Publication: BEING
Reviewer: Samantha Garcia
Date: October 2016
"Al Conti ‘s latest oeuvre, Mystic, is capable of bringing any listener to tears. Its beauty and breadth is compounded of imagery and sounds found in dreams and fantasies. Conti’s musical musings will be sure to transpose anyone into a different realm from the very beginning. Perfect for anyone looking to partake in a grandiose journey of the senses.
The title and opening track “Mystic” begins with monastic church bells and chanting before delving into chill-inducing female vocals that sound like a goddess calling down from the heavens to her subjects below. It’s a song that artfully blends the spiritual with the earthly. The following track “Trance” takes us east to a Middle Eastern wonderland. The seductive sounds conjured in this piece; imbued with doumbek beats, render the listener with fantasies of Scheherazade and her exotic lands of endless dunes.
Towards the middle of the album, the song “Visions” artfully fuses together chamber music sensibility with heavy Indian inspiration. The aptly named oeuvre is rife with visions of graceful, ornately dressed dancers spinning and whirling to the sounds of the table beats. In contrast, “Contemplation” puts a contemporary spin on the same Renaissance-esque sound that serves as the album’s backbone. Simple in its complexities, the song serves as a dreamy intermission that seems to bring the momentum of the album to a temporary standstill.
Conti finishes off Mystic with the powerful and meditative “Anima Aeterna.” A beautiful sarangi introduction welcomes the listener into a realm outside of daily consciousness. It progresses to the sounds of angelic female vocals interspersed with table drumming and a soaring flute symphony. The closing track emanates a divine healing energy that wraps the album up perfectly.
Four years in the making, Mystic serves as a glimpse into Al Conti’s personal spiritual journey. He poured his heart and soul into the sixth work of his musical career and the results are nothing short of magic."