"The Best of Michael Hedges"
Michael Hedges
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Guitarist Michael Hedges first stretched the boundaries of
new acoustic music with his "two-handed" percussive playing
style and impressive energy. Tragically this artist died in
a car crash in 1997, but his work lives on in this "Best of"
release, including such classics as "Aerial Boundaries,"
"The Double Planet," and "Rickover's Dream." Hear the magic
of Michael Hedges's innovative guitar on this special
collection of 17 songs.
"Unbearable Love"
Walela
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Rita Coolidge and Walela follow up their impressive debut of
Native gospel music with this sophomore album that's as
soothing as a lullaby. Rich with warm, velvety voices and
music that's smooth around the edges, "Unbearable Love"
expands Walela's a cappella boundaries by dipping into
country and soul territory. Still, the Coolidge sisters and
Laura Satterfield cast a deep purple spell on listeners with
their curvaceous vocal style and reposed confidence.
"Ghost Town"
Bill Frisell
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Bill Frisell began his late-1990s foray into the American
heart with the gorgeous "Nashville". Now he opens the new
century on a different road with "Ghost Town," his first
solo outing. Frisell creates a fascinating amalgam of jazz,
roots music, and sonic portraiture while emitting a musical
aura that's both eerily dreamy and warmly pastoral. A quiet
gem.
"Live on Earth"
Krishna Das
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Millions of New Age listeners have found a connection to a
higher spiritual power with the help of chant master Krishna
Das. Working in yoga centers throughout the country, Das has
brought chant to many who seek to center the soul through a
group environment and has impressed the likes of Sting and
Madonna. "Live on Earth" spotlights Das at work in a live
setting where ancient Hindu ragas form the fabric of the
chant's magic while Das's own inspiration shapes the melody.
JOANNE SHENANDOAH: SAYING HER PRAYERS
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Joanne Shenandoah has long been a force in Native American
music. With a silken voice, Shenandoah celebrates her
Iroquois culture through renditions of Iroquois stories,
poems, and her own original lyrics. Her new album,
"Peacemaker's Journey," pays tribute to the Peacemaker, who
united the Iroquois tribes and whose legend inspired the
album's music, which is rife with quiet violins, acoustic
guitar, and world percussion. Amazon.com writer John
Diliberto talks with Shenandoah about her new album, her
calling to sing, and her connection to a higher power.
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EDITOR'S CHOICE
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"Future"
Soma Sonic
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With future-forward innovation and style, Soma Sonic deliver
aural textures on the darker side of the electronica
spectrum and scratch beneath the surface of their ambient
trip-hop appeal. Created by brothers Francois and Dominic
Patterson, "Future" uses down-tempo electronic grooves and
funky beats to highlight the crystal voice of guest singer
Amanda Weiss and recalls the sensuality of Portishead.
Highly recommended.
GREAT YOGA CDS
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A yogic state of being is enhanced by a soothing aural
milieu. Amazon.com's New Age editor chooses a diverse
selection of albums including Native songsters Coyote Oldman
and New Age pioneer Steve Halpbern to help set the mood,
whether you're looking for a centering early-morning workout
or a calming end-of-day relaxation session.
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1. "Heart of the World"
Mary Youngblood
REVIEW of this album
Mary Youngblood has an extraordinary gift for connecting to
the spirituality of the universe, and this profound link
shines through on her new release, "Heart of the World."
With various wooden flutes, traditional Native American
percussion, acoustic guitar, and exquisite vocals from
Joanne Shenandoah, this album rings out in a bright
celebration of land and life.
2. "House Made of Dawn"
Coyote Oldman
REVIEW of this album
"House Made of Dawn" is the stunning new release from the
duo Coyote Oldman. Breathy pan pipes float over an ambient
horizon, drifting and mingling like clouds buoyed by breezes
of long, luscious notes. Native cedar flutes soar in slow,
expansive melodies like birds calling to each other across
the universe, filling the soul with soothing, melancholy
tones. Exquisite and refreshing.
3. "Light Fantastic"
Steve Roach
REVIEW of this album
Over the course of 40 albums in 18 years, synthesist Steve
Roach has journeyed to many musical places. Inspired by
German space music, Roach began his career creating
electronic soundscapes before traveling into dark, ambient
voids and finding a lasting muse in the tribal music of the
Australian desert. On "Light Fantastic" Roach returns to an
electronic, luminescent sound.
4. "Inside Monument Valley"
R. Carlos Nakai, Paul Horn
REVIEW of this album
Native flutist R. Carlos Nakai is not only a longtime solo
artist but also a prolific collaborator--and not just with
people, but also with nature. Nakai has recorded with
William Eaton, Nawang Khechog, Peter Kater, and now with
Paul Horn on "Inside Monument Valley." The two create
lovely, sensual flute music in the famous Southwest canyon
while rumbling thunder, tweeting birds, buzzing flies, and
Horn's dog sing along.
5. "You Are Here"
Uman
REVIEW of this album
The Parisian duo of Didier and Danielle Jean layer rich,
woody percussion over ambient synth sounds and exotic vocals
for an intriguing world-music groove on "You Are Here." Fans
of the Cocteau Twins will love this one; it's full of spicy
rhythms, haunting sensuality, and a feminine techno touch.
6. "Afterglow"
Michael Hoppe, Tim Wheater, Martin Tillman
REVIEW of this album
Keyboardist Michael Hoppé left producing to play music
full-time and his recent collaboration with cellist Martin
Tillman and flutist Tim Wheater proves why it was the right
decision. Filled with a dark, aching melancholy and
enchanting ambience, "Afterglow" offers beautiful
accompaniment for listeners in the most poetic of moods.
7. "The Raga Guide"
Chaurasia, et al.
REVIEW of this album
"The Raga Guide" is a stunning overview of 74 Hindustani
ragas that radiates with beautiful chant, sitar, sarod,
tabla, and more. This four-CD package, superbly recorded and
lovingly explained in a companion book, is perfect for those
intrigued by the entrancing classical music of India.
8. "A Wish"
Hamza El Din
REVIEW of this album
Nubian oud player Hamza El Din has a wish: to keep his
people's culture alive through song. And on his release, "A
Wish," he realizes this dream while giving listeners so much
more. Collaborating with such respected musicians as Kronos
Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, this Sudanese master
chronicles the tales of his people while spinning a dark
desert music. Absolutely enchanting.
9. "Bali"
Jalan Jalan
REVIEW of this album
Japanese group Jalan Jalan create a reposed, plaintive
music, rich with gamelan chimes and muted synth tones that
carry you into the spiritual heart of Bali. With simple
melodies and layered sound, Jalan Jalan take the gamelan
tradition and make it their own for a haunting, meditative
music.
10. "Aguas da Amazonia"
Phillip Glass, Uakti
REVIEW of this album
Minimalist composer Phillip Glass and New Age Brazilian
ensemble Uakti pair up for an electronic excursion into a
space where experimentation, repetition, and improvisation
rule. Using synthesizers, marimba, flutes, and more, these
artists create a light, tinkling music that rushes like a
river, trickles like a stream, and floats like a still lake.
"Whisper to the Wild Water"
Maire Brennan
REVIEW of this album
Clannad singer Maire Brennan returns with her latest solo
effort. "Whisper" sings softly with intimate, soothing
melodies that float over the traditional Celtic sounds of
uilleann pipes and fiddle while modern rhythms pulse
underneath. Brennan paints an ethereal landscape that blends
Old World sensibility with a contemporary edge. The result
is a lovely Celtic New Age album sure to please fans of
Clannad.
"Taos Tales"
Robert Mirabal
REVIEW of this album
It's difficult to meld modern music with traditional native
and New Age music, but "Spirit" performance artist Robert
Mirabal does it with graceful ease. This longtime flutist
helped preserve the native flute heritage and here he keys
into the spirit of the land while eerily mixing chant,
flute, and modern instruments for a cinematic soundtrack to
native life.
"Bolivian Blues Bar"
Alex de Grassi
REVIEW of this album
Fingerstylist Alex de Grassi returns with a collection of
his favorite jazz covers from such greats as Duke Ellington,
Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, and Billie Holiday, and he
plays with the intimacy and virtuoso technique we've come to
expect. Not necessarily vibrant or loquacious, "Bolivian
Blues Bar" hangs out in a pleasingly lazy way, as one does
when chatting with friends at the local pub.
"Colors of My Heart"
Sharon Burch
REVIEW of this album
Navajo Sharon Burch pays tribute to the women in her life
with this intimately beautiful collection of native folk
music. Rich with Burch's balmy voice, this music (sung in
both English and Navajo) sways in the breeze of William
Eaton's bass while flittering across the fields of the Diné
musical tradition.
"Wayfarer"
John Doan
REVIEW of this album
With an instrument called a harp guitar in hand, John Doan
recreates the gentility of ancient Celtic times with all of
the warmth of an acoustic guitar and delicacy of a harp.
Doan gleaned inspiration during his journey to the sacred
sanctuaries of the British Isles where it was believed the
boundary between heaven and earth is slight. His music,
accompanied by violin, cello, and whistle tell the noble
tale.
"Live in Paris & Toronto"
Loreena McKennitt
REVIEW of this album
Singer Loreena McKennitt glows in a golden haze of
inspiration on her new double-CD Live in Paris and Toronto,"
a benefit package in the name of her lost fiance, who
drowned while sailing. The Canadian singer draws from her
bestselling CDs "The Book of Secrets" and "The Mask and the
Mirror" for a deliciously spontaneous performance that
boasts her crystalline voice and her unique brand of
Arabic-Celtic folk music.
