Kathy Parsons
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From MainlyPiano
"Chimes of the Spirit" is the third release from Acoustic Ocean, a duo consisting of Peggy Morgan (Celtic harp) and Bette Phelan (guitar), who have been performing together for more than twenty years. Both artists are active in the healing arts field and incorporate some of that as well as the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands into their music. Intertwining the genres of folk, new age, and contemporary instrumental, the eleven compositions also feature Morgan and Phelan on supporting instruments such as fretless bass, low whistle, electric guitar, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, and vocals. They are joined on several tracks by Kay Aldrich on cello and Anne Berliner on flute. The music itself invites the listener on a musical journey through the process of transition and transformation, encouraging the expression of feelings through art and music to comfort, uplift, and bring us back into balance. Overall, the music is light and optimistic with strong Celtic and folk influences - sure to brighten the gray days of winter and bring some sunshine to the darkest of moods.
"Chimes of the Spirit" opens with “This Love Is Forever,” a lively ballad that celebrates the joy and security of true love. “Farewell Safe Harbor” adds cello to the harp and guitar, grounding them a bit with the lower range of notes - a lovely balance! “Into the Mystery Landscape” sounds like it could go much darker, but this is a very pleasant mystery, not an unsettling one. “Rift Rider” picks up the tempo for a lively duet for guitar and harp - a favorite. “Under the Starlit Sky” is serene and sparkling with mandolin and low whistle adding color, atmosphere, and a little weight. The title track begins slowly and rather mysteriously, gradually gathering energy and becoming quite lively and joyful. “Tsunami” is intense and energetic, but not really ominous. Wordless vocals create a nice counterpoint to the plucked strings. “If I Had Wings,” a traditional folk song, has a peaceful, easy flow and gentle lyrics. The wistful “Only Love Remains” brings our journey to its conclusion, hopeful and ready to move forward.
"Chimes of the Spirit" is music with a purpose, but it also provides a light and soothing background for any number of quiet activities (or work) and is complex enough to enjoy with full listening attention.
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Raj Manoharan (www.rajmanreviews.blogspot.com)
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The RajMan Review
On their third album, Acoustic Ocean offer up eleven predominantly instrumental tunes that cement their well-deserved status as one of the preeminent duos recording and performing in the New Age genre today.
Bette Phelan and Peggy Morgan combine their backgrounds as folk singer-songwriters with Celtic influences and the inspiration of their home base of Hawaii, resulting in a unique fusion of world music that could best be described as mystic rustic tropical.
The two are practically a whole self-conducted orchestra unto themselves, with Morgan playing Celtic harp, rhythm guitar, piano, and Tibetan singing bowls and Phelan playing acoustic and electric guitars, fretless bass, pennywhistles, mandolin, wave drum, hammered dulcimer, chimes, and keyboards (synthesizing Uilleann pipes and clarinet). The two also contribute their earnest, heartfelt vocals to some of the songs. They are joined as well by Anne Berliner on flute and Kay Aldrich on cello.
This is another excellent, engaging release by Acoustic Ocean, with a full, rich sound that soothes the soul and puts the mind at ease.
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Michael Diamond (www.michaeldiamondmusic.com)
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Review excerpt from Music and Media Focus
As someone who loves both harp and guitar, the combination of the two is music to my ears as well as my soul. Celtic harpist Peggy Morgan along with long time musical partner Bette Phelan on guitar, who perform and record collectively as Acoustic Ocean, have released their third album of soothing instrumental music, entitled Chimes of the Spirit. In addition to music, Peggy and Bette are both yoga instructors and holistic health practitioners. For them, “The music of Acoustic Ocean reflects the musical and healing arts backgrounds of the artists, as well as the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, which helped inspire the music.”
Both are both talented multi-instrumentalists. And although the Celtic Harp is Peggy’s main instrument on the album, she also performs on rhythm guitar, piano, Tibetan singing bowls, and vocals. Bette’s talents, in addition to acoustic guitar, extend to fretless bass, electric guitar, pennywhistles, mandolin, Wavedrum, hammered dulcimer, chimes, keyboard (Uilleann pipes & clarinet), and vocals. They are also joined on several songs by Kay Aldrich on cello and Anne Berliner on flute.
Listening to the opening track, the first word that comes to mind is “sparkling.” Peggy’s harp has an effervescent quality that conjured an image in my mind of the froth and spray of crashing waves reflecting in the sunlight - an acoustic ocean indeed. The melodic interweaving of Bette’s guitar is magical and bespeaks the bond created by musicians who have been playing together for decades. The album’s title track has a cinematic quality as it unfolds through a variety of musical and emotional spaces. Acoustic Ocean’s music, in general, expresses a spectrum of feelings and moods, from light and lively, to wistful and reflective, and beyond. A pastoral ambiance is evoked on The Long Walk Home. The flute that joins the piece at midsection adds a perfect butterfly-like accent to complete the picture. The album concludes with “Only Love Remains.” With its earthy Celtic-tinged vibe, it resonates the heartstrings and leaves a lingering glow after it fades. I appreciate how much Peggy and Bette infuse their healing influence and intention into the music of Acoustic Ocean. A peaceful, yet uplifting energy pervades, bringing a wave of Aloha spirit to the shores of the listener.
To read a full-length feature article on this CD, as well as others, please visit: www.michaeldiamondmusic.com
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REVIEWS NEW AGE
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Maestros de los acústico!
Regresan Acoustic Ocean, maestros de lo acústico. Este tercer trabajo de Peggy Morgan y Bette Phelan, Chimes of the Spirit, es una oleada de calma y sugerentes sonidos acústicos interpretados por arpas, guitarras, piano, cuencos tibetanos, campanillas, y un gran número de instrumentos acústicos, que unidos, van dando forma a una música cautivadora y plácida. La música que encontramos en este álbum, al igual que en los álbumes anteriores de Acoustic Ocean, se ajustan al género folk/celta, por lo que podemos hacernos una idea de la calidad que podemos encontrar en su estéreo, o mejor aún, en sus composiciones.
La primera pieza marca el carácter global del CD. “This Love Is Forever” es una entrañable pieza interpretada por arpa y guitarras, con un estéreo muy bien conseguido. Los instrumentos van jugando en los canales, llamando la atención al oyente y no sólo por su linda melodía, también la producción es importante en esta composición.
“Farewell Safe Harbor”. Nunca una despedida fue tan dulce. En este tema, la guitarra, el arpa y el chelo del invitado Kay Aldrich, interpretan una de las piezas a destacar en Chimes of the Spirit. Nuevamente la composición es altamente interesante; escuchar los diferentes instrumentos surgir con sus notas en esta hermosa pieza, es ideal, relajante.
Introspectiva y perfecta para la realización de ejercicios mentales o de relajación es “Into The Mystery Landscape”. Con un fluir muy lento de su melodía y acompañado de inspiradores acordes, notas e instrumentos étnicos, la melodía invita a abandonar este mundo, descansar y disfrutar de un momento único. Destacar la interpretación del arpa, es de una belleza sorprendente.
Una de mis preferidas en Chimes of the Spirit, y de las más vivas en cuanto a melodía se refiere es “Rift Rider”. Guitarra y arpa consiguen construir una música muy atractiva, muy celta, una música que es encantadora para nuestros oídos desde que aparece la primera nota. Rápidos arpegios de guitarra y un arpa llamativa; en ocasiones, no son necesarios decenas de pistas para crear una maravilla, con tan sólo dos o tres instrumentos y haciendo hincapié en una buena composición son suficientes para crear algo grandioso.
En este álbum también encontramos piezas que nos permiten conectar con nuestro interior. Al igual que “Into The Mystery Landscape”, esta composición, “Under The Starlit Sky”, es una de esas piezas que maravillan por el sonido de los diferentes instrumentos, pero también por la paz que respiran sus notas. Son minutos de armonía.
Os acordáis de Gwendal?, por un momento creí escucharlos en “Midnight Rendezvous” un tema en el que la flauta de Anne Berliner le ofrece un toque muy llamativo y atractivo a la melodía, muy similar al de la conocida banda francesa. Déjate seducir por el sonido de esta composición, más celta que nunca, y de una perfección asombrosa. Me encanta!.
Aparece el tema que da nombre al álbum, “Chimes of the Spirit”. Para esta pieza, Acoustic Ocean mantiene el arpa como instrumento principal, pero la guitarra es sustituida en algunas ocasiones por otros instrumentos. Seria y reflexiva al comienzo, la pieza va tornándose encantadora y amable hasta su final.
Volviendo a las melodías entrañables, Acoustic Ocean componen “The Long Walk Home”, donde nuevamente hace aparición la flauta de Anne Berliner, deberían plantearle que forme parte del grupo, su flauta añade un sonido impresionante a las composiciones en las que ella interviene. Igualmente, el chello de Kay Aldrich, también presta sus acordes en este tema.
Por primera vez, hace aparición la voz de Bette Phelan en una pieza del álbum, concretamente en “Tsunami”. En esta pieza destacamos el rápido arpegio del arpa y la guitarra, que junto a las voces, mantienen al oyente en un estado de tensión continua.
Juntos, Peggy Morgan y Bette Phelan cantan “If I Had Wings”, una tranquila canción donde las guitarras, el arpa y una sutil percusión dan el fondo musical perfecto para las cálidas voces de los componentes de Acoustic Ocean. Me gusta!.
Para cerrar el CD, Acoustic Ocean apuestan por “Only Love Remains”, una pieza romántica, donde no sólo disfrutamos de guitarra y arpa, la aparición de un instrumento celta entona la melodía principal, un uilleann pipe, un sonido profundo y que hace las delicias de todos los amantes de este género musical. Un final fantástico!!.
Chimes of the Spirit es uno de esos álbumes que debemos añadir a nuestra colección si lo que realmente nos gusta es la música celta. Todo lo que encontramos en este álbum es acústico y de una calidad sonora sorprendente. La música es hermosa y apacible, melodías perfectas para soñar, o simplemente, para disfrutar de una buena lectura. Muy recomendable!.
reviewsnewage.com
30/01/13
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