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Music and Media Focus
Michael Diamond
May 31, 2016

“Space… the final frontier.” For anyone who has ever watched Star Trek, these iconic words will strike a resonant chord. Although these words could also describe Liminal, the new album by GRAMMY nominated composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Silvia Nakkach whose music is as much about sound as it is about the space that surrounds it. Billowing clouds of ambient atmospheres carry elements of Indian ragas, sacred Afro-Brazilian chants, and more that drift serenely over ever-evolving sonic terrain that is expansive, ethereal, and enchanting.

When it came to recording this new album, Silvia chose to work with highly regarded San Francisco Bay area producer and multi-instrumentalist Todd Boston, whose own wonderful music and other projects he's produced, I've had the pleasure of writing about. In addition to Silvia on vocals, piano, and sound design, accompanists include Todd Boston on guitar, piano, keyboards, guitarviol, and sound design, David Darling on violoncello, Val Serrant on percussion and voice, and ambient horn maestro Jeff Oster on trumpet.

The word “flow” provides a good description of the music heard throughout the album. It’s also tied into the meaning of the word “liminal” which implies being between the worlds of form and formlessness, conveying a sense of unbounded space. The resulting music creates a totally dream-like state that carries the listener along without focusing on traditional musical elements such as a repeating melody, verse/chorus song structure, solos, etc. It’s a wonderfully meditative space that evokes an ethereal sense of being neither here nor there.

While the songs share a common ambiance, each one is unique, thematically and musically, with various instruments and sounds morphing in and out of the mix, some with light rhythms, others totally spacious. Silvia’s exquisitely airy vocals glide and soar gracefully like an albatross over the tranquil musical waters. "Liminal" provides a transcendent listening experience that invites one to enter into a timeless space and connect with deeper levels of Being.

To read a full-length feature article on this album, as well as others, please visit: MichaelDiamondMusic.com

Limber up
Dominic D'Cruz
September 26, 2016

This record is just perfect to unwind – let the music take you in, there’s a nice groove to do just that when ‘Liminal motion’ and ‘Liminal dream’ plays! I loved the strings on ‘Liminal beauty’ besides the superb choral arrangement and guitars. Brilliant!

Reviews New Age
Alejandro Clavijo
October 15, 2016

Pionera en el campo del sonido, la transformación de la conciencia y la música chamanista, Silvia Nakkach ha publicado más de una decena de álbumes orientados a la evasión espiritual, siendo el último de ellos un punto de inflexión en su carrera por su exquisito estilo exquisito y originalidad, uniendo la música ambient con el sonido acústico. Acompañada por el guitarrista y ahora productor Todd Boston y renombrados músicos como Jeff Oster, David Darling o Val Serrant, Nakkach publica Liminal, su decimoquinto trabajo compuesto por nueve cortes inspirados en elementos de la naturaleza y el universo, donde predominan su profunda voz y las cuerdas entre relajantes sintetizadores.

Liminal hace su apertura con “Liminal Clouds”, un tema que realiza un Time-lapse por las diferentes formas y matices del cielo. Guitarras, violonchelo, misteriosos teclados y una insondable voz son suficientes para penetrar con fuerza en el oyente y arrancarlo del mundanal ruido y arrastrarlo a un pacífico desierto.

Continúa “Liminal Beauty”, un tema más minimalista, donde el sonido sutil de una guitarra acústica y el casi inapreciable cuerno de Jeff, se unen para acompañar los apacibles cánticos de Silvia… ¡Qué delicia!.

Más cercana al ambient aparece “Liminal Motion”. Sin lugar a dudas es una de las preferidas del álbum, donde el sonido ambient hace su real aparición, sin más… Es todo un deleite para los sentidos.

“Liminal Space” es la continuación del track anterior, una muy apacible composición que pasa inadvertida, silenciosa, con estilo, donde es fácil al cerrar los ojos sentir la inmensidad del Universo. Nuevamente, otra de mis preferidas.

El misterio hace aparición con “Liminal Light”. La guitarra acústica como protagonista junto al oscuro canto de Nakkach, descubren un track oscuro, nada relacionado con su título, mostrando realmente una extensión cubierta por la lobreguez.

“Liminal Rays” sí es radiante, relajada pero radiante. Nuevamente surge el sonido ambient, donde la electrónica más sutil y pacífica se une a las cuerdas de Darling y al penetrante sonido del cuerno de Oster. El lado más electrónico es el fuerte de Silvia; lo más interesante.

Continuando con la sencillez de los acordes, pero con un canto más elaborado, nace “Liminal Glow”. En esta ocasión, Nakkach mantiene el sonido ambiental pero narra un canto más pulido.

Otro de los cortes destacables de Liminal es “Liminal Dream”, un track con algo de más luz y más rítmica que el resto, no en exceso, pero sí lo suficiente para llamar con fuerza la atención del oyente. Definitivamente, la voz de Silvia es poderosa, intensa.

Liminal se cierra con “Liminal Moon”, una pieza creada para el descanso. Con más protagonismo en esta ocasión, Oster aporta intensidad al tema con su poderoso instrumento de viento, mientras Nakkach susurra bajo intensos teclados. “Liminal Moon” es la banda sonora para una perfecta evasión.

Sin lugar a dudas, el fuerte de Silvia Nakkach es su lado más alejado de lo acústico, de la música orientada a los ejercicios de meditación como el Yoga. En el otro extremo, el ambient electrónico toma fuerza y calidad, y su sutil complejidad casa perfectamente con su profunda voz. Liminal reúne los dos estilos, convirtiéndolo en un álbum de lo más interesante.

As Clouds Disperse
The Sounding Board
R J Lannan

Liminal. I have heard the word before. In means right on the edge of perception. Like the corner of your eye or the back of your mind. It is right there, only it is not. Silvia Nakkach’s album, Liminal is tangible on many levels, including the one we sometimes really do not understand. The nine tracks of atmospheric music combined with gentle singing features her wordless vocalese with Middle Eastern flavorings. It is cloud’s music. Read that again. It has a soft texture and a subtle energy. It is drifting and dreamlike.

The music is further enhanced by the talents of trumpeter Jeff Oster, violoncello magician David Darling and vocalist Val Serrant. Todd Boston not only did a superlative job on engineering the project, but adds piano and guitar to the mix and he is a co-composer as well. The arrangements are flawlessly flowing, sometimes pastoral, sometimes pensive with great ebb and flow. I liked every track. It was an odd sensation to listen to the music. After every track was complete, only then did I seem to draw a breath.

The first cut, Liminal Clouds opens like a dreamy sound track. It is the precursor to the whole album that demonstrates Nakkach’s ability to equalize music and voice. I looked up to see cerulean skies and powder puff clouds dancing together in the heavens and the music was perfect. Liminal Beauty is eponymous as a title. There is a soft nuance to the music, as if this particular world is painted in pastel colors. The melody is dreamlike, often surreal. Silvia has scrubbed away all the ugliness and left this as a gift for our senses.

The somewhat discordant sound of the violoncello opens the song Liminal Motion. Once we gain momentum, things smooth out and we are urged by the music to go forward, ever forward. Silvia’s delicate vocal dips in like a dragonfly, never really touching down, but always there. The tempo increases and we cannot help but follow. There is a great deal of subtext, musically speaking, to the tune Liminal Light. We are illuminated by the muted light of the dawn sun, the twinkling stars of the night sky and the sometimes brilliant light from within. The music fades from one to the other offering the listener a chance to pick a source.

The tune Liminal Dream was a favorite with a more pronounced vocal layer that soothes the spirit like a balm. The music weaves in and out of reality, offering glimpses of our fantasies, but leaving the definition up to us. There is a lightness to this song and we drift about ignoring compass points as if they do not exist. The focus of the final cut, Liminal Moon is Oster’s glorious trumpet. The sound weaves in and out of the melody like the light from the moon beaming through eddying clouds. The light turns from silver to blue and evaporates. We can almost feel the moon revolving, and when the light returns, we ae enveloped in moon shadows.

Silvia Nakkach’s music is usual for its intrinsic equilibrium, no instrument or voice overpowering the next, always harmonious, always in balance. Although the music was very light, I could almost feel the weight of sensation pressing on me like water in the ocean. This is an album that you can put on and get contentedly lost in. Just keep your eye on the clouds.