This is a review I wrote on Amazon:
I heard some of Michael Hewett’s music on NPR’s Hearts of Space one night. So I did some research and wound up buying the CD. Much of the disc is very pleasant new age type acoustic guitar picking with kind of a southwest flair.
“Nagual” is really nice with its accompanying flute sounds, “Sedona” indicative of the southwest flavor, and “I Cover the Abyss with a Trance” is a standout with its violin and cello (the cello works great with just about every song on the album). While there are some rough spots (sometimes there is too much finger squeaking, the last song has long interludes of just a humming tone, and parts of “Transmission” with its electric guitar flourishes make it sound like infomercial music) listening to this album is like drinking a glass of water when you are really thirsty. It just goes down great. Don’t be put off by Hewatt’s yoga background: though I’m sure it’s fine to do yoga to, it’s just really nice to listen to. It would be great to play if you own some kind of cool shop, or while you’re reading, or just in the car to take some stress out of the daily commute.
I like this album a lot. You are right about the cello (which sounds great with my iSub!) The finger squeaking must be a desired effect. On Sade’s album Lover’s Rock, several songs have very loud finger squeaking. In fact, I thought it was digital remnants when I first listened to a burned copy of the album. Later I bought the album, and discovered the finger squeaking is real. I’m convinced a second mike was used up on the fret to capture the squeaks.