Shortly after 9/11, Kitaro began a pilgrimage to the island of Shikoku, which has 88 temples, each with its own distinct temple bells. The Japanese keyboardist has been recording those bells and working them into the fabr... more »ic of The Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, of which this is the second volume in a projected series. The first volume unlocked a new energy in Kitaro's music, with more open spaces and instruments like the erhu and pipa (Chinese violin and lute) lending his landscapes an organic immediacy. But Kitaro is a composer who doesn't know when to stop. He takes the freshest elements of his music, like the koto-erhu duet at the core of "Shining Spirit of Water," and buries them in the same choir pads, electronic squiggles, dripping strings, and whooping synthesizers that have been his sonic signature since 1978's Astral Voyage. Even the relatively austere meditation of "Peaceful Valley," featuring Native American flute, and the darker textures of "Ka-Non," get swamped as Kitaro gilds the lily and then dips it in a treacly bath sweeter than a glazed doughnut. The thought that Kitaro's Shikoku pilgrimage has already turned into a tedious trudge doesn't bode well. --John Diliberto« less
Shortly after 9/11, Kitaro began a pilgrimage to the island of Shikoku, which has 88 temples, each with its own distinct temple bells. The Japanese keyboardist has been recording those bells and working them into the fabric of The Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, of which this is the second volume in a projected series. The first volume unlocked a new energy in Kitaro's music, with more open spaces and instruments like the erhu and pipa (Chinese violin and lute) lending his landscapes an organic immediacy. But Kitaro is a composer who doesn't know when to stop. He takes the freshest elements of his music, like the koto-erhu duet at the core of "Shining Spirit of Water," and buries them in the same choir pads, electronic squiggles, dripping strings, and whooping synthesizers that have been his sonic signature since 1978's Astral Voyage. Even the relatively austere meditation of "Peaceful Valley," featuring Native American flute, and the darker textures of "Ka-Non," get swamped as Kitaro gilds the lily and then dips it in a treacly bath sweeter than a glazed doughnut. The thought that Kitaro's Shikoku pilgrimage has already turned into a tedious trudge doesn't bode well. --John Diliberto
CD Reviews
IMHO, better than "Volume 1"
eveoflove | North York, Ontario Canada | 03/06/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Made in USA in 2005, Serial# 73035-2, Playing Time 58:26
Some of the sounds found on this CD will be very familiar to any fan who's been following his career for more than a decade: all instrumental, except for a few wolf-like "howls" on the last track (forgive my ignorance if this is intended as some prayer/summons.) It is that track that brings down my review from what would have otherwise been a 4-star rating.
I personally found this album much more charming (and perhaps with less "traditional" influences) than Volume 1. There are even some passages vaguely reminiscent of some of Yanni's best symphonic moments.
Some melodies (like "As The Wind Blows" or "Whispering Earth") will undoubtebly find their way on an ulterior "best of": this is Kitaro in FULL bliss.
Other melodies are much more rhythmic (like "Kan-Non" and "Dancing Flower"), which aren't my favorite Kitaro moods; I'll take his charm/musical poetry over the more enthusiastic tracks.
Still, regardless of the energy deployed, all tracks (except for "Floating Lotus") are rich and textured.
For the novice, "Volume 2" is probably a better introduction to the world of Kitaro than "Volume 1". Obviously not the type of music to listen to while vacuuming... Sit back (or better yet, lay back) and crank it up!"
Great for yoga class
YogaBaby | Indianapolis, IN, USA | 06/10/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's actually a 4.5 stars. I am a yoga instructor. This is the first CD I bought for my class, and it works beautifully! As picky as I'm toward the music I use for my class, I like music that's relaxing yet not boring to put you to sleep. I do have to mention though, the last song "Ritual Waves", I found is very disturbing..."
On the Road Again
Crazy Fox | Chicago, IL USA | 06/02/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The ever prolific New Age maestro Kitaro's musical pilgrimage continues with this CD, with eleven compositions inspired by Temples 13 through 23 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Route. All in all he does a fine job of maintaining the tone and flavor of "Sacred Journey of Kukai, Volume 1" while not getting stuck in a rut. He manages to integrate the temple bells into the music somewhat more smoothly than before, while continuing overall to alchemically blend traditional Asian musical forms with contemporary sensibilities as well as he did on the last album (and throughout his career, for that matter). The Chinese pipa lute is particularly effective on track six, and the Arabic inflections in track seven are subtle and yet thrilling.
That said, at first I thought I was going to dislike this album. Some of the earlier tracks are a bit on the weak side, and track five has way too much of Kitaro's sentimental whoops and swirls and seems overdone (and parts of it sound to me like a theme for a second-rate Japanese TV drama). Just when I was starting to roll my eyes, though, track six kicked in and saved the day, and the rest of the album gets the balance about right.
I do kind of feel that, according to my tastes at least, Volume 1 was a stronger effort on Kitaro's part, but this is still great spiritual music with a heart, focused on inner peace and world peace and inspired by a time-honored Japanese religious practice. One can only look forwards to the next stage in the pilgrimage and wonder what it will bring."
Kitaro CD
Forrest J. Leedy | Acworth, GA USA | 08/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have had other Kitaro recordings which I have really liked and then came across this one recently. Kitaro still has the same magic with this recording."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1