Andrea Cortez “The World Is Sound”

These past couple of weeks have been rough, and in times like these, I am ever thankful for sound practitioners like Andrea Cortez. Her music is healing and transcendent, grounded by the circles of nature and adrift within an inspiring cosmic flow. Cortez uses a bright palette of harp, singing bowls, and chimes along with the music of plants to craft cloudlike sonic embraces.

A gentle current winds through the crisp, cool air of “Evening Frogs,” Cortez’s harp sending out nostalgic echoes to hang in the pink-hued dusk. Frogs sing with the harp’s quiet strength, illuminated in the dying rays of the sun and spritely energy. Dreams and reality mix into a potent swirl, each note a bond with a supernatural spark. Chimes shimmer effortlessly, catching glints of light from the fading sunset. “Evening Frogs” is so peaceful and welcoming, inviting listeners to sit in this space as long as needed to find solace.

Cortez is always channeling a deeper spirit, finding the right current to ride so she can create these cocoons of sound where time stands still for a brief moment. “Earth Element” transcends on waves of Raagini tanpura moving like an aural river and covering the world’s jagged scars in a soothing balm. Her voice lilts, moving between chirping birds and her effervescent harp, a stroke of magic on a darkening canvas. This music is a place I can lose myself.

The World Is Sound is so much more than beautiful music. Andrea Cortez’s energy is imbued in these songs and her presence is a gift. Scattered throughout The World Is Sound are lovely field recordings; birds, frogs, insects, wind, all of it the perfect accompaniment to Cortez’s languid sonic calm. In the timbre of her voice on the mesmerizing “A Frog’s Dream to Fly,” I find myself detach and set adrift, free from the shackles of the burning world at least for a little while. What a gift.


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