Multi-instrumentalist Lee Offenhauer (http://www.skylightmusic.org) creates music for daydreaming. "Passages" shouldn't be seen as a collection of songs or even as a series of compositions; rather, it's a novel for the mind told in pictures, not words.
Those who usually avoid New Age music should take a listen because what Offenhauer is doing is turning emotions into spellbinding soundscapes. There's a depth to the music here that cannot be easily explained. It's really open to interpretation, blank poetry on a page.
The CD opens up with "Just Begun," which actually does have vocals and lyrics. Guest singer Sara Banavedes blends smoothly with Offenhauer's own enigmatic vocals. But after that, the training wheels come off, and Offenhauer plunges you into his world.
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The guitar playing on this album is uncharacteristic of New Age in the sense that Offenhauer seems to be summoning the psychedelic dreaminess of Pink Floyd and the atmospheric moodiness of Dire Straits in Mark Knopfler's quiet, reflective moments.
On "Dark Passage," Offenhauer loses himself in the groove, enveloped by swirling textures while "Open the Moment" best captures the desert feel of the CD's artwork. This is music to watch the sun go down to; it is moody and absolutely pretty.
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