The popular and pioneering new age label Windham Hill comes along to stake its claim in the somewhat hazy style known as chill-out, a stylistic trend that commonly goes hand in hand with slow hip-hop beats, breathy female vocals, and cozy atmospheric touches. Windham Hill Chill: Ambient Acoustic features material with a similar desired effect that doesn't have very much in common with chill-out. This is a two-disc set separated into ambient and acoustic sets and, surprisingly enough, the inclusions are presented in a continuous mix -- just like the hundreds of chill-out-themed compilation albums that were populating record store bins at the time of its release. The ambient disc features songs from Yanni ("To the One Who Knows"), Tangerine Dream ("Cool at Heart"), David Arkenstone ("Into the Dreamtime"), and Ravi Shakar's "Ragas in Minor Scale." On the acoustic disc, there's Michael Hedges ("Rickover's Dream"), Phil Coulter ("Sunlight on the Water"), Liz Story ("Wedding Rain"), George Winston ("Cloudburst"), and W.G. Snuffy Walden ("Alone"). If the concept of chill-out music appeals to you, and if the underfed models on the covers of many chill-out compilations signify that the music might not be up your alley, a compilation of relaxing music such as this will be more likely to suit you. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide