Artist: Robert Lauri Album: Power In Heaven Review by Michael Morgan "Just another ambient bedroom artist" would be completely unfair when describing the lush textures and instrumental variations on new age ambient artist Robert Lauri's, Power In Heaven. Ambient music has a tendency to get sleepy and monotone. While sleepy moments exist on this record, they are usually temporary exhalations, a calm before the wrath of well-fated primal percussion and interwoven synth-scapes. "Step to Eden"'s reverberating pulsations is probably the most homogeneous (in term of its style) track off of Power In Heaven, especially with the clashing of various ethnic sounds on the other tracks. "Step to Eden's" motif is a synth whistle with a folkish melody accompanied by percussive fills and a steady stream of insect-like synth noises. It's short and catchy. The quick muted guitar riffs add a welcome touch to the ambient hues. This is definitely a track to re-listen to and sure to be a fan favorite. "Survivor" starts off as a piano ballad, and then launches into a ream of guitars and synth fills. The ringing synths, intended as aesthetic embellishments throughout the song, are not necessary for such a beautiful melody that can really stand on its own. It's overproduced and arranged with so many synth whistles sprinkled throughout, and it takes away from the song's potential as a crowd-pleasing anthem, or, perhaps as a movie scene-stealing soundtrack. The acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment toward the middle of the song possess a beautifully haunting quality especially as it transcends into a set of epic-like guitars and choir swills. Once again, a catchy foray of melody and pomp, but a bit over-arranged. "Sunset Dream" carries on where "Survivor" leaves off, in a flurry of pianos but this time fused with what sounds like an erhu (a Chinese violin) and a modern electroacoustic guitar. The traditional sounds condense into modern bass-like fills and electric synth stabs. The tempo soothes and rolls steadily onwards as the bass and percussion carry the song forward, lifting it into a bevy of gospel chants and sways. The tension between modern day instruments and rhythms with traditional folk music is done masterfully and tastefully. In the case of "Sunset Dream," the earthiness becomes magical, like alchemy. The intensity of “Memory” bores down with an erhu, backed by a piano, but only striking forth when the violins fly first. The added percussives and synth might seem to some listeners over-arranged; once again, the power in singularity is defeated by so much rhythmic interplay between the electric guitars and synths. In fact, the various layers in this arrangement may seem to some as somewhat self-indulgent. A major positive on Power In Heaven is its warm embrace of instruments from around the globe. There is no better example of this than "Caravan." It travels to a far out land filled with Flamenco-like percussion, European accordion as well as what sound like Indian chants, which then get swept away by Jewish folk music from a clarinet. The salad bowl of sounds is tantalizing, fun, festive and spicy; kind of like a barbecue Bar Mitzvah where they serve tacos, chicken tikka masala and fettuccine alfredo all on the same table. Some listeners might be equally confused and surprised by the mellifluous and explosive combinations. "Caravan" definitely warrants several listens; sounds will be missed the first and second time around for sure. "Overnight Trip" is another track that leverages instruments from across the globe. It has a contemporary sound fused with the traditional flutes, violins, and sexy-romantic accordion. The ringing flute synths are slightly piercing in volume and tone, perhaps over-arranged and unnecessary. The song picks up in both volume and tempo halfway through allowing the listener to forget the sleepy beginning. The melody rolls around building on different variations adding color and intrigue to the song; definitely one of the most interesting tracks on Power In Heaven. Tracks with cinema potential appear a few times on the album. "Back Home" is cinematically engaging with bells, explosions and racing horn-blaring trains. It's a blend of science fiction dynamics and classic love-story sighs. The striations of erhu accents add an exotic flavor to the wispy soundtrack. The restrained tempo of “Long Night,” dramatic orchestral movements and longwinded flourishes, build into dramatic booming pauses and grow into tiny silences, only to be awakened by a slow death-like drum slam. The end of the song rattles away in snares and bangs, like the closing of a sarcophagus. It could very well be the closing scene to a movie of good-over-evil, Hollywood-style. Fans of ambient music with a world sound flair should buy this record. Review by Michael Morgan Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)