Tchiya Amet – Celestial Folk Music

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 Tchiya Amet – Celestial Folk Music
2012, Tchiya AmetTchiya Ametis a musician, healer and teacher with deep thoughts about the direction of theworld.  Her sophomore album, Celestial Folk Music, runs the gamut ofmusical styles and sounds while Amet waxes poetic on the human footprint andhealing.  Amet’s voice is intriguing,though not fit to every song and situation. What is abundantly clear is that Amet is invested in trying to make theworld a better place.

Amet opens with a blend of reggae, pop and classic R&B on "EshoFuni". A slickly produced arrangement is paired with Japanese philosophyand comes out sounding like a commercial for the United Nations. The repetitivenature of the song and the chant like nature of the vocals more preachy thaninformative, and the song is unlikely to sway anyone's thinking. "KeepChanting" builds on the concepts of interconnected was and transcendence.Once again, the composition and production are solid, but the song wears a bitthin before even a single cycle is completed. "Master Of Desire"returns to the reggae vibe for a messy and disorganized musicaloversimplification of Lao Tzu.

"Love & Joy" takes a lackadaisical pop approach to desire, aseemingly out of step subject up against the prior song. "EgyptianBlues" mixes African rhythms, middle eastern sounds, and no sense or soundof the blues in a misnamed but otherwise sonically appealing song. Amet's voiceis perfectly placed here. "Ast-Maat: R U Sirius Enuff" contemplatesthe need to free oneself from evil in order to enter the gates of heaven, andapplies new age principals to classical religious themes. This is all doneagainst the backdrop of a tremendously subtle groove.

Amet gets stuck in a rut mid-album, slowing to a crawl on "Po Tolo".The musical malaise continued throughout "Where The Dog Ran" and"Fire Water", with the latter brings to light existing gaps in Amet'sbreath control. "Equinox" shows at least a partial revival, with aquiet groove finding its way back into the mix. "Precession Of TheEquinox" is a solid musical composition that is highlighted by the blocky,child-like piano style that greets your ears.

"No Kwi Siga" is bland and nondescript until you get into thecompositional structure. Music theory buffs will enjoy picking this one apart,but those benefits will be lost to all but the most learned readers."F#@%ed Up System" is a call to arms without any teeth, a banal callto action that is more about class warfare than a socially conscious effort tofix a thing. Tchiya Amet closes out with a cove of Louis Armstrong's"Wonderful World", blending in a bit of Bob Marley's "OneLove". This blend works to a degree, but there's something a bituncomfortable about the marriage that's difficult to identify yet impossible toignore.Tchiya Ametbrings a sense of world-wise grace to CelestialFolk Music.  Whether you buy into herideas or not you’ll develop tremendous respect for her talents as a writer andarranger.  As a lyricist she gets stuckin the occasional rut, and there are a few weak spots, particularly pertainingto breath control, that get exposed at times throughout Celestial Folk Music.  Onbalance, however, it’s a solid album with some highs and some lows.  Tchiya Amet has enough here to keep listenersinterested and coming back for more. Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)Learn more at www.tchiya.com.