The Nature of Narada: A 2-CD Collection Inspired by Nature

The Nature of Narada is a jumble of instrumental tracks mined from the label's extensive catalog and stitched together to form a value-priced two-CD package with the natural world as its thematic core. The final product is a largely agreeable, not quite stellar mishmash of music selected from recordings released over 20 years. Listeners seeking a seamless bliss-out disc in the vein of Narada's popular Wilderness Collection may be disoriented by some stylistic left turns here: the improvisation in "Trees" by jazz pianist Keiko Matsui, the urban vibe of "Desert Vision" from guitarist Randy Roos, the heavily sweetened tracks from Richard Warner and Spencer Brewer. Expect a mix of label classics (guitarist Eric Tingstad's engaging head-bobber "Monongahela"), some B-side material, and a bit of derring-do, such as the genteel, Middle Eastern-flavored "A Walk by the Lake" from Axiom of Choice. --Terry Wood