Glen Velez

A somewhat odd conceptual piece, this album from master hand drummer Glen Velez features seven percussion-heavy songs designed to stimulate and activate the body's seven chakras, or centers of energy. Eastern spiritual traditions hold that each chakra has its own color, musical tone, and esoteric attributes through which it can be stimulated, and by using these sounds, one can actually heal the parts of the body associated with each chakra. Regardless of your belief (or lack thereof) in such philosophies, this is a sublime, transcendental album capable of eliciting a trance-like response when one is in a contemplative mood. Velez is easily one of the world's most talented percussionists, and his compositions on Rhythms of the Chakras are as intricate as ever. It may have been intended primarily for meditation and healing, but the album works just as well for those interested in more earthly pleasures. ~ Bret Love, All Music Guide