Showing posts with label New Age Vocal Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Age Vocal Reviews. Show all posts

New Age Vocal Review: The Song Gardners-Sonic Landscape

Release Date: July 19, 2024

Label: Honey Spun Records

Website


Album Link

The Song Gardeners, singer/songwriter Corrie Dunn (vocals, piano, guitar), and singer/songwriter Mary Gospe (vocals, guitar, percussion), are all set to release their second album Sonic Landscape. As I recall from their first album and covering many track releases, they are talented individuals who can play instruments and sing very well. For me, that sets the stage for another enjoyable listen.

 

“Present” starts things with some very funky bass lines. Corrie sings, “Feel the energy be present with me.” The ladies have lovely voices and are solid musicians. After one track, I am already feeling energized and refreshed.

 

“Send Love to Everyone (Heal the Divide)” is a great message to the world; as Mary sings, “We heal the divide when we stop taking sides.” The guitar is excellent, with a layer of keys for more color and texture. The vocals are clear, inviting, and believable. Great music and important lyrics. When they harmonize at the end of the track, it’s a thing of beauty.

 

“Talking to Trees” will get you to tune in and tune out. It’s an earthy Mother Nature meets music in the middle, so our humanity realizes our intrinsic connection to the earth we walk on. One line goes, “Talking to trees, I feel your roots reverberating under me.”  The music is soft and flowing; as you absorb the words and their meanings, they should hold some meaning for us all. It is one of my favorites for all the reasons I just mentioned.

 

“More of This” begins with congas and a funky bass line. The bass leads the way as the other instruments and some good percussion join the party. One prolific line struck me: “The future is ours to create.” There is something pure and true about the way they present these songs, and the rhythms are irresistible. Yes, I want some “More of This” as they sing “happiness, joy, and bliss.”

 

“Future Lives” begins again with that strong bass line leading the way. I am thinking how different it is to hear people singing to new age-based music and how much I enjoy it because of what the ladies convey in every song. The flow continues one track after another, going from strength to strength.

 

“April Sky” is a song about our vast universe and how you can look at the sky day or night and think about all the wonders there to amaze and delight your heart and soul. It gives you gratitude to be alive, and you feel safe and protected under the “April Sky,” where constellations align. It is about hope and vision right before us for the taking. The music continues to feel right, accompanying the vocals, a perfect match so you can focus on all of it at once.

 

“The Little Things” matter the most and make the world a better place; the words ring true as a solid percussion gets behind the beautiful harmonizing that makes it feel authentic to the heart. A simple and direct message set to a jazz-inflected backdrop. It has a perfect melody and is very catchy.

 

“Within” closes out this consistent and beautiful recording. They remind you it all begins within for you to speak your truth as the music flows nicely and purposefully, and the lyrics hit home with words like gratitude, imagination, and curiosity, bringing your spirit and who you are to the surface. Nothing is hypothetical; it is just music to soothe your soul and words of validation. It’s simply perfect, just like all the other tracks. The music always seems to fit just right to complement all the vocals. Smooth and precise, the music gives the lyrics room to breathe and take shape.

 

It could be your Sonic Landscape. After absorbing all the sounds and messages, it makes sense to think about that momentarily. Give it a try; You will find enjoyment in many ways. I sure did.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-NAMR Founder

July 11, 2024

Tracks:

01. Present

02. Send Love to Everyone (Heal the Divide) 

03. Talking to Trees 

04. More of This

05. Future Lives 

06. April Sky 

07. The Little Things 

08. Within


New Age Vocal Review: Ananta Govinda-Mirror of Desire

Release Date: August 28, 2020

Label: Independent

Website

 

I have heard some very unique spiritual new age music this year. This surely aligns with what a unique year 2020 has been. Using that terminology pretty much sugar coats what kind of experience we have had up until now. It has been a terrible time with a pandemic, civil unrest, wars, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes, and floods devastating cities everywhere. We are seemingly on the brink of extinction at times. Mother nature is very upset with our mistreatment of her sacred offerings and all living things are paying a price.

With all of this in mind, some artists are responding to all of the pain and suffering with some very good music. One of those artists is Ananta Govinda with his recent release Mirror of Desire. The cover of the album reminds me of the colorful graphic novels that my son got in the early 2000s.

From The Artist Website:
Mirror of Desire is 3 part musical journey that is part of a multimedia juggernaut that will see an accompanying book, set for release on Amazon on October 30th, and an immersive show in a 360-degree projection dome, where he is forging new creative styles for combining music and visual storytelling into a groundbreaking presentation (once live events return).

Now, that is exciting and promises to be transformative for anyone that attends. I say that because this kind of spiritual outreach is normally contained in the music and artwork or words to the tracks, this is going to be a memorable experience once it arrives.

From an entirely musical perspective, I enjoyed this recording. I am gradually hearing more new age-related releases with vocals. I do have to say I was not sure at first, and if I could adjust or accept this after many years of strictly instrumental albums. It has been a pleasant experience that I fully embrace and artists such as Ananta Govinda have assisted in bringing me down that road to this destination. That place is acceptance which in turn brings about change and the subsequent growth from that positivity of moving forward.

“Mazes of The Mind” was my favorite track. I felt it symbolized the very essence of this presentation and the vocals and musicality of it all were amazing. It made me smile inside and delivered the necessary message to me swiftly and convincingly. The mind is a complex maze of thoughts and emotions and if you stop and think about how many things that go through it minute by minute, second by second, day by day, it is a wonder. Science tells us we only develop a very small part of our brain while we are alive and as we get older the sharpness of our minds begins to deteriorate. I think the key is to always be learning, thinking, and using our abilities, and then it will continue to grow and expand. Music does help the activity in the cranium and it affects our brains immediately upon listening. For me, it opens the door to possibilities that under normal circumstances would not come to mind.

What I recognized about this album was the different types of music that come to a boil in an all-inclusive melting pot. The styles come at you with a trajectory straight to the heart and mind and with a definitive impact. It touches all of your senses at once. This will make an impression upon anyone that hears it. There is a mixture of pleasing vocal styles, world, jazz, new age, and a meditative essence that takes hold right at the beginning of your listening experience and it gets stronger and clearer with each passing track. Time is of the essence as well with every track ranging from 4 to over 6 minutes except for “Room of Darshan,” clocking in at 2:10 minutes.

There are many contributors to this project and it is one of healing that we all need to hear. Deep down I know the earth and its inhabitants will have a spiritual awakening so we all can heal and take the earth along with us. This is my Mirror of Desire that I pray will become our reality. This kind of music is a reminder from whence we came. It touches our inner being and brings about positive thinking and a desire to translate that through the music to all the people you come into contact with. After all, we all want the same thing, and, in the end, music is another tool to get us all there.


Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
September 4, 2020


Track List:

1. Mirror of Desire (5:44)
2. Self Writing Book (feat. Indubious) (4:18)
3. Golden Goddess (feat. Will Calhoun) (5:48)
4. Mazes of the Mind (feat. Lili Haydn)(4:24)
5. Onto the Timelessness (5:02)
6. River of Time (feat. Pierre Edel) (4:16)
7. Room of Darshan (2:10)
8. Mantras of Paradesha (6:38)


New Age Vocal Review: Prem Vidu-Encounter – Medicine Songs from Ma

Release Date:  June 4, 2020
Label: Independent
Website

Prim Vidu and his newest offering Encounter – Medicine Songs from Ma was a pleasant surprise for my new age tastes. Normally the vocals I hear on releases are some background embellishments. This however is all vocals with the traditional instrumentation you would come to expect from a new age release.

I had no idea what I was in for with this album, I just trusted that Prem was a new age artist looking for an opinion on his music. Well he asked the right person and everything does happen for a reason. This is Prem’s first release and everything was composed and performed by him and his team. Besides singing he plays a multitude of instruments. It is quite impressive as this album is his first and an independent release. This is about belief in your life, love, gratitude and the pureness of one enlightened soul.

Some of the instruments used are nylon guitar, shakers, kit acoustic guitars, electric guitars, mandolin, piano, synths, fretless bass, flugelhorn and trumpet. And that is the short list!

To create an album with all vocals and to have that new age color, depth, and meaning, you need all the right instruments. Based on what I heard, things were done properly and Prem and his fine team of musicians pulled out all the stops and present one beautiful recording.

The one and most important instrument is Prem’s vocals. I found an immediate attraction to his warmth and flowing vocalizations. The lyrics are from the heart and soul of a man that has found his true path through the music and spirituality. Prem says “"There is no shorter umbilical to your soul than singing!" How that rings so true for me and I am sure countless others that will enjoy Encounter – Medicine Songs from Ma.

At this particular moment in time I feeling some back pain and, in the music, and words of Encounter – Medicine Songs from Ma I found comfort and healing sounds. Although I must admit some of the lyrics are not understood because they are not in English, however that did not matter. Prem’s voice is so inviting and smooth that you just go with all the flow. The instrumentation is certainly quite excellent, which helps to get you at your comfort zone.

There is plenty of variety musically which keeps your interest besides the digging down deep lyrics presented on this amazing group of tracks. Anyone that can appreciate our humanity, spirituality, a variety of instruments, and incredible vocals, well, that about says it all doesn’t it. This is thoughtful words set to a magnificent array of instrumentation! You need to hear Encounter – Medicine Songs from Ma.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
May 27, 2020



Track List:
 1. Holy Divine Mother
2. May I Have The Strength
3. Cancel The Show
4. Oh Your Glory
5. Mighty Presence
6. Floating
7. Your Love Heals Me
8. Everything That Is Here