By Daiho - Published on Amazon.com Passages took me by surprise. I snickered at the cautionary note on the jacket ("This music is intended to promote relaxation. Please refrain from listening to while driving.") and was not encouraged by the lack of a web presence for the artist or even a mention of a previous recording or or other musical endeavor. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover, or a recording by the lack of promotion and marketing. Mike Wall is an American producer and multi-instrumentalist who has participated in a number of recordings, both as a performer and engineer, but always, he says, for friends and family. Except for engineering work for healing artist Barbara Cox (a 2005 project entitled "Guided Imagery and Relaxation Techniques for Parents"), none of these recordings has ever been commercially released. Perhaps in a few years after a string of successful recordings, writers will be referring to this as Wall's developmental period. Deeply passionate about the healing properties of sound, Wall developed the music for Passages in cooperation with massage therapists. Clocking in at 62 minutes and featuring only four tracks, the album is a journey along a quiet path, a slowly unfolding expanse of sound created by synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, Native American flutes, bowls, chimes and bells, and samples of nature recordings, including bird calls and ocean waves. The opening track begins with an extended tone, a deep cello-like resonance. A flute sounding much like a duduk calls plaintively , answered by a lighter, higher-pitched flute. The two voices circle each other, the cello resonating in the background, until joined by the electric guitar, whose delicately plucked strings add a bit of shimmer to the dance. The trio of voices fade into waves washing up on the beach, segueing into three extended thematic variations on the same. Passages is album of open space and redolent tones, perfect accompaniment for massage, a quiet hour with the headphones, or as aural decoration to your workspace. Those who enjoy the work of Deuter, Kitaro, Terry Oldfield, Kamal or Tim Wheater should also enjoy Passage. I look forward to Wall's next release.