Communion With God

Communion with God is the third installment in a series of recordings spawned by a cross-promotional partnership between bestselling Communion with God author Neale Donald Walsch and contemporary instrumental specialist Windham Hill label. Like Disc 1 and Disc 2 in the Conversations with God series before it, Communion with God features an assortment of Windham Hill instrumentals (folk-classical hybrids, essentially) plus a smaller selection of dignified devotional vocal tracks (six, in this case) from nonlabel female artists. The cumulative effect is pleasant and calming, though the pick-and-paste sequencing of the assorted styles somewhat diminishes the project's overall cohesion. (Plus, brace yourself for yet another take on "The Wind Beneath My Wings.") Still, it's a nice, quietly reflective collection with pan-denomination appeal. Nearly every selection is a pick-up from an existing recording, reaching as far back as 1989 for Suzanne Ciani's attractive "Anthem." The disc's better moments include a thoughtful, low-key version of "Amazing Grace" on harp-guitar by John Doan, pianist Liz Story's reverential "Sacred Nights," and the spacious, kalimba-colored voicings of Samite. --Terry Wood