A tour de force of new age music, with flute virtuoso
R. Carlos Nakai
, guitarist
William Eaton
, and percussionist
Will Clipman
. There is a huge number of instruments amassed for this album, with everything possible being represented from the basic cedar flute that makes the mainstay of
Nakai
's work to synth guitars. There is rarely anything recognizable as a "beat", per se, as the music stays pretty much freeform throughout the album, with definite melodies making appearances, but rarely much in the way of rhythm. The parts are performed well, as one would expect from the veteran musicians involved in this project, though there isn't much here in the way of excitability. At the same time, one hopefully wouldn't be listening to this album for the purpose of arousal. This is definitely ambient music, and does well in such a capacity. The sounds are interesting at times, as balafons, didgeridoos, and diddley-bos all make appearances within the album, but the interest level only holds up to a point, as the music drops back into monotony after a time. Pick it up as a fan of the new age sounds provided by
on his other ventures, but don't wander in hoping for an energetic tour de force. ~ Adam Greenberg