Search - Raphael :: Music to Disappear in 2

Music To Disappear In II, released in 1991, is just shy of an hour long and is a logical extension of pianist-composer Raphael's Music To Disappear In. Once again utilizing the piano and keyboards as a central voice on these songs, with the addition of real rather than synthesized violin and harp, as well as a light hand with production, makes for a warmer and more enjoyable recording than its predecessor. Flutes, tabla, drums, and tinkling percussion add texture, harmony, and at times, twin melodies. A greater variance of composition and arrangement is evidenced by songs such as the sensual "Healing Dance," which opens with the strains of gypsy violin and grows to include a snake-hipped percussive rhythm, and by the hauntingly primordial vocals of "Laxshmi." "Tantra" is underscored by didjeridoo, and "Surrender" (a clear foundation for what is to come with his subsequent recording Angels of the Deep) is an angelic aria featuring harp and flute alongside Raphael's deftly fingered midsong piano solo. --Paige La Grone