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Artist: Dean Evenson & Scott Huckabay
Album: Healing Dreams
CD Review: When this reviewer wants to relax and take a break from the usual folk and hard-edged alt-rock that usually comes in the mail, he sits back and lets a Dean Evenson cd spin. Doesn’t matter what the title is, the name Dean Evenson (co-founder of new age label Soundings of the Planet) is synonymous with relaxation and gentle orbiting melodies. The slogan for Soundings of the Planet is ‘Peace through music.’ So is Dean, so is his newest Healing Dreams.

‘There are many theories about dreams,’ admits Dean. ‘Some think of them as reflecting our personalities, wishes or concerns while others believe them to be prophetic. Some aboriginal peoples believe that we live in a collective dream. Many see dreaming as essential to our spiritual work. Most agree that dreams are an essential part of a healthy exercise.’

Within the cd booklet is a further definition of the dream state, plus an explanation of the Sound Healing series’ philosophy of music. All titles are clued into the Earth Resonance Frequency, a sub-audio frequency (7.8 hertz) that is the same resonant frequency of the Earth’s atmospheric cavity. Doctors state that this alpha state can trigger a ‘relaxation response.’ Believe it or not, but there is little argument against the mellowness and leisure time that will come out for the listener upon placing an ear into these Healing Dreams.

Every cd I’ve heard from this label has been at least an hour long. Same here with these 10 tracks. I won’t bother differentiating between the cuts, since to me this is all a journey, with the opening ‘Awakening Spirit’ being just what it says, following through to the end ‘Elevate,’ destined to be scoring your last step on the mountain. It is sonic, escapist, realist, a thematic grandeur filled with as many tunes as internal motifs.

Dean Evenson (flutes, keys) is joined on the release by Scott Huckabay (guitar), Gina Sala (vocals), Dudley Evenson (harp), Jonathan Kramer (cello), Walter Makichen (singing bowls), and Phil Heaven (viola). The vocals are given as sounds, not words, making this one instrumental disc that is a pleasure to find spinning on the air and on your mind.


soundings.com