The Grand Canyon. Vast. Ancient. Magnificent. And now, thanks to world and New Age music composer and multi-instrumentalist, Nicholas Gunn, with its own soundtrack. On The Music of the Grand Canyon, available on Amazon.com, Gunn crafts a musical tour of the Canyon, evoking its stunning size and expanse, and bringing to life its history and the role it has played in Native American culture.
Music of the Canyon
From the opening track, "Moonlight on Havasu Creek", Gunn's approach to the album and subject matter is clear - whispered tribal vocals and soft percussion, the sound of running water, and his flute dancing gently on top. Then a piano line takes over, starting our journey through seventeen million years of geologic history.
Wish You Were There
The problem, if you could call it that, is that the formula rarely changes throughout the album. This is easy listening music, after all, not progressive rock; so once the path is established, there is little to no deviation. There are exceptions, like the percussive, Yanni-esque "Flight Over North Rim", but the status quo is re-established quickly enough on the very next track. Thus, The Music of the Grand Canyon becomes background music a little too often to really carve itself into memory.
This may not necessarily be a bad thing, as the songs are meant to serve as the soundtrack to the visual adventure of taking in all 277 miles of the Grand Canyon, stretching into the Arizona horizon. Listening to the album in, say, urban Seattle robs the music of the vital element upon which it is based, downgrading The Music of the Grand Canyon from a must-listen, audio-visual experience into music that simply "sounds lovely". It may tug on a subconscious memory of visiting the Canyon with the family in that old, beat-up station wagon many years ago, but otherwise, the only connection this album would really have to the Grand Canyon would be the titles of the tracks.
Inside the Canyon
Despite this, there's plenty to enjoy in The Music of the Grand Canyon. "Twilight" is a tender and touching tribute to the stillness of this Wonder of the Natural World, while "Phantom Ranch" calls to mind the Canyon's deep cultural history. Strangely, "Four Worlds" and "Grand Canyon" include spoken word narration, making the tracks sound as though they were taken from a Discovery Channel special. Though providing the only tangible connection to the album's subject matter, they are slightly jarring distractions from otherwise beautiful pieces of music. "Canyon Nights" closes the album with the requisite piano ballad, Gunn's flute bringing the tour to an end, and a visual of the Canyon under the stars seeing us home.
Verdict: Not Guilty
I feel compelled to point out that there's nothing essentially wrong with The Music of the Grand Canyon. The production is excellent, the music is top-notch and the mood, the feel and the tone are gorgeous. But, as with many New Age/world music albums, the soft and relaxing nature of the songs can tend to work against the album as a whole, resulting in plenty of good vibes but only a couple of standouts. If not for the reminders - some subtle, some not - that the music was inspired by the Grand Canyon, this could have been any album in the world/New Age section.
Again, not a bad thing, but perhaps not exactly what Nicholas Gunn intended.
4.0/5.0: Minor imperfections; but The Music of the Grand Canyon has its heart and soul in the right places.
Michael Perera - The only rule in writing is honesty. If you're honest, the words will write themselves.
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