For two decades now, Ricky Kej has been like a divine light in new age and world music, becoming a multi-genre icon by collaborating with greats from both realms and weaving non-stop award winning magic – including three Grammys, two for his Divine Tides album with Stewart Copeland. A passionate environmentalist, he’s earned so many “Global Ambassador” accolades that it wouldn’t surprise any who’ve been recipients of his personal and musical light that he one day earns another as “Earth’s Best Human.”
One of the secrets to his great success is indeed vibing with the greatest complementary talents – and he’s found an incredible creative co-visionary in veteran sound painter and fellow new age/global music guru David Vito Gregoli. Nine years after they first met as Best New Age album nominees at the ZMR Music Awards, they blessed listeners with the critically acclaimed, environmental and East Meets West themed Wild Monsoon in 2022.
As they traversed via their track titles through all the seasons and many natural phenomena – punctuated by namechecking Gandhi (“Mahatma”) - the two created expansive and sweeping yet intricate sonic environments, each propelled by a spirited, global groove aesthetic. True to its colorful title, Kej and Gregoli’s latest opus Liquid Planet (Chillax Music) cleverly harnesses the more grooving forces of the monsoon, slows the winds, yet keeps the aural intrigue and melodic excitement while re-imagining the ten tracks as soothing immersions into atmospheric/ambient soundscapes.
While it’s certainly entertaining to compare the original versions of pieces like the mystical, flute driven opener “Summer” and the mesmerizing and exotic, sitar and bird sounds tinged “Forest” to their original counterparts, it’s not necessary to engage in the experience. Certainly, many listeners will come to the glorious global relaxation mindset of Liquid Planet unaware that these compositions were previously expressed in different ways.
Those folks looking to be soothed and transported to exotic spiritual places will enjoy the quirky, haunting voice filled and offbeat energies of “Winter,” the reflective thoughtful, flute and chant swirled meditation under the “Waterfall” and a passionate, chant and angelic harp filled rush down the “River.” The massive palette and countless sounds Kej and Gregoli use to paint their soundscapes makes it impossible to cover every stunning nuance in a handful of simple words.
As with Wild Monsoon, it’s best to just lay back, take a deep breath and experience the majesty of the transformational 66-minutes all in one session. Because they’re two of the most genre artist/composers in world and new age music, it’s likely by the time the Grammy ballots come out next year that they’ll have each released others that will also merit consideration. But hopefully, the bliss and soothed souls created on Liquid Planet will linger long enough for this one to get a nomination.
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