How to Subdue Impending Road Rage
Prayer: A Windham Hill Collection (CD)
by Michael Manring
If you're a high-strung person like me, I recommend this beautiful, gentle, instrumental music that is both soothing and emotionally engaging, yet never maudlin. It has been a "God-send" while driving in heavy morning rush-hour traffic. Despite all the aggravations caused by socially-challenged drivers who don't know how to share the road, I find that I still arrive at work calm and centered thanks to the beneficial effects of this masterful Windham Hill CD. After weeks of listening to it every single morning, it's still not boring. I strongly recommend it for Type A personalities!

Prayer
Prayer: A Windham Hill Collection

Deeply moving and comforting. Unusual arrangements that breathe new life into the compositions.

Music for Meditation
This is a delightful collection of music appropriate to meditative prayer. It is often my prayer companion, and I like the style and performance found on this CD. I highly recommend it to people who enjoy deeper reflection with a wordless musical background.

Be Thou My Vision
Track 3, Be Thou My Vision, was a surprise as the song was the final song played at my father's funeral. It set the closing mood most fittingly. While Be Thou My Vision is my favorite the entire collection is wonderfully mellow. I recommend it for for the mellow moods.

Reverent, beautiful
After criticizing Windham Hill in the past for often recycling the same songs over and over in various collections, I have to hand it to them with the new "Prayer" CD. It's a fine set of all-new acoustic versions of hymns or spiritual songs, plus a good number of original compositions. Producer Dawn Atkinson has done an excellent job of lining up a bunch of top-drawer people for "Prayer," and in working with the artists on the song selection.

Things get started with Tim Story's lovely piano rendition of the "Sanctus" from Faure's Requiem. The quiet and reflective tone of that piece carries throughout the CD. Other highlights include Paul McCandless's moving "Lord's Prayer" version and Steve Erquiaga's "Ave Maria." "Prayer" is a perfect disc for background listening if you're engaged in some activity that needs harmonious yet unobtrusive accompaniment.