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| July, 2007 | ||
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East of the Full Moon W HILE Deuter’s music is usually promoted as an accompaniment for meditation or bodywork, the fact is that it makes for excellent listening, too. As free and flowing as the music is, it has a complexity and structure that is found in the most compelling new age instrumental works. East of the Full Moon is a musical meditation on the night—its silence, its softness, its ability to expand our awareness. Piano, flute, harp and keyboards are the main instruments on this CD, with a little bit of gentle percussion here and there. The sound overall is graceful and elegant, relaxing and engaging. The CD is programmed as a journey, it begins with “Dämmerschein” (the rays of twilight), and ends with “Dawn Shimmer,” which includes recordings of actual bird songs—a refreshing wake-up after a long and gentle journey. |
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That Good Thing E RIN McGaughan has been a singer on the Seattle New Thought scene for several years, but this is her first CD. And it is an impressive debut. So many similar praise albums are sweet and sincere, but lack the polish of more mainstream pop music. But that’s not the case here. McGaughan’s work is as professional as it gets. Her lyrics are especially graceful and subtle, and the musical arrangements are sophisticated and fun. McGaughan has a jazzy, bluesy voice that sells her ten original songs with style and conviction. She’s backed by an excellent band that features assorted brass, electric guitars and electric keyboards that give many of the songs a retro jazz sound—along with a group of backup singers in the gospel/soul mold. The songs are about putting your life in God’s hands, the strength that comes from a community of worship and being ready to receive what Spirit has to offer. The songs range from gospel to rhythm and blues. |
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Beyond Black & White Diversity Recordings T HERE ’ S a little bit of everything on this two- CD album of solo piano music composed and played by Thomas Barth. The theme that ties all twenty one pieces together is the vibrational energy of the music, expressed in everything from a six-minute nocturne to a one-minute piece that includes plucking the strings inside the piano. There is music about the goddess Isis, shamans and Hawaiian spiritual practices, melodies based on Norwegian folk music and a Beethoven string quartet. The musical style, while hard to pin down, is a mix of jazz, classical and new age; many of the pieces have a deep spiritual element that makes them quite thought-provoking. Barth recorded all this music on a grand piano, in a room with thirty other pianos. Microphones placed around the room and throughout the piano he played, capture sympathetic vibrations and traveling sound waves. The result is a sound that is definitely richer and more resonant than the typical piano recording. |
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| —Beth Adelman | ||
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