Guitar Meditations

Soulfood

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 4, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 4, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Soulfood Music
• ASIN: B00005Q47D
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,757 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sometimes, two forces are less than the sum of their parts. Take this meeting between guitar wizard Billy McLaughlin and ambient composer Soulfood, a.k.a. DJ Free, a.k.a. Gordy Schaeffer. On his own recordings, McLaughlin evinces a whiplash brand of fingerpicking, employing all the two-handed techniques of the post-Michael Hedges acoustic guitarist. Soulfood has created some evocative, ethno-techno-inspired CDs, including Breathe and Wingmakers. But lately, he's become generic, creating albums that are designed to fill a market niche with titles like Tranquility and now Guitar Meditations.

Rather than enhancing McLaughlin, who draws in the reigns considerably for some fragile melodies, Soulfood tends to smother him, laying in environmental sounds and pedestrian synth string pads. It's always a relief when said synths drop out, as they do on "Dream Sketcher" and "Drift." It's like someone turning off the air conditioning: suddenly, you can hear the detail of the world around you. Despite McLaughlin's fretwork, Guitar Meditations is trapped in a clichéd marketing concept. --John Diliberto

The Light Connection

This musical journey integrating McLaughin's amazing acoustic guitar with ambience by SOULFOOD create the perfect enhancement for massage, meditation and yoga.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The sum of the parts really works here, January 24, 2002

By	Guardian of the Zen Sea "Indigo" (Looking after the sun and surf) - See all my reviews

Wow, I totally disagree with the review written by John Dilberto for this CD!!! Yes, the guitar work by Billy McLaughlin is really stunning, as usual. The accompanying music by Soulfood is not obtrusive or "smothering" to me at all. I like the combination of the meditative electronic stylings of DJ Free, which really match the guitar work very well. Combining the two different styles enhances each. True, you do not get just fingerstyle guitar work here, but that is the point. If you want just pure guitar music then get Billy McLaughlin's excellent, chart-topping CD "Fingerdance". This CD grew out of a meeting between Soulfood and Billy McLaughlin back in 1997 on Soulfood's web radio program "Earth Beat". From that meeting and performance the two decided to collaborate on "Guitar Meditations", and create something oriented towards contemplation and relaxation. To get a good idea of the feel of the music try the last cut "Into the Blue, Out of the Blue part 2". This will give you an idea of how the electronic soundscapes fuse with the guitar. Really, this is a wonderfully and very fine, relaxing, yet interesting CD. There has been no "smothering".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Customer Favorite, March 22, 2008

By	Kristen Albaneze "meowzr" (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This has been a customer favorite in my massage practice. I have received several inquiries about it. The guitar is wonderful and there isn't one song that I don't like. The whole album just flows perfectly.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift from sonic heaven, November 15, 2003

By	Rupert Valentino (Denver, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This recording really transcends all types of categorized music and speaks completely for itself. Billy McLaughlin is probably the world's best kept secret. This CD will relax and entertain you anytime you want. I have listened to this disc to fall asleep about fifty times, and I still get goosebumps when I listen to the way McLaughlin works those alternate tunings and two handed techniques. I think it is one of the finest CDs I own.