Spiritual, Spiritual!

Though Higher Octave Music has branched out into many different genres in its 15-year existence, the label was launched as a new age venture with numerous meditation-minded releases. B-Tribe's label debut combines this dreamy, floating vibe of relaxation with pleasant melodies and worldbeat touches reminiscent of the label's catalog in that genre. Think John Serrie with a few exotic brushes from Ottmar Liebert. Claus Zundel, the mastermind behind this appealing sound, recorded this effort in Ibiza, Spain, and Miami, and so it's no surprise that many of the tracks incorporate the mystical, exotic flamenco guitar weavings of Paco Fernandez. The "Intro" finds Fernandez noodling as if in search of a theme as a wash of synth mood and spacy energy wafts into the background. "Adagio in G-Minor" is a slow, brooding seduction that begins purely atmospheric but then incorporates a dreamy guitar melody. On "La Guitarra," there is a blend of low and high acoustic guitar lines with a soaring wordless female vocal moving in and out in the background. "Sketches of St. Antoni" features the lazy flügelhorn of Mark Smith, and sounds like a sweet little outtake from a Chris Botti project. The tempo pretty much stays at the meditational pace throughout, sometimes (as on "Sunset in San Carlos") drawing upon combinations of Eastern textures and medieval church flavors. Definitely soothing.