Enlightened Love
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 4
Ambient Visions
Rasull Soon, who performs as BlueMonk, presents us with striking and haunting melodies in his debut CD. BlueMonk delights us with his soft and seductive piano and on certain tracks combines with the wonderful talent of flautist Rajendra Teredesai, whose compositions complement Blue Monk's piano. Mr. Teredesai is a well-known and respected Indian flautist, who provides us with some incredibly beautiful Indian bansuri or Native American flutes. The constant theme is soft, relaxing and mood setting background music to enhance your space. Real Music, the label, has always presented artists whose ethereal music will set the mood for complete calm and relaxation. This CD is no exception. And their choice of piano and flute here is an outstanding example of the kind of material I have come to expect from Real Music. There is a very eastern flavor to many of the pieces and there are some very Native American sounding tracks as well, but the music can still be considered "world music." The piano and flute are combined with electronic enhancements to lend a very otherworldly feel to the music sometimes, while offering some harmonic accompaniment to the composition. As a Reiki practitioner, I am always looking for music to complement my practice. This collection of peaceful and contemplative compositions gives the exact air to the practice room and settles well with my clients. This is a perfect CD for my practice and will be added to my playlist. Stand out tracks on the CD are Alicia's Dream that features the flute work of Mr. Teredesai accompanied by Mr. Soon's piano. The music is very ethereal, very peaceful and an excellent composition. Ancient Wisdom has a Native American feel. The flute work of Mr. Teredesai is exceptional. A beautiful track where east crosses to west with grace and dignity. My favorite pick is the track Eastern Sun. This is an Oriental work, with chirping birds and flowing water, first-rate eastern flute work and electronica that sets a relaxed and stress-free mood. I love how a range of oriental instruments are created and Mr. Soon's piano work compliments the entire presentation. For music to set a peaceful mood at the end of the day, or to complement your environment anytime, this album is a good choice. I recommend it to alternative therapy practitioners to enhance their working space. Michael Foster Editor – ambientvisions.com
MainlyPiano.com
Enlightened Love is the Real Music debut by multi- instrumentalist/composer Blue Monk. The album contains nine eclectic world music tracks that feature Rajendra Teredesai on bansuri and Native American flutes. Blue Monk performs on piano, keyboards, percussion, and ethnic instruments. From the liner notes: “The music is ideal for therapeutic practices like yoga, t’ai chi, meditation and personal and spiritual awakening, as well as for relaxation and easy listening.” Heavily-influenced by Eastern and Native American musical traditions as well as New Age stylings, some of the tracks are quiet and soothing while others are more upbeat and rhythmic. As always with Real Music’s releases, the sound quality is impeccable. Enlightened Love begins with “Eastern Sun,” a lovely piece that evokes visual images of a rising sun illuminating tranquil and vast open spaces. Warm and optimistic, it could be perfect in a movie soundtrack. “Letting Go” is much more fluid and relaxed. Piano and gently rhythmic keyboard accompaniments provide a soothing massage for the mind. “Ancient Wisdom” begins quietly, building as it evolves, incorporating a variety of instruments from various cultures as well as chanting voices. The flutes are especially effective in this piece. “Alicia’s Dream” is one of the more ambient pieces, and also one of the most beautiful. Piano with keyboard washes, flute and light percussion make this atmospheric gem a favorite. “Mindfulness” is even more ambient, with ethereal voices and pastel keyboard washes behind the simple piano meditation. “Cosmic Zen” goes darker, but with a peaceful feeling of floating in space. A mix of ethnic instruments with keyboard, voices, and flutes make this a multi-cultural world music selection that embraces many and excludes no one. “State of No Mind” reminds me of a conversation I had with Ray Lynch about twelve years ago about the concept of “headlessness” - being able to stop thinking and to just “be.” This peaceful, slowly-flowing piece for flute and keyboard glides effortlessly and gracefully through time and space, at one with the universe. The title track again blends Eastern and Western instruments and musical traditions with contemporary “new age” sensibilities, creating a unique sound that is both exciting and very soothing. Kathy Parsons MainlyPiano.com