In the liner notes, this popular veteran new age duo urges listeners to think about their own personal paradises and then let these lush, swaying, and lilting gems provide the soundtracks. The opening track "Sailing" pretty much sums up the
Tingstad & Rumbel experience -- her wistful high-toned oboe floating gracefully above his gently swirling hypnotic guitar lines, creating imagery of a boat drifting across Puget Sound (near their hometown of Seattle). While most of their titles here have a similar folksy flavor and tempo, they provide unique images to help set the mood, describing places like "Mansfield Park" (named after a Jane Austen book) and "The Lowcountry." On some pieces
Rumbel also plays English horn, and on "Zelda's Dance" she creates a jig flavor with a peppy ocarina melody (which approximates the sound of a pennywhistle). A playful rhythmic variation occurs on "Ofra," a dedication to Israeli singer
Ofra Haza that features
Tingstad's more muscular acoustic side. ~ Jonathan Widran