Planet Chant (CD)

This is a truly fine collection of devotional music from all over the world. The title gives the impression that it might be a bunch of throat-singing Tibetan drone music, but that is not the case at all!! In fact I would call most of the music "spiritual" rather than real "chant". Somehow, "chant" to me doesn't conjue up music that is highly melodic.... The selection here has something for everyone, and includes a lot of interesting pairings of Eastern and Western musicians, such as traditional Eastern msuic (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan/Michael Brooks), a Western-style Eastern chant (Krishna Das), a Tibetan chant with musical accompanyment (Lama Gyurme/Jean Phillipe Rykiel), and a female Tibetan artiste (Choying Drolma/Steve Tibbetts). There is an ambient vocal drone by Sheila Chandra, and soft percussion meditation music by Jim Donovan. Primeaux and Mike give one of their unique vocal hymns from the North American Peyote Church, while Ladysmith Black Mambazo provides an Afrrican song of praise. The remaining pieces offer liturgical music with male and female voices (Angelite and the Oberton-Chor Dusseldorf).