New Age Vocals Review and Interview: Sandi Kimmel-Practical Mystic

Release Date: March 4, 2026

Label: Independent

Website

Sandi Kimmel’s Practical Mystic is a collection of 13 tracks of new-age vocals and music. She describes it as “music medicine for these times.”

The first track, “Invitation,” is exactly that before you launch into this musical healing journey. One of the most important lines is “May all who hear remember who they are.” The message at the outset sets the foundation for the remainder of your listening experience.

“Practical Mystic” has a gentle acoustic guitar strum along as Sandi continues to deliver her prolific messages. She sings:

It’s not that we don’t think at all.

We just lead from the heart.

Not only do we feel the love.

We are twice as smart.

And she reminds us that we are practical mystics too.

“Holy Echo” features a lovely piano and acoustic guitar, and Sandi’s smooth, inviting vocal style offers a comfortable place to settle in and absorb the lyrics and their meanings.

“Flame of My Being” continues the flow and lyrical impact of these tracks. The music of the acoustic guitar and piano serves as a solid framework for the essence of this spiritual message, delivered through Sandi’s pleasant vocal tone and delivery.

“I Am Healing” is another positive affirmation with appropriate music to let it flow effortlessly as Sandi sings, “I am grateful, thankful, and blessed. A violin is added for another layer of substance and beauty as you hear the chimes tinkle. Now you hear different elements come into the compositions as you move along through the tracks.

“Highest Good” weaves a tapestry of love and another level of thinking, believing, and becoming the best person. She tells you to turn on your light so everyone can see. The acoustic guitar and violin are continually pleasant and inviting, accentuating the vocals.

“Essence” brings the mindset to the present moment, suggesting you should move toward the future and away from the past. She reminds us of how blessed she is to be where life has taken her. And the message here is that you can go there if you express and live in your essence. The acoustic guitar, keys, and violin continue to provide the perfect partner.

“Juliette” is like a storybook set to words, as our subject has wings and ascends to the sky, and is not finished until her life is done. The guitar’s notes float over the vocals, and she says in finality, “Juliet is me.”

“Light Returning” starts with a nice piano line, then the violin and acoustic guitar join. There are some nice, layered vocals that shine a light on the singer’s appealing vocal style. She sings, “I am love.”

“Every Day" in every way, her life gets better. You couldn’t ask for a more positive outlook. Even when things get her down, she looks for a smile, and the sun is shining again. How simple is that to turn around an attitude? The acoustic guitar and soft piano notes carry her along the way beautifully.

“Sovereignty” makes a prolific statement: “I am the source of my own recognition,” and now a cello makes its debut. The sound of that instrument adds another color to the mix. I think it worked well because of the message being delivered. The guitar and piano are still part of the piece; however, this holds so much meaning, and the cello's tone creates a different feel.

“Be Who You Are” changes direction again musically, with pop-oriented guitar strumming, clapping, and a steady, restrained cowbell, as keys enter the mix. The positive messages and affirmations receive a different kind of energy this time. It all works with a lot of energy,

“Thank You” winds up this lovely musical journey with a very straightforward message to all you listeners, life itself, and all that enters it to make it a better place to be. Sandi consistently accomplishes that throughout and closes the curtain accompanied by the guitar, with one last all-important message.

Practical Mystic stands as an inspiring testament to spiritual artistry, radiating the wisdom and warmth of Sandi Kimmel’s enlightened perspective. With every note and lyric, she extends an invitation to embrace love, healing, and self-discovery. The gentle flow of acoustic arrangements creates a soothing path for the words to reach deep into the listener’s spirit. Yet it is the heartfelt poetry of her lyrics that truly elevates this album, transforming it into a beacon of hope and compassion and leaving a lasting imprint on both heart and mind.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

March 10, 2026

Tracks:

01. Invitation

02. Practical Mystic

03. Holy Echo

04. Flame Of My Being

05. I Am Healing

06. Highest Good

07. Essence

08. Juliette

09. Light Returning

10. Every Day

11. Sovereignty

12. Be Who You Are

13. Thank You

Paul Avgerinos The Final on Vinyl Interview

 

I had a great conversation with Paul Avgerinos, and we discussed how things started for him, his life philosophies, and his upcoming album, Balance.

New Age Meditation Track Feature: Ilka DeGast - No Worries Song

Ilka DeGast continues to release tracks from an upcoming album designed for children who feel overwhelmed, anxious, or overstimulated. Using breathing techniques and a simple, somatic self-soothing tool, children are gently guided to notice their worries.

The “No Worries Song” opens with running water sounds to help listeners feel relaxed, floating downstream rather than upstream, fighting a strong current of worries and stress.

IIka’s beauty and command of her voice serve as an introduction, facilitating an immediate connection and focus. She then provides a guided meditation, with the acoustic guitar’s gentle picking serving as a guidepost alongside her voice and wordless vocals.

I understand this is intended for children; however, I could not help noticing that it was a positive experience for me and would certainly be for anyone who hears it.

The “No Worries Song” promises to uplift and reassure all who listen. Children, our most treasured hope for the future, deserve unwavering care and support. With this song, parents are offered a powerful tool—an invitation to nurture resilience, foster calm, and create a haven of encouragement for the children they cherish most.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

February 27, 2026

www.kidsmeditationsongs.com

https://globalsacredsounds.com/

Meet Ilka de Gast, PsyD.

Ilka de Gast, originally from the Netherlands but now residing in California, is a psychologist, Qigong and meditation instructor, sound healer, researcher, and recording artist. While Ilka has explored many meaningful career paths, her passion for the past 25 years has been to work with and teach sacred sound healing modalities worldwide, including the ancient art of overtone singing. Ilka’s meditation music is featured in Dr. Joe Dispenza’s advanced retreats in the US and internationally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemporary Ambient Progressive Instrumental Review and Interview: Chris Russell-Lumen

Release Date: January 23, 2026

Label: Spotted Peccary

Website

Inspired by natural light and spiritual illumination, Chris Russell’s fourth proper release, Lumen, will engage listeners and offer an atmospheric, moving experience. This is a progressive ambient, contemporary instrumental blend that creates its own sound.

The tracks are full-bodied compositions with many elements that blend into moments of intensity, light, color, and vision, conveyed through keyboards, synths, and other synthesized sounds.

“Particles of Light” begins the recording with a lengthy stretch of ambient layers and colors. The first three minutes plus feature a heavier synth sound, then it transitions into a more spacey sequence, taking a softer turn, before building back up to the heavier sounds on top of that. The many transitions fill the space evenly, and the nearly eight and a half minutes have you in an anticipatory state, wondering what could come next. Many of the genre’s classic artists may come to mind for some listeners. I often reference Tangerine Dream when comparing these types of compositions.

“Autumn Skyline” takes a more mellow approach, painting a serene, colorful picture of the season. A whooshing air sound is heard along with a slow tempo on the keys, and you can imagine the leaves flying off the trees and whirling in the air as you gaze at the skies above. My immediate thought is of my favorite season in the Northeast, and what a relief from the heat that time of year brings, with crisp, cool air brushing against you. You appreciate the pause to reflect on the beauty of your vision.

“Candle Power” lights the way to the door to another dimension with a merging of several sounds and effects. Some of the sounds resonate and echo as the steady undercurrent flows like a river, carrying you downstream, following the light. The light casts no shadows; it’s a clear path set by the audio frequencies and the artist’s beautiful touch on the keys. This is a purposeful and contemplative piece. There is a short flourish of what sounds like vinyl record static towards the end, fading into the next track seamlessly.

”Vortexon” would be indicative of a more aggressive science fiction theme, and it does begin that way. As the synth layers enter the mix, it juxtaposes the higher-level sounds. It feels like a give-and-take process: valleys of lower frequencies rise to meet higher frequencies, then they all blend. I thought of ambient space music caught in a vortex, exploding like a supernova; then the process repeats.

“Luminescence” has you looking at the crack of light on the cover art. It looks like a fissure just beginning to break through; however, behind it is life, the flora and fauna are there, so do you go into that scenario or leave it with the light? The sounds gather momentum as you imagine the music as your invitation to jump in, letting it take the lead to get you to your destination. Once again, the higher tones are over the top of lower bass tones, and at times a piercing finite tone comes through, emphasizing the power and brightness of the light.

“Spectral Vision” is a logical extension of the previous tracks’ concept: from light to seeing it break through and move into another dimension or plane of existence.  Music carries the vision you are experiencing. The layering of the synths is like an orchestra of moving parts pushing the particles of light and molecules further to create another life force. What you see is yours alone. It feels like traveling through space and time, far removed from the physical planet we all know and move through every day. As the end approaches, the whooshing of air emerges as the piano replaces the whirling-dervish synths, leading into a mellow transition to yet another mood and atmosphere.

“Light Without Heat” is an interesting title. Just thinking about what that means, it gets those brainwaves working a bit more, in different ways than in the previous tracks. There can be light without heat, but it’s still light, not dark, so within that lies optimism and hope. As with many of these tracks, there are parts that can be meditative or relaxing, and others that are more reflective and thought-provoking because of the ever-changing textures and frequencies that synths and computer-generated sounds can create. There can be light without heat or heat without light, which are opposite forces in the spectrum sounds at the artist’s disposal.

“Whisper Moon” is the grand finale, clocking in at a vast 10:31. It is like the final flourish of sound and colors, giving you a sendoff. Spacey textures are layered and synced, and as you listen, you realize all the activity that is unfolding. Each part of the composition blooms with the moon’s light as it whispers in the night air, inviting you to join. The sounds soothe and call to you, inviting moments of solace and introspection as it changes in tempo and intensity.

With Lumen, Chris Russell has reemerged as a force in ambient instrumental music, crafting soundscapes that transcend mere listening to become transformative experiences. His compositions serve as gentle yet profound reminders that light persists even in our darkest moments, and that within the vast corridors of imagination lie infinite potentials, inviting us not simply to hear, but to journey, to expand, and to discover worlds waiting just beyond the threshold of sound.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

February 5, 2026

Tracks:

1. Particles of Light 8:29

2. Autumn Skyline 3:32

3. Candle Power 7:05

4. Vortexon 5:57

5. Luminescence 5:53

6. Spectral Vision 7:29

7. Light Without Heat 7:39

8. Whisper Moon 10:31

MARCH 2026 NEW AGE NOTES MAGAZINE FEATURING MARK AND THERESA BENTLEY – THE BENTLEY PROJECT

 

READ THE LATEST ISSUES 117 PAGES!

https://www.newagenotes.com/magazine/

Contemporary Ambient-Jazz-New Age Instrumental Review and Interview: NTHNL (Jacob Rudin)-What Kind of World Is This (COSMIS FLUTE MUSIC)

 Release Date: February 4, 2026

Label: Youngbloods

Website

NTHNL (Jacob Rudin) has created a fantastic musical omnibus of sound, color, and thoughts on What Kind of World Is This. He jumps around the musical map, covering new age, ambient, progressive, and jazz, among others. Get ready for a musical coloring book, and you hold the crayons; the artist provides the book.

“Awakenings pt 1” is an ambient piece running nearly five minutes, and it’s a beautiful way to start off this musical journey. Layers of synths and flourishes of gorgeous flute playing permeate the ambient atmospheres created.

“Awakenings pt 2” continues this spiritual awakening through sounds. The tempo is decidedly more upbeat, with percussion driving the synths as they flutter in rhythmic bursts. As the energy shifts, it brings light into your consciousness; however, this time it’s a bit over two minutes.

“Tiresias Rock” has a funky intro, then the flute comes in in a ’70s jazz style. Then a saxophone enters the mix, giving it a more defined jazz texture as the synth continues in the background, adding more essential elements. When the flute and sax meld, it gets even better, sounding like a cool modern-day jazz ensemble. This track is a full step ahead of the previous tracks. It reminded me of some of the great jazz fusion I discovered back in the ’80s.

“(re)possession” starts off spacey, gradually adding a beat and transitions, moving the sound toward a more fluid direction as the instrumentation builds. Behind an upfront beat and heavy synth, the flute is there, making its mark but subtly.

“Descent” sounds exactly as it should. Picture some sort of aircraft landing gradually on the surface of an unknown planet in an older sci-fi movie.

“Realization” sounds like a logical follow-up to the previous track, with its tempo and synth use. Now that you have landed, all the realizations have hit home.

“Hate Creator” has the most aggressive title so far, and you would expect the music to reflect that. It eventually gathers some momentum, sounding like a prog rocker with the heavy keyboards. The steady backbeat adds a sense of balance, but the point is made.

“Torture Temptation” is the magnum opus, clocking in at 6:36. The more aggressive concept flows with the implications of the title. There is a lot of time to work on transitions, and it works. The flute tempers the instrumentation and massages the tempos with mellow bursts of energy, while the keys add their ambiance, and the steady backbeat sounds almost tribal as the energy continually shifts. This is a very complex track with a lot going on simultaneously, but it works well.

“Coverting the infidels” is an interesting title. When I first looked at it, I thought it was “Converting,” an optical illusion, and if you are dyslexic, well, enough said. So, right off the bat, I have many thoughts. Then the music begins with an air of mystery, and as the composition builds, it sounds like a soundtrack to a Middle Eastern espionage movie. What a great song with some very cool atmospheres and effects. One of my favorites.

“Destruction of the institutes” makes me think this is turning into a dystopian novel. Or is the artist suggesting that this is what is currently going on? There is a logical progression of the track titles, and it’s coming together and starting to make sense, which happens further back in the tracks. The tempo picks up, with another great backbeat, as the synths, with their various sounds, emerge and propel the music like a musical train of thought.

“face up, twilight (feat Nakama)” brings things full circle back to the mellow, spiritual sounds of the flute, with jazz overtones floating through the air. Your senses are taking an immediate off-ramp to the tranquil place. And for the first time, you get vocals, and it’s a rap. This is a total paradigm shift in song structure with the addition of the lyrics, but the music holds true. Then, for yet another change, the vocals change in timbre to be less rap-like. Wow, what a masterful display of virtuosity.

“A Tyrant’s Mercy” features a narrative in which a futuristic deep-enhanced voice tells a person they have been cured of the demons that possessed them. Which you might think is the end of the story, but…

“Return to Earth” makes sense as you have the bowels of some hell and are sent on your way, cured of the demons, as you set foot back onto earth once again. The music has an upbeat, positive feeling with a very different sound. The flute is there; however, the rhythms are ever changing, and the cool breeze of that instrument adds a nice ambiance, as do the synths. A bluesy harmonica runs throughout, making this one of the most distinctive tracks yet, while the birds chirping at the end give a sense of balance and peace.

The title track, “What kind of world is this,” finishes out the novel set to music. The funky backbeat is the driving force as the flute, synths, and strings come together for a lovely ending. You feel relaxed and renewed now after taking one of the most diverse and interesting musical trips you have had in some time.

What Kind of World Is This gives many moments to pause and reflect on how to answer that question. This is a world created by music, and the track titles give you a good lead into what each may be about. Your job as the listener is to put it all together, like a puzzle. Like any music, you are the interpreter. What you hear and how it translates is your choice; however, I certainly can see a message in this music: an artist letting you know that he sees many things wrong in this world, and it gives a proper frame of reference as you move through the story.

NTHNL (Jacob Rudin) has crafted an audaciously eclectic, predominantly instrumental album that weaves together new age serenity, ambient atmospheres, jazz sophistication, and progressive complexity. This sonic tapestry captivates listeners from first note to last, inviting contemplation while refusing to settle into predictable patterns.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-New Age Music Reviews Founder

February 2, 2026

Tracks:

01. Awakenings pt 1  4:46

02. Awakenings pt 2  2:22

03. Tiresias Rock 3:48

04. (re)possession 3:01

05. Descent 1:27

06. Realization 1:55

07. Hate Creator 3:20

08. Torture Temptation 6:36

09. Coverting the infidels 4:11

10. Destruction of the institutes 4:00

11. face up, twilight (feat Nakama)

12. A Tyrant's Mercy 2:11

13. Return to Earth 4:57

14. What kind of world is this 2:47

 

Dyan Garris Interview - The Final on Vinyl Podcast

Discover inspiration and insight in this captivating interview with Dyan Garris, a celebrated figure in the world of music.

Renowned in the new-age music community, Dyan Garris has enchanted audiences for decades through her 14 acclaimed albums, 6 insightful books, and a transformative chakra-balancing DVD. Beyond her creative works, she leads the influential New Age Notes radio program and magazine, and operates a respected music relicensing service.