First off this has no religious or cultural significance to me, I'm approaching this through the gaze of an idiot American. So take that in context when I say I don't care, I just don't care about the Dalai Lama. This album does not present me with anything to care about or connect to.
I walked into this with the the idea that this would be an album to reflect to, you know, relax and meditate and listen to teachings from someone. And I'm not joking when I say I got more of that in that RZA Tazo Tea EP that came out earlier this year then in this. At first it starts off with the Dalai talking about " One of My Favorite Prayers" but due to how he sounds in the "song" and how muddied his voice sounds you just CAN NOT hear the prayer, I had to rewind the track to here what the prayer even was.
And from then on out it's just AWFUL Space Age Ambient Bleeps with the Dalai belting out some deep snarl sounding noise, repeating it over and over and over and over like Tom Sawyer produced the album or something! Look, if this was meant to relax it did the exact opposite I am in complete edge due to this creaky mess.
I can maybe see this type of song writing working in a more monastery type setting, but the difference there is that there's dozens of people chanting at once, in a large echoy space, not one man into his microphone while the B-Sides to a Sufjan ambient album plays.
And when this album breaks formula it's just awful. Like on the track "Ama La" Ft. Some of the most sicking guitars I've ever heard while the Dalai Lama talks about..good parenting or the sorts. It's all super confusing and just not worth my time. If you're GOING to preach to me make it clear what you're talking about rather than have me listen to an awful sounding song over and over and over to figure out what the hell you're saying.
This just is garbage sounding, no way around it. It's like an album that would be sold in a Cracker Barrel for $5. You would think someone with as much power and fame as the Dalai Lama could afford better microphones and producers, and ditch the honky tonk guitars and porn flutes buy NOPE. Gotta meditate to grandma's "5 Hours of Relaxing Music" CD.
This just feels like the worlds newest vanity project. Hell at least Rise Up! had music. This? It's barely audible. Just...don't listen to this. It's not worth your time. To listen, to pray, to relax, to do ANYTHING!? It's just not worth it.