Label: Spiraling Music
There
are 16 tracks to take in and enjoy on this release. If you read all the tracks in
sequence it is a poem and the first volume was set up the same way. I think it
is a very clever way for artists to express themselves besides making the
music. There is a very spiritual message delivered through Merrill’s poem. So,
words are part of the overall presentation however you must take the time to
listen, read the tracks like you were reading a story, in this case a poem. As
the artist expressed to me, the words get lost in translation due to the
digital age not allowing the font formatting (lower case letters and
punctuation). It would be more obvious to the individuals looking at the back
of the CD that it was a part of the presentation and a piece of artistic
expression to accompany the music.
It is
all a healing experience as I believe much of the music I hear is, even if it
isn’t new age instrumental. This is very contemporary and strongly influenced
by classical. This aspect of what I have heard over the years however prevalent,
is the difference maker. The classical base takes the music and approach to
another level that simply cannot be reached by adding some layers of
synthesizer and some babbling brooks. Those elements are good however the
foundation of classical music are the keys to the kingdom.
Merrill
Collins holds the keys on Ethereal
Escapes II and unlocks the door to your inhibitions and they just melt away
with the sounds. The musicianship is superb from start to finish. Subtle yet
powerful, this music works on you one note at a time with tenderness, energy
and the true spirit of our human nature. The mystical flute is always a nice
touch and the cello and piano set it up perfectly, it is reciprocal with all
the instrumentation. Although Merrill is the featured artist she gives equal
time to her partners so they all complement each other. It is like listening to
a musical language that can only be interpreted by you the listener and it
comes from the inside, there is nothing superficial about it. For my ears that
is the pure beauty and focus of music like this.
The
title of the tracks say a lot and the music is always right there in the
forefront displaying the suggested images. This is music to contemplate, relax
to, focus upon and just listen without a thought. Whatever your purpose happens
to be now, Ethereal Escapes II is
therapeutic in every way. It comes as no surprise that Merrill has a Master’s
Degree in Music. She is a master and knows
how to make the music to allow all the therapeutic values of it to take hold. Much like the label she created Spiraling
Music, her recordings are like a spiraling staircase of sound with each step
taking you into a different space and time effortlessly.
5/5
Stars
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
June 3, 2017
Founder of:
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Tracks:
01. The fountain of jewels activated!
02. Our ears tingled
03. with every heartbeat,
04. listening with our ancestors.
05. Our peaceful uprising continues
06. flowing directly to love.
07. We heard Earth weeping,
08. remembering the emerald.
09. In the bigger picture
10. with our timeless elders,
11. we are whole together,
12. living in harmonious worlds.
13. Particles in space
14. returning home,
15. riding on waves of gold,
16. triumphant upon arrival!