Shabda : शब्द

Gorgeously serene and mystical, full of atmosphere and timeless grace. The mainly female voices maintain the charm and spell throughout – whispering, singing, speaking, breathing, with classical elements, soft oohs and aahs – perfectly attuned to the mood and vision established by the music. Slightly melancholy in places – wistful and emotional, occasionally powerful, always with a subtle, richly layered dreaminess.

Given the CD bears the name of a Buddhist monastery, one would naturally conclude that the tracks are dominated by chanting, but this isn’t the case. The mantras themselves are almost incidental, merely adding an exotic touch to what is otherwise very Western music dominated by English lyrics. The disc has definitely been engineered for the Western ear. Although we tend to associate Tibetan chanting with resonating throat singing, the mantras are, with one or two exceptions, performed in normal voice. In fact, the producers point out on the CD sleeve that the music and melodies are not used in daily rituals as the monastery observes tradition strictly.

Tibetan Journey is a musical voyage through the culture and natural wonders of Tibet, known as ‘The Rooftop of the World’. The music is a mix of Eastern and Western styles with Tibetan traditional instruments and voices at the core of the orchestration. Drawing from Tibet’s colorful history and cultural richness, Paul Lawler has created music that reflects the vibrancy of the Tibetan people and paints a musical picture of the remarkable Tibetan landscape and its architecture.