CD Review: Incantation by Tim Wheater

Incantation by Tim Wheater. © 1999 Real Music. Audio/Music CD. New Age/Spiritual. 9 Tracks. Total Time: 45:06.

Tim Wheater's Incantation is a gorgeous blending of various ethnic sounds and cultures, combining to create a truly exquisite and mystical work of art. Below are my thoughts, track by track:

01. En Trance (5:54) - Simone Bonny opens En Trance with elegant Vedic chants and vocal dirges reminiscent of those within the films Gladiator and Troy. The Native American flute, keyboards, tribal drums, and vocals by Aoife N' Fhearraigh shapeshift this song into an invocation to the divine.

02. Seventh Ray (4:52) - This relaxing song features the breathtakingly gorgeous vocals of Aoife N' Fhearraigh. Beginning in Irish Gaelic and ending in English, The Seventh Ray, sings a song of the heart with elegance, compassion, and a whisper of sadness.

03. Uluru (5:24) - Uluru (a breathtaking rock located in Australia) also features vocals by Aoife N' Fhearraigh and is a powerfully moving tribal song. Including the flute, a didgeridoo, drums, keyboards and rich, rousing chants, Uluru will have you up on your feet, enraptured by its subtle shamanic undertones. This is one of my favorites of the album!

04. Dark Falls the Night (3:49) - Dark Falls the Night is in itself a stirring and evocative nighttime prayer (again, performed by Aoife N' Fhearraigh), featuring a soothing flute background by Tim Wheater.

05. Benedictus (5:55) - Benedictus has a very Arabian aura about is, featuring what sounds to me like a Sinai, joined later by a flute and hand cymbals. About two and a half minutes into the instrumental, we are joined by Aoife N' Fhearraigh and Tim Wheater in a magnificent Latin mantra, evoking the sacred from within.

06. Pacificus (4:21) - Featuring crystal bowls, shamanic vocals and soprano Maureen Taylor, Pacificus, is an instrumental sure to awaken the numinous within you. This a perfect song for meditation.

07. Love is Here (4:42) - Love is Here begins with an opening from Lakota Howard Badhand, who delivers a moving opening message of Mitakuwepi, iyuha unipi ktelo (My People, we will all live). From the opening, we are graced with the vocals of Tim Wheater, singing a song of unity, love & healing (joined by the background vocals of Aoife N' Fhearraigh).

08. Whistler's Lament (3:38) - Beginning with a deep, throaty chant, Whistler's Lament is a melancholy dirge that will conjure up images of the Highlands of Scotland or the green rolling hills of Ireland; featuring the flute, violin and piano.

09. Circle's Edge (6:22) - Combining both mantras from Hindi (Om mani padme hum, Om pratisham dhéhi, Om man dhéhi) and Latin (Deus ibi est, Dona nobis pacem), Circle's Edge showcases the stunning choral vocals of The Aquae Sulis Angels and the Vedic chants of Simone Bonny, beckoning us to awaken from the arms of dreaming ...

This is a must-have for those interested in New Age music.