Review by Marilyn Torres
With her sixth music album, Whispers from Earth: Flute Passages for Meditation and Inspiration, Ann Licater bestows her listeners with a serene collection of compositions perfectly suited for those who wish to enter into a state of peace and tranquility.
The CD opens with the title tune featuring a wood flute with deep notes to bid the listener a calm entrance. On the next track, “Echoes from a Glass Pond,” Licater’s flute duet demonstrates the echo in perfect harmony as the notes repeat and circle from beginning to end.
For “Peaceful Prayer,” the solo Native American flute calls out like a lone voice whispering into the sky.
We hear the piano first in “Luminous Morning”; Its twinkling keys flow like drops of early day dew. The flute joins in and together, they flutter and chirp as if dancing like birds and butterflies near a lush flowing spring. Licater has set a beautiful scene.
Tracks 5, 7 and 10, “Red Cedar Calling,” “Mirror Lake Reflection,” and “Forest Moon Rising,” respectively, all feature a solo flute throughout. These pieces can serve as grounding points for focusing and clearing the mind.
The synthesizer introduces “Star Stream Dreamer,” and the bass keeps steady tempo while the flute takes the lead in this fanciful piece.
Perhaps my love of trains influenced my perception and fondness of “Initiation (Awakening).” As one solo flute begins and the other follows, and then there is a brief silence, their sound mimics the whistle of a train. One could imagine letting go of something or the arrival of something else…
In the closing track, “Following the Call (Horizons),” the flute is solo for about one minute until the synthesizer enters and flows in and out of the piece in a peaceful partnership and fitting final note.
~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes
For more information, please visit Ann Licater's Website. Whispers from Earth is also available at Amazon, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and more.