by Chris NicksonThis series of odes to the goddesses of nature from North, Central, and South America definitely has its moments. The opener, "Goddess of the Full Moon," features lovely melodies and Native American rhythms. However, from there it's rapidly downhill into mediocrity. There's a reliance on clichés that makes this sadly average for much of the time. There's nothing to fault in the playing, simply in the imagination of the writers, Enrique Cardenas and Andrew Alvarez. Part of the problem -- although in many ways it isn't a problem -- is the attempt to be quite ethnic, which is good in theory; however, in practice it doesn't come off, because the composers do not seem to be fully conversant in all the traditions they try to encompass (and in reality how could they be?). So the intentions are definitely in the right place, and the flute playing is often exquisite, but beyond that, there's a numbing sameness about too many tracks to be able to offer any real recommendation, even as music for contemplation or meditation.