“Journey by Starlight” by Michelle Qureshi
Album Review by New Age CD and New Age Notes Radio Staff
I am always truly amazed by the creativity and talent of guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Michelle Qureshi. Here, in her new album, “Journey by Starlight,” we have 13 tracks of ambient, exploratory, and expansive “space music,” which include a wide array of instrumentation, perfect for zoning out, sleep, study, meditation, and relaxation. As well, the artwork features real astro photography by Basit Athar, making this quite a special journey through the cosmos.
The album opens with the long and atmospheric “The Road Winds With You.” This composition sets the mood for the “voyage” which is unhurried and spacious. Soft electric guitar drifts in and out throughout the soundscape while twinkling Koshi chimes flicker softly like passing star lights. And, thus, begins our journey.
Entering the angelic realms must feel a bit like movement that is effortless and somewhere where our own concept of time disappears. That is descriptive of “Angelic Realms,” which takes us into a space where we are thoroughly embraced by flowing arpeggios and warm acoustic guitar. It’s comforting.
Mysterious, breathy, Native American flute, played quite well by Michelle, accompanied by her own ethereal vocals and twinkling chimes, make “Astral Bridges” a true favorite on this album. As I said, her creativity seems to know no boundaries and this one is a “must have.”
Beginning with the wonderful acoustic electric guitars she is well-known for, “Bending Light” transforms into light-filled arpeggios, and percussive rhythm. There’s a lot going on here, making this track extraordinarily interesting and enjoyable.
“Partial Freeze” is rather the perfect “space music” in my opinion. With its ambient beds, deep synth pads, and electric guitar this holds us captivated in a place between movement and stillness. Very nicely done. And ditto for both “Strange Velocity” and “Starfield (Remastered)” which again, are perfect ambient space music pieces that are quite meditative and atmospheric. And we are again loving the flute performance on “Starfield.”
“River In Heaven” is one of the three tracks that was released as a single in the prelude to this album release. We are quite fond of the drifting piano lines, which seem to flow like water here. Along with the synth pads and other ambient elements, this is graceful and evokes a sense of wonder.
The hypnotic nature of “Antares” draws us in with its focused, slowly evolving motifs revolving around synths, keyboards, and virtual choir. This is another favorite on the album, perfect for just zoning out.
We can look back and reflect, but bottom line is we are always moving forward. “The Last Year” propels us along gracefully but with excitement. This has a very cinematic feel to it and is quite enjoyable overall. Super creative and another to fully love.
As humanity continues to evolve, the veil between this world and the other realms continues to dissipate. The sonically rich “Across The Veil” features piano, keyboards, and tablas, which together form an intricate tapestry of warmth and atmospheric resonance. This is a really enjoyable soundscape.
This brilliant new and different album from Michelle Qureshi closes out with “The Letter Left Unopened” – another favorite – which with its lovely acoustic guitar, airy voices, and synths leaves us beautifully transported to a wondrous world filled with mind-expanding thoughts of endless possibilities. I do hope we have more of this kind of music from Michelle in the future. It’s a great escape and a sublimely peaceful “journey.”
Get it here: https://www.michellequreshi.com
