“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want/He maketh me to lie down in green pastures/He leadeth me beside the still waters/He restoreth my soul/He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”
— from Psalm 23 (KJV), inspiration behind “The 23rd Psalm”
Prayer, an instrumental collection, pays tribute to the spiritual legacy found in music over the centuries. Released by Windham Hill, the world’s top pop instrumental and new age record label, it’s produced by Dawn Atkinson, who has helmed a slew of Windham Hill recordings since 1985.
The inspiration for the album stemmed from the general cultural acceptance of spirituality with the new millennium. According to Atkinson, “In the post-9/11 world, the concept of prayer seems more relevant than ever in terms of bringing unity and healing into our lives. There seems to be greater awareness of its universal ability to connect us.” The project took on even more personal meaning to Atkinson when she lost her father to cancer. Atkinson tapped acoustic guitarist Steve Erquiaga to perform her late father’s own composition of “The 23rd Psalm.”
Stylistically, Prayer offers a blend of old hymns, faith-inspired classical, and original new-age pieces by many of Windham Hill’s best-known artists. We can’t vouch for the personal beliefs of each artist on this recording, but based on the commentary in the liner notes, it’s clear that some aren’t Christians. One, however, is open about his faith—Windham Hill’s Jim Brickman, who won a Dove Award for 1997’s The Gift and has performed with Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, and Kristy Starling to name a few. Here he contributes a simple solo piano rendition of the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
Several other pieces come from the historical church. In addition to “The 23rd Psalm,” Erquiaga performs a Gounod arrangement of “Ave Maria” that borrows accompaniment from J.S. Bach’s first prelude of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Keyboardist Tim Story contributes an arrangement of Fauré’s “Sanctus from Requiem,” and Phillip Aaberg gives a solo piano performance of Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus.” There’s a fairly traditional Celtic arrangement of the Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision,” combining the talents of Jeff Johnson (keyboards), Brian Dunning (flute, whistles, accordion), and John Fitzpatrick (violin). One of the album’s most beautiful tracks is a stirring, soft instrumental pop arrangement of Mallotte’s “The Lord’s Prayer,” led by the English horn of Paul McCandless.
Among the originals on Prayer is “Meditation” by flutist Thea Suits and “Offering” by violinist Tracy Silverman. McCandless plays a bass clarinet that sounds almost like a soprano sax on his hymn-like “Spanish Stairs.” Suzanne Ciani’s solo piano piece “Go Gently” was written for the passing of her father, and harpist Deborah Henson-Conant’s “Alisa’s Prayer” was inspired in part by the Christian faith of her sister.
There are no vocals on Prayer, though the Christian texts that inspired many of these compositions are printed in the liner notes anyway. Despite the new age conceptions of prayer that in part inspired this recording, at least half of it draws upon great Christian compositions. The entire album is soothing and pleasant, suitable for personal quiet time with the Lord.
Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian. The views expressed are simply the author’s. For a more complete description of our Glimpses of God articles, click here.
