Liquid Mind XIII: Mindfulness

“An effortlessly flowing river of calm, perfect for sinking gently into total relaxation.” – Dyan Garris From the very first notes of “Liquid Mind XIII - Mindfulness” you know you’re listening to some of the most deeply relaxing, calming music available on this planet today. “Mindfulness” is effortless, masterful, soothing, electronica that is perfect for calming the mind and body, total relaxation, deep meditation, massage, help in sleeping, peaceful sleep, and more. Over an hour of “liquid” peace, the album is written, produced, and recorded by Liquid Mind® composer Chuck Wild. Chuck is a 40-year music industry veteran, who is well-known for his work with Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, The Pointer Sisters, and Earth Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. He has also written songs and cues for over 150 television shows and films. This is the 16th album from Liquid Mind®, and opens with the 10 minute “In the Arms of Love.” Believe me, you will immediately feel cradled and comforted, and indeed, fully embraced in the arms of love. So, so beautiful. This is true tranquility on steroids. Following is the 11-1/2 minute “A Calm Heart.” Aptly titled, I love the quite subtle binaural beats that seem to be here, but perhaps are not, rather like an effortless heartbeat. This song is like a gentle rolling wave that washes softly over your body and soul, removing and completely washing away any traces of stress that may be there. “The Wisdom of Kindness” is 10-1/2 minutes of pure bliss. This has such an angelic quality to it, it’s as if we can hear the angels themselves lulling us ever so gently into peaceful, loving kindness. It’s a favorite on this album, and you will definitely feel the palatable peace in your heart. Outstanding. Supremely effective for mindfulness is the 12-1/2 minute, “A Gentle Mind.” Here we can feel our whole mind and body completely relax and release. This is effortless, flowing beauty, as is the entire album. Absolutely perfect for quieting down the conscious mind, the mind chatter, and sinking deeply into total relaxation. “Life in the Slow Lane” is wonderfully grounding and utterly heavenly at the very same time. Here we easily and smoothly just float into a much more peaceful state without even trying. Seamless, and serenely graceful. The album closes out with the title track, “Mindfulness,” which is almost 9-1/2 minutes. Even tempered, yet also epic, this is, again, so peaceful, so tranquil, so “liquid” and flowing — like every song on this album — that we feel our worries and concerns of this earthly life simply dissolve into complete nothingness. “Mindfulness” by Liquid Mind® is one of the best relaxation albums out there and is a “must have” for anyone needing to relax. I think that’s just about everyone. Yep. You’ll want to get the whole album.

In this time of stress, fear and anxiety, here comes Liquid Mind with a new album to calm, soothe and reassure us that life is still beautiful and all will be well. Titled "Liquid Mind XIII: Mindfulness," this is actually the sixteenth album from Liquid Mind/ Chuck Wild and is more than an hour of smooth, ambient sound that moves slowly and fluidly, inducing sleep and relieving stress. There is actually a disclaimer on the Liquid Mind website that says: “Warning: Do not operate vehicles or dangerous machinery while listening to Liquid Mind®, as slow music may cause slower reaction times and drowsiness. Slow music may also cause a heightened state of suggestibility.” Promotional materials for the album suggest that it is “an ideal choice for pre-sleep, anxiety management, massage, meditation and dozens of other therapeutic regimens.” A toe-tapper it is not, but the warmth and the easy flow of the sounds can certainly take the edge off of any difficult time. I found it interesting to learn that Chuck Wild started writing the music of Liquid Mind “to be of service to myself, my friends, and my family in dealing with the anxiety & stress of working long hours in our ‘information overload’ world, and also for friends and family dealing with the stress of life-threatening illnesses like cancer & HIV… The ultimate compliment to me is that people fall asleep to my music. Liquid Mind is functional music, assisting us to be tranquil at those times when that many not be easy….I’m a shameless advocate of life in the slow lane. For many years, I worked eighteen or more hours a day, seven days a week….Composing slow music helps me find peace and quiet, to get back in touch with the fact that I am responsible for the pace of my own life, to help me unify body, mind, and spirit.” The six tracks range in duration from 9 1/2 to almost 13 minutes, and each creates a slowly-evolving sound painting. This is music with a purpose, so if you are looking for an album with melodic phrases and rhythmic patterns, it probably won’t work for you. However, Liquid Mind’s albums have consistently charted on Billboard’s sales charts and have hit the #1 spot on the iTunes USA new age chart several times. Chuck Wild’s music career spans 48 years and includes writing songs and compositions used in TV, films and on music albums for other artists. He received a special President’s Award from Barbara Wheeler, president of the American Music Therapy Association in 2009. He is also on the advisory board of “Dream A World Education,” a non-profit organization that brings the arts to young children in underserved and underprivileged communities, giving them experience in dance, music, painting, writing, speaking and acting.

As one track effortlessly folds into the next, you realize that deep meditation can be realized in this 1 hour plus of synthesized perfection. With titles like “Life in the Slow Lane,” I think you get the idea and the mood Chuck is trying to capture with his music. His intent is crystal clear and if your goal is to find solace within the music, you need to look no further than Mindfulness. Chuck originally wrote the music of Liquid Mind to be of service to himself, friends, and family in dealing with the anxiety and stress of working long hours in our "information overload" world, and also for friends and family dealing with the stress of life-threatening illnesses like cancer and HIV. This is the world we live in today and it is no wonder our society gets stressed out at the fast pace that information is disbursed and the pressures to keep up with ever-changing technology. The success of his music speaks for itself and it has been available to the world to consume since 1993. Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck