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| April, 2008 | ||
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MARK Biehl’s Pranah CD is just one, sixtyseven minute long track that winds its way through a variety of deep, contemplative tones. There are clear, crisp little bells, sometimes moved along by sounds from an electric guitar that have been manipulated until they sound almost like the wind is breathing into the music. The result is a composition that is perfect for meditation or breath work. Tibetan singing bowls (actually a kind of bowl-shaped bell), have been used for centuries in Buddhist practice to support meditation, prayer and trance states. The size, shape and the metal that it’s made of give each bowl its own unique sound. When you play a singing bowl, it produces many tones at once that overlap, creating a long, sustained sound that contains within it complex harmonies. Because each bowl creates its own sounds, you often hear extra tones the musician did not play. There is some evidence that this “extra” music can affect our brainwave patterns. This is not a traditional piece of music in the sense that it doesn’t have a straightforward melody, but it has a strange, compelling quality that draws and focuses your attention. It seems just listening to it is a form of meditation. |
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RAISED in Detroit in the mid-1960s, Eddie Watkins Jr. could not help but be influenced by the Motown sound. While growing up, he learned to play several instruments, and ended up making a name for himself as an electric bass player. That’s his soulful bass playing you hear on R&B classics such as Peaches and Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing,” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Watkins has been a composer and producer for many major artists. He is also the music coordinator for the First Church of Religious Science of Las Vegas, and has recorded his first CD of original songs inspired by the teachings of Dr. Ernest Holmes. Watkins has a rich, expressive voice, and uses it well to share his songs about the power of belief to change our lives. His songs are a nice mix of R&B, funk, pop, gospel and some sweet and slow ballads, all produced to perfection. In fact, a big part of what I like about this CD is the variety in the music—it’s like a well-thought-out concert program. As much fun as this music is to listen to, its message is deeply serious. In the song “Talking About the Journey” Watkins reminds us, “everything you want is already there.” |
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TAKE two young women with voices that blend and harmonize perfectly, add a few acoustic guitars and some original songs about friendship, love and other things that really matter in life, and you have Makena. This is their first commercially produced CD, and it’s definitely worth a listen. A big part of what I like about them is their simplicity. No electronic instruments, and in fact, not much instrumentation at all. Of course, the quiet sound of an acoustic guitar cannot cover over or make up for less than perfect vocals. Singers must be fearless to expose their voices this way. But this is where Makena really shines. There are seven original songs here, all clearly inspired by a deep attachment to friends and a desire to explore the capacity to love in all of us. Both women have roots in Hawaii, and they finish up with two traditional and muchrecorded Hawaiian songs that you will hear as if for the first time. |
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CHANTING or listening to the chants of others is a powerful way to enter the stillness we seek while meditating. The sounds of mantras are believed to have special qualities that can clear our minds and bring us to deeper levels of awareness. The Moola Mantra describes the totality of God in God’s different aspects. It was created by Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amman, the spiritual forces behind Oneness University in India, and honors all spiritual paths and beliefs—a unity achieved through diversity. Deva Premal has devoted an entire CD to exploring this thirteen-word mantra, combining her haunting soprano voice with a variety of instruments, both electronic and acoustic. The power of a mantra is in repeating it. The first track is a hypnotic, droning chant accompanied by sitar. In the second, her voice is manipulated electronically to sound like an echo of itself, and is accompanied by flute and a variety of synthesized sounds, almost like Europop music. The third track has a light jazz feel, with piano and soft percussion. The fourth track is more percussive, and Deva Premal’s singing is accompanied by violin and guitar, all with a distinctly Indian beat. In the final track, we return to a more traditional chant. This is music that suits both a casual listen, and a deeper, reflective mood. |
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| —Beth Aselman | ||
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