CD: Buddha Moon
Artist: Chinmaya Dunster
Publisher: New Earth Records
Run time: 4 tracks, 58:30 Minutes
Buy Amazon CD
Buy Amazon MP3
Or buy it through the Apple iTunes store

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed a CD by Deuter, which I said “felt” Japanese due to the style and the instruments he used. This one is similar in many respects, but this on uses Indian instruments played by classical Indian musicians to give a very strong Indian feeling to the music.

From the cover: “Fusion maestro Chinmaya Dunster teams up with two virtuoso Indian classical musicians for a live performance of two morning ragas. The whole CD remains stately and tranquil, rooted in the meditative atmosphere surrounding dawn on a full moon night. This is hypnotic music to unwind to, to use as a background for a massage, and careful listening reveals a trance-like depth. Timeless.”

There are only four tracks on this CD, all of which are between 13 and 16 minutes long. They are all “Moon themed,” with tracks called New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon‚ and Waning Moon. To be honest, they all sound very much alike, and as the cover quote above states, it is very trance-inducing. This would be another excellent addition to a “meditation music” library. There is plenty of pleasing, relaxing background sound without a distracting tune, which is perfect for covering up outside noises while trying to meditate quietly.

I know some people call Indian music “whangy-twangy” due to the unique stringed instruments, and there is a lot of that here. If you are “anti-twang,” then you might want to skip this one. If, on the other hand, you are looking for authentic-sounding Indian music to make your meditations more “Eastern,” then give this one a try. It’s very soothing in my opinion, but it’s not going to put you to sleep.

I have included the usual link to buy the CD from Amazon above, but this music is also available from Amazon in MP3 format or from Apple through iTunes, so you can buy and listen to the music immediately without paying and waiting.