by Jim Brenholts
Dean Evenson has released at least five CDs with water themes. His liner notes for Healing Waters explain why he does so. He discusses the impact of water on human life and its importance to life cycles. On the disc, Evenson blends nature samples with psycho-acoustic atmospheres to harmonize listeners physically and spiritually. The disc features Evenson on flutes and keyboards, Dudley Evenson, his wife, on harps, D'Rachael on harps, Scott Huckabay on guitars, Jonathan Kramer on cello, and Li Xiangting on guqin. Those soft instruments create deep pastorales and smooth atmospheres. There is a quiet drone, but it is not constant; the sound design has different instruments alternating to create the drone. The effect is spine-tingling. This CD will appeal to fans of Tom Barabas, Lisa Lynne, Steven Halpern, and Tingstad & Rumbel.