Rivulets & Violets

Item: Rivulets and Violets
Author: Beth Blinn

Rivulets and Violets

(1993)

Reviewed by Beth Blinn

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Label EdenThe LighthouseJanuary 1994

ambient celtic new age

I generally prefer my music with words. Maybe it has something to do with my writing background, or maybe it's just personal-either way, instrumental music is not something that I am naturally drawn to. Lately, however, I do find myself occasionally popping something in the CD player that doesn't provoke me to think, but fulfills more of a mood music need.

Fans of Enya or Clannad, or that type of music, should look into the self-titled debut release of Rivulets and Violets. No words, just music that sort of flows around you, made up of guitars, some keyboard, and the voice of Nicki, which floats through the music, sometimes in unison and sometimes in counterpoint.

Made up of the aforementioned Nicki, as well as Mark on guitar and Masaki on keyboards, Rivulets and Violets have created a record that is pretty solid for a first effort. Consisting of fourteen songs, spanning a little more than an hour, the album offers some promise as to what this group could be capable of. Some of the more memorable cuts are "Your Smile," "Field of Flowers," "Paperchain Stories," and "Frosty Morning Star."

If you are into instrumental or "New Age" music, give this one a listen.