Album Review: Soul Story by Peter Kater

Review by Lissette Cascante

Grammy award-winning pianist, composer, author and ever-evolving musician Peter Kater is like a wellspring of flowing water that never runs dry. With over 60 critically acclaimed recordings and compositions to his credit, spanning varied genres from solo piano, new age, and contemporary jazz ensemble to music for full orchestra, film, television and even broadway plays, Peter’s heart remains humble and attentively connected to nature and humanity in all its complex forms.

Peter Kater’s latest album, Soul Story, is a beautiful compilation of solo piano songs and segments he composed in personalized musical sessions which he calls "Piano Readings". For several years now, Peter has been offering improvised pieces of music on a one-on-one basis in person or in digitally remote settings. Essentially, Peter listens intently to the individual’s heart as they share their "soul stories"; allowing for spontaneous inspiration Peter intuitively creates, tailors and weaves melodies into the participant‘s own unique life-journey.

As an added bonus, Peter professionally records each musical "reading" and gives it to the individual so they can listen to it over and over again and be uplifted by the positive energy, reassurance, and clarity channeled through each piano keystroke. Countless testimonies speak for the success of this unique musical experience. He expounds more about that on his website at peterkater.com.

Though I’ve no way of knowing exactly what experience inspired the first track "Starry Night", it reminds me of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of the same name. There is something about gazing into the vastness of the universe on a clear, starry night that causes one to ponder on the beauty and mysteries of the human experience. Peter conveys this feeling so expertly through this quiet and gentle melody.

Interestingly, as I started to listen to "Touch of Rain", the second track, we got a much needed downpour where I live. A coincidence I’m sure but I’d like to think the song had something to do with it too! Music, like prayer, can breach the boundaries of time and distance.

The creative improvisations on the album vary in tempo and depth and range in intensity from cheerful, to melancholy, from vulnerable like in "Find Me" to determined and sure in "The Path is Clear"; from introspective to expressive, and it is evident that Peter allows the piano to follow the promptings of his heart in each song.

"Full Circle“ is a truly exquisite piece and my favorite track on the album. The piano keys in gentle circular motion, form a lovely reflective melody conveying a feeling of completeness which the song title seems to imply. Rounding out a truly therapeutic, peaceful listening session is another lovely tune titled simply "United", reminding us that we are all somehow interconnected in our life experiences, and we all have our "soul stories".  

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Soul Story is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more.

Album Review: A Southwest Story by Elizabeth Naccarato

Review by Lissette Cascante

I enjoy discovering new-to-me artists, music and places. Elizabeth Naccarato is a seasoned and accomplished pianist who has been perfecting her craft since she began piano lessons at the age of six. An example of a truly dedicated, focused and gifted musician, Elizabeth has numerous successful recordings and award nominations to her credit, garnering international critical acclaim. She has been active in theater, voice, acting, producing, composing, directing, and as a piano instructor.

Elizabeth Naccarato’s latest CD, A Southwest Story is her seventh album, released in July 2022. It was inspired by her love of the landscape and history of southern Colorado where she resides with her husband, the legendary New Age pianist and composer Michael Gettel (whose music I have also loved and enjoyed for many years.)

If you like listening to music that transports you to different places; immersing yourself in the culture and history, you will enjoy A Southwest Story as Elizabeth’s piano compositions take you on a guided tour of this culturally diverse and rich region of the Southwest United States of America. The album also features a variety of instruments such as Native Flute, English Horn, Bass, Violin, Accordion, Mandolin, and Guitar.

The first track on the album is titled “San Luis”, a gentle melody for piano against a backdrop of exquisite Spanish guitar and nostalgic mandolin accompaniment, honoring the oldest continuously inhabited town in Colorado established in 1851. The town has retained much of its religious, cultural, and artistic traditions from long-ago Spanish settlers. The beauty of the mountains and the fertile valley reminded them of Spain and beckoned them to stay.

The San Luis Valley is home to some of the country’s remaining wild horses. The strength and grace of these majestic creatures is fancifully portrayed in “Wild Horses“ the second track, a delightful allegro embellished with skillful piano fingering and featuring vibrant percussion which add a dramatic flair.

“Sacred Land“ is a lovely ensemble for piano, violin and featuring Nancy Rumbel on Native Flute; quietly recalling the spiritual depth and ancient history of the Native American people and their reverence for the land.

More creative, delightful tunes follow such as “Mi Hito, No!“ (although I respectfully suggest a correction on the spelling of the second word to “Hijito“), and others highlighting the region’s unique blend of cultures, music and peoples through the ages.

From whimsical tunes to waltzes to classical covers of Spanish composers to reverent pieces honoring religious traditions of old, and slow dreamy solo piano sequences reflecting on the region’s beauty and the natural elements, A Southwest Story offers a relaxing and uplifting “auralscape“ to a fascinating place.  

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. A Southwest Story is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more. 

Album Review: Gone Beyond by Donna De Lory

Review by Lissette Cascante

 

Singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Donna De Lory has established herself as a dominant, constantly evolving artist, whose extensive and varied musical portfolio includes such genres as pop, world, electronica, spiritual/devotional, and yoga/relaxation music. Growing up in a musical family, De Lory is a veteran of the music industry, having crisscrossed the globe many times between 1987 and 2006 as a touring back-up vocalist and dancer for Madonna. Her voice has been featured on countless recordings of renowned and award-winning artists.

It was her inner voice, however, that lead Donna to embrace a more spiritual side of music and to release numerous albums in the genre throughout the 2000s to critical acclaim. Being a follower and practitioner of Hindu traditions and drawing from the infinite supply of the divine for inspiration, Donna creates harmonic prayers, mantras and chants that resonate with hearts and souls around the world, promoting wellness, healing, mindfulness, peace, and tranquility. To quote the artist “Now, more than ever, I feel like we have to go within and find heaven inside ourselves, so that we have the peace and strength to stay positive, despite everything that’s going on in the world, and make a difference.“ Her most recent album, Gone Beyond, is her 17th solo recording. All songs on the album were written and produced by Donna De Lory and were inspired during pandemic isolation.

The first track, “So Hum/Breathing In” serves as a gentle guide into stress-relieving breathwork, ushering the listener to a place of calmness and focus. The phrase So Hum is a Hindu mantra which in Sanskrit literally means “I am that” implying our interconnectedness with all that is, or the Universe. Perfect for centering oneself; whether on a quick break in the middle of a busy day, or in a meditation or yoga practice. This sweet melody is comprised of repetitive mantras wrapped in Donna’s soothing layered vocal harmonies, accompanied by piano, Pedal Steel and electric guitars, and singing bowls.

“Ma Song” was inspired by Jennifer Berezen’s popular mantra/chant "Returning". An emotive call to our “mother”, the source of our being. This track features Donna De Lory’s vocals and harmonium, beautifully accompanied by Piano, Guitar, Strings, Tabla, Bass and Cello. “Forgiveness Prayer” is probably my favorite track on the album. A sense of being lifted up and floating to a higher place where walls of pride, bitterness and strife crumble and give way to refreshing waters of love, forgiveness and healing. The vocals are transporting and beyond sublime in this piece. The cello adds a melancholy tone and the electric guitar an ethereal, vibrational experience.

The continuous flow of each track on Gone Beyond makes this album a perfect companion for a meditation and/or yoga practice, regardless of your spiritual persuasion. “I wanted to make a record that would be good for so many different experiences,” says Donna. “Yoga class, standing on top of a mountain, sacred ceremonies, healing....” It’s an expansive listening experience which conveys a quiet, holistic wisdom uncommon in today’s chaotic culture. Calmness and centeredness are the intrinsic elements in each track which I found to elevate beyond the physical sphere, helping to bring the mind, body, and spirit into true alignment.

“Om Gate Gate Paragate” with apropos meaning of “Gone, Gone, Gone beyond Gone utterly beyond” is a powerful message and teaching in Hindu tradition. A sense of liberation and self-empowerment permeates this entrancing track. While “Mary Meditation” takes the listener into a sanctuary of sound, with high and deep vocals floating on a backdrop of shamanic-like drumming. Another favorite track of mine is “Where I Find You”. I love the piano in this track.

“Asatoma Sadgamaya” is based on a mantra to the Universe for enlightenment and freedom from fear. This mantra song is beautifully adorned in rich vocal harmonies, strings, bass, guitar, and drum. The final track “Unbreakable” really brings out the sublime beauty of Donna’s voice and her talent for creating gorgeous heavenly melodies and poignant lyrics. Indeed, Donna’s striking vocals, the music she intones, and her artistic creativity really shine throughout this album. We end our session with a fuller sense of being present, and better clarity of mind and purpose, but mostly grateful to be able to enjoy this otherworldly sensory experience.  

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Gone Beyond is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more. 

Album Review: Oracle of Delphi by Rusty Crutcher

Review by Candice Michelle

Composer and Multi-instrumentalist Rusty Crutcher has been producing and releasing music on his own artist-owned label, Emerald Green Sound Productions, since 1987. Having released seven albums in his historical/mythical-themed Sacred Sites Series, Oracle of Delphi is the latest installment inspired by Crutcher’s exciting travels to sacred sites throughout the world.

As the album title suggests, Oracle of Delphi takes the listener’s mind on a journey to a glorious mystical place in Greece’s ancient past – Delphi, a sacred precinct that served as the seat of the oracle, Pythia, who was consulted by people throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.

Comprised of ten compositions spanning just under an hour, the album seemingly guides us through shadowy portals and watery corridors that are perfectly illustrated by minimalist neoclassical and symphonic ambient vistas.

We sail away to an enchanted land with the dreamily foreboding opening piece, “Miriam’s Wish”, which is characterized by an understated orchestration of synths, strings, chimes and woodwinds.

The third track, “Aegean Reflections”, is one of my favorites, pleasantly recalling the album Journey to Atlantis by Llewellyn and Kevin Kendle. Here an ethereal coalescence of flowing strings, siren-like vocals and pulsating rhythmic undercurrent paint tranquil mental images of a mythical undersea kingdom.

The fifth track, “Apollo Awakens”, is another highlight that perhaps suggests a misty sea voyage amid towering mounting cliffs with its haunting duduk, eerie timbres and glistening bell tones conveying exploration and mystery.

The seventh track, “Pythia’s Trance”, is especially noteworthy for its earthy touch and hypnotic mood on which delicate panpipe and melodic percussion evoke veiled forest imagery.

If you enjoy fantasy film scores and video game soundtracks – and Greek mythology in particular – Oracle of Delphi provides a great musical companion for nighttime listening by candlelight or while reading an exciting novel.

~Candice Michelle for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Oracle of Delphi is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more.

Album Review: Reflection by Lynn Tredeau

Review by Marilyn Torres

The opening track for Lynn Tredeau’s latest solo piano album, Reflection, titled “Tide Pools”, swells with emotion as its repetitive cadence softly rises and levels off into the finale.

The second track, “Someday, Somehow”, along with other pieces like “The Passing of Time” and “The Road to There”, bring a clean and wishful air similar to the effect after a rain shower.

Tracks like “What the Rain Said” and “Washed Away” convey the overall perception of having traveled from the mountain top through woodland and into a waterway, while other pieces such as “Meandering” and “Nomad” are infused with the Erik Satie style as “droplets” of keys trickle down to cover musical ground.

Halfway through listening to the evocative “Dreaming Tree”, I realized it reminded me of the Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s score for the film Unfaithful, with its melancholy and otherworldly quality. 

“Aspens of Targhee Mountain” pays homage to the album’s main title by offering the listener a slow and reflective melody that is both calm and full of possibility, while “Deep in the Forest” gives the sense of making one’s way through dense foliage at first slowly, but then picking up pace with determination and a steady stride.

The closing track, “Celebration”, paints a picture of happiness and movement with the piano keeping a steady, almost ballerina-step in major keys.

With this project, Tredeau has indeed captured the essence of reflection; reflecting on one's life, reflecting on a journey, or reflecting on what is yet to be discovered. As a prolific artist, she shows us how, in stillness and deep thought there is also forward movement and energy.     

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Reflection is also available at Amazon, Bandcamp, and more. 

Album Review: Positano Songs by Will Ackerman

Review by Lissette Cascante

The strings on Will’s guitar vibrate with joy, warmth, and simplicity in his latest CD of all original acoustic compositions Positano Songs, a musical memoir of his years visiting Positano, a charming, iconic village on the famous Amalfi Coast of Italy. Having been to Italy and its Mediterranean coasts several times myself, I can relate to the magical feeling one is easily wrapped in. I recommend reading through the inside liner notes so you can enjoy Will’s musings of his favorite getaway to truly appreciate this album. If you’ve never been to Positano, this album will take you there. If you have been, this album will take you there again, but maybe in a more reflective and engaged way… 

After a long period of not writing, Will Ackerman, award-winning guitarist, producer, and founder of Windham Hill Records, went on a quest to find new musical inspiration: “I hadn’t written any new music in quite some time…, recounts Ackerman, “it occurred to me that if there were any place in this world where I could probably find inspiration and write again, it would be in Positano, Italy.” And so it was that in 2015, after immersing himself in the sights and sounds of that enchanting region and its people; conjuring up its dearest memories, Will brought back a lovely bouquet of songs infused with the fragrances of his beloved Positano. As Will puts it “Piece after heartfelt piece simply materialized.”

There are no fancy orchestrations, no loud crescendos, or exorbitant vocals to impress. Simple, heartfelt compositions expertly performed, and organic instrumentation sweep the listener away to a place of beauty, genuineness, and quiet reflection on the things that really matter.

Will plays three guitars in the album, his Froggy Bottom K Model six string, the Martin parlor guitar gifted to him by the late great Michael Hedges years ago, and a jumbo Steve Klein guitar for lead parts. Adding their talents are friends and accomplished musicians such as Tom Eaton (piano and bass), Charlie Bisharat (violin), Eugene Friesen (cello), Noah Wilding (vocals), and Jeff Oster (Flugelhorn). All songs are composed by Will Ackerman.

The album begins with "Nighttime in the Chapel", as Will’s solitary 6-string guitar gently invites the listener to sit alongside him, alone at midnight, in the chapel of the little village of Nocelle, where he and his wife Susan were married years before and watch the shadows dance happily on the wall.

Wafts of gratitude and joy engage our senses in “Our Wedding Song” as friends join in the celebration. With Charlie Bisharat contributing violin, Noah Wilding vocals, and Tom Eaton bass, a beautiful milestone moment is etched in memory and music.

Like awakening from a dream not being quite sure of reality from the surreal “Did I Dream This” enhanced by Eugene Friesen’s cello, Noah’s ethereal vocals, and Tom Eaton on piano and bass, recreates the lovely haunting, misty sensation of the moonlit night in Positano which Will describes through his slow reflective guitar; his memory of an elusive melody in the distance lingers on.

“The End of the Day”, a walk home alone after a nice evening dinner in this remote place, the glowing spirit of friendship lighting the way at night is artfully expressed through guitar chords, violin, and soft voices. “For Carmine” is a sweet melody dedicated to a longtime dear friend of Will’s and resident of Positano. With Will on parlor & 6 string guitars, Eugene Friesen on cello, and Tom Eaton on bass.

My favorite track is “This Is Where It Begins”. I really like the musical instrumentation combination, the way each come in at just the right time, the gliding violin, piano keys chiming in crystalline form, and as Will describes, that feeling of “coming home”. Envision mild weather, breezy, sunny days, delicious Mediterranean dinners, conversation, and laughter with cherished friends, sparkling moonlit nights.

The timeless, relaxed atmosphere of the region, reminiscent of "la dolce vita" continues in tracks like The Tyrrhenian Sea with pensive, quiet, repetitive guitar strokes reflecting on the ocean waves; and Passing Baldo's Tower inviting us to take in the beauty, while “For Giovanni” is dedicated to his dear friend and owner of the upstairs apartment where Will stayed at through the years every visit.

The album starts solo and ends solo because, after all, it’s Will’s journey. “I Had to Go There” is about the power of “point of contact” experience, reliving the memories i.e., one last time to the Chapel, last dinner at the place of his wedding dinner years ago (Dona Rosa in Montepertuso), smiles, and warm welcomes. We are grateful that Will found the inspiration he went searching for; and could return home ready to put all those warm feelings, emotions, and memories in his diary of musical interpretation to share with us in such a beautiful, simple, and expressive way. If I could describe Will Ackerman’s latest album Positano Songs in one word, it would be “simplicity.”

“…I’ve learned to shut out rational thought and simply feel…. “— Will Ackerman

Positano Songs is produced by Tom Eaton and Will Ackerman. Mixed and mastered by Tom Eaton. Recorded at Imaginary Road Studios, Windham County, Vermont. 

~Lissette Cascante for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Positano Songs is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more. 

Album Review: The Moon's Within Reach by Karavan Sarai

Review by Abdul Yamani

Karavan Sarai creates world fusion music that traverse landscapes spanning from the Middle East to South Asia. Their debut album Woven Landscapes (2015) along with the band’s follow-up releases Painted Sands (2018) and Torn In Love (2020) all peaked at high positions on world music charts and achieved much critical acclaim. 

On their latest release, The Moon’s Within Reach, Karavan Sarai takes us on a mesmerizing journey inspired by Silk Road pathways and desert sands. Here you’ll discover the spirit of Egyptian, Arabian, Turkish and Indian music fused with the lush electronic creations of two-time Grammy-nominated producer and programmer Carmen Rizzo.

Instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer Narayan Sijan describes images of “Sufis playing music, whirling from the deserts of India to the Nile River and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt” and “fire in the sand dunes under a starry night” among his personal encounters and experiences which inspire his musical art-form, and are captured in the album’s two meditatively flowing compositions.

On the extended hypnotic piece, “Longing in the Stars" featuring Tabeah, the Turkish saz is brought into dialogue with the Egyptian oud which are encompassed by ambient textures sustained throughout. Transcendent male and female vocal melodies eventually join along, creating a colorful cultural tapestry that speaks to the depths of the soul as a sonic perfume fills the air with a mystical scent.

~Abdul Yamani for Auralscapes

For more information please visit Karavan Sarai's website. The Moon's Within Reach is also available at Bandcamp, iTunes and more.