Deuter is a prolific musician skilled with multiple instruments. He composes the music and records all of the tracks himself, so his albums are truly solo efforts. On “Reiki: Hands of Light,” Deuter (a Reiki master) creates ambient music for healing work. The six tracks are long and resonant, and feature simple, uncluttered melodies accompanied by highly tonal, simple chord progressions.
Track One “Loving Touch” opens the CD with a plain piano melody. The pace seems ponderously slow, but it creates the right ambience for gentle healing work. Track 2 “Healing Circle” is a bit more complex, but re-weaves melodic material from the first track with deeper, more sonorous layers of chords. Organ sounds are mixed with a human-like “ooo” track. Track 3 “Waves of Light” branches out a bit with soft flute and harp sounds. “Illumination of the Heart,” Mystic Voyage,” and “Shamanic Healing” round out the CD with similar sounds. All of the songs are in major keys, keeping the music consistently positive and hopeful.
This CD is wonderful for healing work that benefits from a gentle, serene musical ambience that encourages the client to relax and let go. It’s also appropriate for meditation and for encouraging a deep and peaceful sleep. While those are certainly attributes that suit the intended purpose, the music gets a bit stale if you’re actually paying attention to it. The melodies are overly simplistic and repetitive, while the harmonic progression of I-IV-I-IV-I-V-I is repeated ad nauseum. The persistent use of major keys feels contrived, as though the listener is being force-fed a dose of happy thoughts. One begins to wonder if Deuter was alone playing with himself in his studio a little too long.
This CD is all about ambience. If you’re looking for background music for healing work or something that will put you to sleep, this CD will do the job. If you’re looking for music that you actually intend to listen to, find something else. Do not use this CD while driving!
~review by Elizabeth Hazel
Artist: Deuter
New Earth Records 2002
61:20 minutes $12.99
