Search - Steven Halpern :: Inner Peace

Registering just a notch or two higher than white noise on the auditory-perception scale, Steven Halpern's 1994 release, Inner Peace, nonetheless generally delivers on the promise made in the disc's subtitle: "Music for relaxation, meditation and sound healing." OK, the "sound healing" claim may be a stretch to some, but Inner Peace does manage to serve up a restful soundtrack suitable for nodding out. Unhurried, hushed, and at times luminous (as on "Eternally,"), Halpern uses his standard assortment of keyboard textures to mostly good effect, though the Tinkerbell qualities of his electric piano sometimes diminish the deeper resonance of his more expansive pieces (as occurs on "Awakening"). Still, the disc's overall effect is calming and, at its best (represented by space walks such as "Oneness," "Wagnerian Prelude," and "Alpha Waves"), velveteen. Halpern's twinkling, disc-closing keyboard duet with Bob Wehrman ("Quantum Leap") is this project's one piece that offers something close to song structure and is a pleasant diversion. --Terry Wood