DAVID ARKENSTONE
Citizen Of The World
(p) (c) 1999 Windham Hill Records
10tks/57mins

In spite of all the obstacles, the time is coming which destroys the boundaries between countries and between people, which makes our Common Home an organic unity, and its future starts depending on everybody living at this small planet. And David Arkenstone by means of his music allows feeling that Global House, riches of his colors, realizing, that here is nothing to fight for with each other. His music is global, all-human: he travels with his new album Citizen Of The World to various lands and continents, intending to display wealth of different cultures completely, as far as it is possible. Ten compositions of the album are the messages from ten regions of the planet.

Forest Runners - the joyful, sunny rhythms of South American Indians. Desert Crossing - an evident adornment of the album, a bright diamond in the necklace of Arkenstone's compositions. Sultry breathing of desert, hot sands and wide, boundless space. And pulsing of life, and dust of endless roads under the feet... Moonflower is a contrast with the previous composition - a fluent Chinese melody; also one of the greatest hits of this album. It flows without hurry, like a wide river, softly playing with waves under yellow moon and black night sky, shining with myriad of bright stars. The Gypsy Camp - here we are, in Gypsy camp. And again you can hear in the sparking rhythms and penetrating voice of Gypsy guitar pulse of life and echoes of long wanderings. Safe Passage - we are carried to another side of the world, somewhere in the savannas of South Africa. The melody becomes more chaotic and saturated with the breathing of Mother Earth. Drums lay stress on the melody, allowing feeling the very roots of the earth life. Ceremony - song of Indian flute, boundlessness of the North American prairies, freedom of soaring eagle and a endless sadness. Just great! Land Of The Tiger - an epic poem, a voice of far India, message of ancient world plus European finesse of the sound. I should say several words about sound design. Citizen Of The World - sounds perfectly, though it seems sometimes too refined. Generally it is a profound work with sound, a top class. Carried Away Across The Sea - how it would be possible to manage without Celtic music! A gray sea, rolling over the coastal rocks, a fishermen's village and merry feast of the brave warriors. Temple Of The Pharaoh - the music becomes mysterious, bringing echoes of another great civilization - the ancient Egypt. Travel along Nile, majestic pyramids and powerful priests, shining of gold and tatters of innumerable slaves. Into The Dreamtime crowns the album, summing the travels and creating psychedelic mood. Here the buzzing of Australian didgeridoo and obstinate power of drums are heard. Final touch. A look to the Earth from far away, from the space.

The new album of David Arkenstone is a work of Master, a pleasant surprise for all new age amateurs. Even if this CD cannot replace ten disks, it worth listening. Citizen Of The World is a good possibility of slight touch to various cultures, of flight all over the Earth. It will be great if the maestro will not stop but continue his fascinating travel over the seas and continents. And maybe we'll visit Scandinavia or Polynesia, look at Caribbean Islands or find ourselves in Russia... Who knows to where the unknown ways will lead us...

Serge Kozlovsky