Album Review—According to the Moon

A Mirror For The Soul: Reflections on “According to the Moon”

The title “According to the Moon” sounds like celestial poetry. In fact, it holds the metaphysical key to this album. The moon is never static. Its ever-changing, cyclical nature offers a powerful metaphor for many concepts and ideas. Down the ages, people have viewed the moon as a symbol of rhythm, intuition, and duality. There is something dynamic about its characteristics—waxing, waning, shifting, and reflecting light in phases. A collection of ambient compositions, this album explores sacred polarity: light and shadow, clarity and mystery, silence and sound. Listening to it feels like celebrating the moon as a guiding principle of creativity, intuition, and emotional truth. The album combines beautiful music with the moon’s timeless wisdom.

About the Artists

The synergistic force behind this profound concept and music is the collaboration between GRAMMY-nominated composer Cheryl B. Engelhardt and Australian producer-artist GEM. This partnership is as unique as the album title itself, embodying the dualities of their expertise. In this production, Engelhardt’s classical and cinematic sensibilities blend seamlessly with GEM’s ambient electronic textures, merging structure and space, discipline and freedom. Hailing from opposite hemispheres, the geographic and cultural distance between these artists seems to have deepened their dialogue. Each artist contributes an independent perspective, emotional landscape, and musical capability to the venture. This rare kind of collaboration has gifted the album a startling degree of authenticity through contrast and connection. It is a partnership not just of creativity, but of listening.

In terms of genre, According to the Moon, stands at the crossroads of ambient, neoclassical, and experimental music. These songs gracefully blend Engelhardt’s piano and vocal layers with GEM’s electronic atmospheres and melodic sensibilities. As an interesting feature, the inclusion of the Dallas String Quartet bestows warmth and a cinematic quality on the production. Robin Tucker, Johnaye Kendrick, and Rod McCormack add color, texture, and emotional depth to the music. The album was co-produced and mixed by Lonnie Park and mastered by Jett Galindo, both of whom are multi-GRAMMY winners. It is a sonic architecture where every frequency is purposefully shaped. The composing process has been strongly influenced by lunar events like eclipses and solstices. As a result, a rare kind of mystical intelligence glimmers throughout the work. Immersive listening feels more like an invocation, facilitating an inward journey within us.

Track-by-Track Review:

1. Glimmer

The album opens like a vast stretch of gentle light. The artists carry us to a different space that is both quiet and curious. Engelhardt’s piano and subtle strings move softly, like moonbeams swaying on water and flickering with quiet hope.

2. Equinox

True to its title, this song featuring Robin Tucker is a moment of equilibrium in the album. It balances melody, texture, shadow, and glow with magnetic stillness that feels as if time itself has paused to appreciate the music.

3. Mountain Meditation

A charming piece in the album, this song evokes the kind of silence one feels atop a mountain. The Dallas String Quartet adds a special magic to the composition, elevating it to a transcendental level that seems to awaken the landscape as a conscious being, inspiring us.

4. Abyss

The notes of this track sound dark and minimalist to convey the theme of an abyss. In this song, the music drifts into emotional depth, giving the listener space to explore feelings of grief, mystery, and introspection. The production is bare, letting the void speak volumes.

5. Nightside

Another track inspired by the moon, this piece seems to wander through invisible domains. The harmony of the strings has a haunting quality, echoing ideas of dreams and shadows. It is a beautiful composition that feels soothing and dreamlike.

6. Dawnlight

A tender piece that awakens gently, this track marks a shift in the album’s mood as the notes emerge from darkness and slowly unfold like dawn. It is a powerful moment in the album, restoring our emotions for a new journey.

7. Crescent Cradle

In this track, GRAMMY-winner Johnaye Kendrick contributes vocals. Styled as a lullaby, it soothes the soul beyond compare. Her voice cradles the listener, weaving comfort and love into the soundscape. This piece feels intimate, sacred, and deeply comforting.

8. Betwixt

With Rod McCormack’s mandolin, this track gains a distinctive character. The music feels organic and slightly folk-like, yet its ambience remains fully aligned with the album’s holistic mood and tone. Awake yet dreaming, it lives between two worlds.

9. Eclipse

The grand finale in the ninth track sounds simply majestic and awful. Thematically, “Eclipse” amalgamates and summarizes all preceding themes, wading through contrast and duality, and ringing the album to a grand and impactful closure.

Take Away

Listening to According to the Moon was a deeply personal experience for me. From the very first note, the songs commanded my attention, gently carrying me on a soothing journey that felt refreshing and rejuvenating. The entire experience was like moonlight slipping quietly through my window on a clear night. The music felt like a mirror reflecting my inner world, helping me explore my own cycles of emotion, transformation, and silence. The emotional intelligence and musical brilliance behind this work are truly admirable. The remarkable teamwork of Engelhardt and GEM stands out as one of the most successful collaborations of its kind. According to the Moon is an album not to miss if you love beauty without noise, healing without preaching, and depth without heaviness. This music is a companion for the soul’s quieter journeys.