Theda Phoenix – ‘Crystal Calm, Vol. 2’ [Album Review]

Singing bowl performance artist and singer-songwriter Theda Phoenix released her album Crystal Calm, Vol. 2 last year. It is a sequel to her 2020 album, Crystal Calm, a collection of intuitive music.

Born and raised in British Columbia, by the White Rock shores and a float-home on the ocean of Echo Bay, Simoom Sound, Theda’s connection to coastal nature has been integral to her life and music.

Phoenix shares, “I believe in the transformative power of music to transcend boundaries and touch the soul. With this music, I aspire to create a space for introspection, connection, and healing.”

Crystal Calm, Vol. 2 revolves around singing bowls and Phoenix’s ethereal vocals. Made of quartz, the crystal singing bowls are different sizes and produce different frequencies, facilitating the balancing of brain waves.

Using binaural recording technology creates an immersive three-dimensional, surround sound experience for the listener. Mystical and all-encompassing, the sound lulls listeners into altered states of peace and relaxation.

Focal points on the album include “Calm Inception,” which opens with the sound of soothing water, followed by the entry of crystalline tones as the otherworldly voice of Phoenix floats overhead. Chiming accents suffuse the song with soft, sparkling textures.

Ringing tones introduce “Emerging,” featuring delicate, diaphanous colors highlighting the drifting surfaces of Phoenix’s wraithlike vocals. There’s a benevolent sighing texture to her voice, simultaneously elegant and quieting.

Theda Phoenix, photo by Cristal Sawatzky

A personal favorite because of its exhaling motion and light, tolling bells, “Mama River” ebbs and rises on a sailing soundscape, infusing the song with suspended resonance. Subtle and soaring, “Floating Bliss” sees Phoenix’s vocals assuming beatific translucency.

“Cleansing Rain” utilizes the splash of falling rain as its foundation as Phoenix’s breathy voice soaks the song in velvety surfaces, pale as snow. “Surrender,” the lengthiest track on the album, closes the transcendent journey. Dreamlike, the song brings to mind the spectral songs of whales, deliciously supernatural, as if emanating from the Empyrean.

Numinous and magically enchanting, Crystal Calm, Vol. 2 evokes the ineffable beauty of lucent, celestial dimensions.

Crystal Calm, Vol. 2 Track Listing:

1. Calm Inception
2. Emerging
3. Mama River
4. Navigating Tides
5. Crystal Currents
6. Floating Bliss.
7. Uncharted Waters
8. Cleansing Rain
9. Surrender

Run Time: 60:00
Release Date: September 22, 2023
Record Label: Independent