or more contemporary textures and stylings. This “best of” CD showcases his many-hued musical tapestry: the opening classical raga “Rag Shivranjani,” the Deuter-ish “Gir Forest,” the meditative “Full Moon,” a slyly sensual and slightly funky “Bhairavi,” and the rousing closing piece, a mixture of Irish reels and Indian rhythms, “Chance Finding.”

Destination Beyond
Steve Roach
Projekt, www.projekt.com

Some Steve Roach fans may not know that this desert Southwest citizen has a number of musical personalities, not just his trademark darker, ambient, drone-like soundscapes. Destination Beyond illustrates this as Roach infuses his fluid synthesizer textures with a stream of subtle-yet-kinetic electronic rhythms. Since the CD contains one long track, the music gradually morphs and evolves over its 71 minutes. Opening with a swirl of warm, ambient keyboards, the percolating beats gradually emerge from the shadows and envelope the textural underpinnings. The album also features a fair amount of the more typical, shimmering desert spacemusic for which Roach is so well known. Destination Beyond is another satisfying ambient album from this acclaimed artist.

Mountain Spirits
Conni St. Pierre
SmashEasy, www.smasheasy.com

Conni St. Pierre is a unique artist in the New Age music genre, and Mountain Spirits is her most adventurous CD to date. While St. Pierre’s instruments are not unusual—alto and shakuhachi flutes, as well as an assortment of synths and keyboards, joined by Patrick Malia on tabla and guitar on three songs—it’s the way she uses her bell-tone synths and haunting flutes that differentiates her from other artists in the field. Although the first two tracks are more lively, Mountain Spirits tends to be minimalist, introspective, and reflective. “Under the Tundra” features only echoed piano, while “Rivulet” flows with layers of electronic keyboards. “Snow Fields” is moody with a subtle dose of quasi-dissonance, and the closing three tracks are dark, drifting soundscapes suffused with shadowy beauty.

The Promise
Michael Stribling
Leela Music, www.leela-music.com

Electronic keyboard artist Michael Stribling gets better with each successive release. His sixth, The Promise, demonstrates his mastery across a variety of styles and moods, as he deftly navigates from the percolating electronica of the opening “Bright New Day” through the dreamy fluidity of “When Love Comes Near,” the aptly-titled languid “Late at Night,” the quasi-ambient melancholy of “Forgotten Dreams,” the gentle bubbliness of “Distant Shores,” and the playful effervescence of the closing trippy “All in Good Time” (reminiscent of uptempo Ray Lynch). This is a richly diverse and highly accomplished album.

Liberation’s Door
Snatam Kaur
Spirit Voyage Records, www.spiritvoyage.com

Snatam Kaur and guest artist Guru Ganesha Singh unite their voices and Singh’s guitar playing on the wonderful Liberation’s Door, a beautiful fusion of chants and songs accompanied by both traditional (sarod, santoor, esraj, and tabla) and contemporary instruments (flute, sax, cello, keyboards, and bass). The first track, “Servant of Peace,” is a great example of this amalgam of the two musical styles. While the chants are sung in a subdued, flowing, gentle manner, when Kaur switches over to the English lyrics of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, the music takes on the infectiousness of a modern folk-rock motif. The remaining nine tracks continue to showcase Kaur’s outstanding vocals as well as impressive musical contributions from the other 11 accompanists. This is undoubtedly one of the top chant releases of the past year.

Bill Binkelman has been reviewing New Age, ambient, and world-beat music since 1997. Email him at bill@newageretailer.com.