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Richard Thiesen – Mayan Stars Review

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Listening to Mayan Stars by Richard Thiesen is like taking a truly enjoyable journey. From the deepest jungles to the distant stars of Mayan mythology, everything is brought to life through Thiesen’s great musical storytelling. It is without a doubt one of this year’s most colorful releases.

Richard Thiesen has had a long and rich career in music business. He co-wrote parts of the sound track for the first Beverly Hills Cop movie, which won him a Grammy. He has also toured with some major stars, like Bob Hope and Frankie Avalon. In 2011 he formed Thiesen Productions, a company that makes music for TV and film.

A Creative Fusion
Mayan Stars is a fusion of New Age music and jazz. While most New Age music artists follow a pattern of harmonies from start to finish, Thiesen is much more creative. He breaks the atmosphere with the jazz song Magia Luna, and the melodies have a somewhat rougher edge which creates a more interesting album. This is not one of those harmless meditation albums. There are some jazzy blue notes here and there.

Yet Mayan Stars is unmistakably a New Age music album. It starts with the title track. It has a wonderful atmosphere, yet it is quickly overshadowed by track two, Jungle Zen. What a marvelous song! The flute, the bass and the rhythm are all painting a dramatic picture of the jungle and its dangerous beauty. I say it very rarely here on New Age Music Odyssey – I’m more into the gentle stuff – but try playing Jungle Zen loud, it’s amazing!

I also love the simplicity of Tulum, and the 7 minutes long Dolphin’s Dream is not miss either. It is like a fairy tale in sound, always changing – and when you think it is over it starts again.

Mayan Stars is in every way a great album. It has lots of variation, and when you listen to it again you disover new details and effects. Richard Thiesen has given us a marvelous album. It will for sure stay long in this reviewer’s playlist. I’m sure you’ll love it too!

Score: 93/100

Sample the album om Reverb Nation.