Reviewed by Samuel Parker

A beautiful collection of meditative songs, 'Love Letters' is the sixth album from Julian & Melissa Wiggins, this time in collaboration with Ben & Tash Winwood. At first glance, the album would seem to require a lot of commitment from the listener as each track comes in at between six to eight minutes in length, with the longest over 11 minutes. However, with the Wiggins' focus on creating music for "soaking," it becomes obvious from the very beginning of this album that this is to be enjoyed by leaving space to allow the instrumental sections and vocal harmonies lead you into a place of relaxation and facilitate meditation. From the title track to songs like "Carry Me", the musical progression of the acoustic guitar and piano, in addition to the soothing decoration of clarinet melodies, instate a sense of calm and peace. The album balances extended instrumentals with vocal melodies, but excels in how each song has its own story, progressing in its own way despite each song using largely the same arrangement of instruments: acoustic guitar, piano, woodwinds, and voice. Not your typical meditative collection of songs, 'Love Letters' evokes peace and emotion to your listening experience with songs which you could easily have on loop and still get something from each time.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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