“Luminary” by Cheryl B. Engelhardt
Album Review by Dyan Garris, Zone Music ReporterSpirit Seeker Magazine
“Luminary” shines from deep inside with ease, grace, and emanating light. Simply gorgeous
and immensely relaxing without trying.” – Dyan Garris
Have you ever had a panic attack?
If you have, you know how debilitating these can be. And if you haven’t ever had one, I can tell you unequivocally from personal experience, these attacks can be quite incapacitating to say the least. Cheryl B. Engelhardt’s 5th album, “Luminary,” is her first in the New Age genre, and her inspiration for this album came from her own decade long struggle with panic attacks. Cheryl found relief in meditation and piano “music therapy” and she is now about 2 years free from panic attacks. Musical physician, “heal thyself,” indeed.
“Luminary,” written by Cheryl in an abandoned town in Greece, is already a #1 best-selling album on iTunes and Amazon and has also been discovered by top meditations apps utilized by millions of people to alleviate anxiety.
The album is 10 tracks of non-typical “New Age” ambience. Each composition is just over 6 minutes, giving the listener over an hour of inner peace. Here, Cheryl has taken an intentionally minimalistic musical approach and uses a diverse blend of piano, soft bells, electronica, and her voice, all leading to a very relaxing experience. The album effectively quiets not only the mind, but the spirit as well. It’s a little hard to describe each track individually. These compositions are all more like flowing moods and gentle atmospheres that seep deeply into your soul with ease, grace, and light, and definitely without even trying.
As well, it is equally as challenging to choose a favorite. I just can’t. This is one recording where you will want to get the whole album, rather than just getting one track, because it’s more of an “experience.”
That said, the first track, “Sister of Eos,” is simply wonderful and takes us directly into the calm. If I have it right, Eos, in Greek Mythology, was goddess of the dawn, and she was a sister to goddess of the sun (Helios) as well as to Selene, goddess of the moon. I find that artistically interesting. Too, the piece, “Moon Harvest” is just lovely and deeply serene, with ethereal vocals, piano, and a kind of overall “moody” calm. Just beautiful. I am also quite fond of “Glisten Up,” which is shimmery, soft, and ultra-relaxing. This is a great piece of artistry, as is this entire album. “Luminary” closes out with the beautiful, “Bioluminescence,” which brings total peace to your whole being. Easy and effortless, the album is a shimmering piece of light; a softly shining luminary in and of itself. Love it all.
Get “Luminary” here at Cheryl’s artist
website: https://www.iamaluminary.com/ or
wherever music is sold/streamed.
