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Binkelman's Corner by Bill Binkelman |
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Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry. |
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| Cenote |
| By The Tunnel Singer (Lee Ellen Shoemaker) |
| Label: Self Released |
| Released 10/2/2006 |
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| Cenote tracks |
1. Cenote 
2. Dream Gate
3. Dos Ojos
4. Room of Tears
5. Blue Rift
6. Mayan Blue
7. Points of Light
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Cenote |
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Lee Ellen Shoemaker, the Tunnel Singer, believed her singing days were more or less over when she recorded her last CD, Sailing the Solar Wind (an excellent album, by the way). However, she recently discovered some new medical therapies and procedures which have allowed her to resume her passion, i.e. singing her wordless vocals in cavernous locations that offer unique sonic characteristics. This is both great news for her and a cause for celebration by those of us who have sampled her previous recordings, (e.g. Water Birth, Raven in Moonlight, and Inner Runes). Lee Ellen possess a lovely, warm and rich voice and the places she finds to sing in have unbelievably long natural reverb times (upwards of 40 seconds), to the degree that you may think you are hearing her voice multi-tracked, two, three or even four times.
Her new album, Cenote (pronounced say-note-tay), was recorded in a cistern (a reservoir, tank, or container for storing or holding water or other liquid) called the "Cistern Chapel," at Fort Warden in Port Townsend, Washington, and it's a real stunner! Comprised of seven tracks which flow into one another but retain differences in atmosphere and feel, the experience of sitting quietly and listening to this recording is, in a word, spell-binding, almost literally! I would imagine turning off the lights and playing this CD would be almost too intimate an experience, especially if one's stereo system was up to the task. Some of Shoemaker's notes hover and sustain for so long that you wonder if they will ever end. Of course, it helps that her voice can best be described as a blend of beautifully haunting and soothingly ethereal.
Another aspect of Cenote (the word refers to the naturally occurring cisterns which were sometimes used as sacred pools by the Mayan people) that I love is the occasional intrusions of the outside world during the recording, whether it be muted birdsong or the echo of water droplets falling from above, striking the stone floor. These noises contribute an immediacy to the recording which elevates it into something very special, as it increases the sensation of actually being present to hear Shoemaker sing live.
Describing the individual tracks themselves is difficult since the songs tend to evolve over their respective lengths. Cenote begins almost gossamer thin and wispy, and the reverberation here is more a shadow of her voice, but the song builds into a soaring exercise in Shoemaker's expert vocal control as clear high notes go soaring off into the upper reaches of the 160-foot wide, two-story deep structure. Room of Tears opens with lots of background songbird at the periphery of the soundfield and flows along with a profound sense of sorrow and/or melancholy. Some of the quieter passages in this track are heart-wrenching, while other stretches have the artist warbling in an almost quasi-Native chanting fashion, with subtle quaverings in her voice. Unexpectedly, she reaches these amazing high notes and stops, letting the reverb hang suspended in the air, and the effect just freezes you with its intensity and raw beauty. One thing that strikes me every time I hear Lee Ellen's singing is how unique her actual sounds are, coming very close at times to being "words" and other times just being ghostly keening or siren-like chorals.
What with thrice thy heart shall broken be (Jeff Sampson and Sara Ayers), from dust to dusk (duo Embracing the Glass) and now Lee Ellen Shoemaker's Cenote, lovers of ambient vocal music are enjoying a rare abundance of recordings right now. In the case of the Tunnel Singer, what's especially noteworthy is how completely unexpected it was, since I thought her tunnel singing days were over. Having spoken to her recently, I know how deeply grateful she is for the opportunity to record again, and all I can say is "Lee Ellen, so am I!" My highest recommendation.
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Rating: Excellent  |
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- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 10/26/2006 |
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