Echoes from the Forest is the eighth solo album from award-winning world flutist Ann Licater and features her distinctive "Flute for Meditation, Inspiration and Peace" on fourteen original tracks. On this album, Ann plays Native American and Native American-style silver, clay and wooden flutes; a few tracks also include percussion, bass, vocal layers and synth accompaniment. I think it's interesting to note that Ann plays eleven different flutes on the album! Very quiet and peaceful, this music is recommended for mindfulness practices, meditation, yoga, spa, healing arts, creativity, study, sleep, relaxation and well-being. In addition, I'd say that this is music to help set a mood, to get lost in, for quiet background music, and so much more. I think this quote from Ann Licater explains the album's intention beautifully:

“I love taking walks in the rich, lush redwood forests of California and through the beautiful, verdant woods in Minnesota where I grew up. This album is a collection of those memories and feelings of oneness with the creative life-force of a forest—a flute journey among the trees.”

Often, flute recordings feature several additional musicians, but much of Echoes from the Forest is either solo flute or flute duets, giving some of the music a solitary feeling akin to a walk alone in a forest with senses heightened and a sense of kinship with nature all around.

Echoes from the Forest begins with "Sky Dreaming," which was released as a single before the full album came out. Quoting my review of the single: "The power of music to ease stress and calm the mind always amazes me, and this piece is a perfect example." Synth, vocal layers and bass beautifully support Ann's flute. "Cedar Sanctuary" is just as serene and features a Mayan-style harmony drone. The title track has a somewhat mysterious feeling and is performed with two flutes to create the "echo" effect. A favorite, "Peaceful Willow" is a gently up-lifting flute solo. Synth background sounds give "Ancient Vistas" a more visual, cinematic feeling as we view wide open spaces through the eyes of our ancestors. If you've never spent time among the California redwoods, "Redwood Canyon" can give you an idea of the majesty of the trees and their surroundings. "Wings in the Mist" is a flute duet that beautifully describes the graceful interplay of birds flying in fog or a mist - so very peaceful and calming! "Bird and Breeze" is quite different from the other tracks and yet fits in perfectly. Ann plays an ocarina (a type of vessel flute) that sounds similar to a bird call, and is accompanied by Moog synthesizer and bass. Very light-hearted and uplifting, it's another favorite. The closing track, "Journey Beyond," is also quite different from the other tracks with Peter Phippen on bass and congas as well as some atmospheric synth washes behind the relaxed and soothing flute - also a favorite. What a great album!

Echoes from the Forest will be released on June 20, 2025 and will be available as a CD as well as digitally from Amazon and Bandcamp. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Bandcamp and Apple Music/iTunes now. It will be available to stream and/or download on the release date. More links will be added as they become available.