Music Review: Atmospeheres: Celtic Voyage

Part of being bipolar (especially if you've opted for a non-medicated approach) is learning how to cope with stressors before they become a problem and knowing where the limit is. After much discussion and with careful monitoring from my doctor and therapist I went off medication four years ago with explicit instructions to relax daily and never let a hectic schedule get in the way of taking a little time for myself every day to keep from getting overwhelmed and create potentially bad situations. The result? I've learned how to relax like a professional! Alright, so everyone needs to have some of that "me" time and everyone relaxes in different ways. Me? One of my favorite methods is to sit down in a sunny area with a cup of fresh-brewed tea and listen to Celtic Voyage.

I spent my younger years in the country half a mile from the river and during the warm months my sisters and I slept under the stars to the sounds of the distant water, crickets and bullfrogs. On the rare occasion that it rained I would sit by an open window (or out in the middle of the pour if I were allowed) for hours on end until the rain had ceased and the last drops fallen from the trees. My family on my mom's side is strongly tied to their Celtic heritage and so I was treated to all manner of Celtic music then as well; it should come as no surprise that the most relaxing things I can find now are strongly rooted in this past.

Celtic Voyage begins with the sounds of thunder and rain with notes of the harp interspersed in a piece called Dawn. As the CD progresses we hear a beautiful combination of slow and fast pieces accented with the sounds of nature...rain, wind, birds, rivers, waves crashing in the shore...and each with its own blend of some of the best instruments known to Celtic music including the harp, fiddle, bagpipes and flute amongst others.

I've heard so many jokes and had so many people tell me about how annoying the bagpipes are...and I just don't see it, it's my favorite instrument and the one I most like to listen to when I'm stressed. True, you're talking to a member of the family who threw Grandma's ashes over a cliff in the middle of the mountains whilst playing Amazing Grace on the bagpipes (not me particularly, though the song choice was mine...the instrument choice was unanimous). Luckily this CD strikes a very nice balance...the bagpipes are used mainly as background or faded out so it sounds like it belongs with the sounds of nature it's played over...enough to satisfy a bagpipe freak like myself but not enough to annoy those who don't particularly appreciate the instrument.

This CD contains 14 pieces and I love them all, but if I had to choose a top three it'd probably be Dawn (not to be confused with Celtic Dawn, the fourth track, though that is also a beautiful piece), Windwalker, and Dusk. Also included are a couple of jigs and Air of Londonderry (is that the same as Londonderry Air? Are they trying to avoid the "don't say it too fast" jokes?).

Overall this is my absolute favorite CD to play during my relaxation times, when I'm trying to write, or doing any other activity that requires sitting in a quiet house. The overall feel of the music is one of calm and it covers up the less savory sounds of the house...it really is amazing what small sounds can get on one's nerves after a while (the dog breathing, the cat batting something around the kitchen floor, the water heater working) and even running this music quietly in the background helps alleviate that irritation.

I've had this particular CD for about five or six years and never tire of it...back in the days when I had the house to myself and played music to go to sleep I played this CD, I play it in the vehicle when I've had a bad day, and play it almost constantly at home when the mood is right. If you love Celtic music or use instrumental music to relax or create atmosphere in a home or business this is an excellent one to add to the collection.