“A Day On Venus” is a collection of 18 musical pieces drawn from celestial and mystical inspiration. The planet, Venus, with its unique aspects, symbolizes many things. Venus is known as the “Goddess of Love and Beauty.” The Rose of Venus is the sacred geometry pattern the orbit of Venus forms as she dances with Earth. The planet’s own orbit creates this special and sacred mandala. And a day on planet Venus is leisurely, as the planet spins slowly and clockwise, taking 243 Earth days. Therefore, a day on Venus is longer than its year and it has a sunrise every 117 Earth days.
The Rose of Venus, depicted in the album art for “A Day On Venus,” is a replica of the sacred geometric pattern created by the 8-year cycle of Venus orbiting the Earth, forming a perfect five petal rose. This design, much like the music on this album, is imbued with the healing energies of Venus, aligning with universal love, compassion, and harmony.

The music on this album is unique, not just from track to track, but also within the form of each piece. With its shifting modes and moods as well as timbres and textures, and its varied instrumentation, from solo guitar to richly layered ambient beds, the music reflects the ambiance of the energy of all that is Venus.

Alongside the virtuosic acoustic guitar playing she is known for Michelle presents soulful flute playing on tracks like “Dusty Springs” and “Luminous Fields.” The album opens with “Stars By The Pocketful,” an etheric blend of nylon and steel string guitars with swirling synthesizers that seem to lift the veil between two worlds. 

Singing bowls raise the vibration in “Wondrous.” Driving electric guitars and bass punctuate the track “Rain in Heaven” and then slip into a slinky vibrato and tremolo-laced vibe in “Electric Blue.”

“Warm Waters” and “Being There” wrap the listener in a soothing, meditative bath of piano, ethereal keyboards, and ambient beds. A sweet touch of slide guitar accents the mood of “Sliding Away.” “Light Rain” and “Before You Speak” bring subtle harmonies between guitar and ukulele.

The mystical night air is explored in “Without This Night,” which reimagines the haunting solo piece, “Within This Night” with lush, captivating ambient beds and bass guitar.  The solo guitar tracks, “American Prelude,” “Within This Night,” “Belonging Here,” “Slipped Away,” “Mayan Trails,” and “Walk at Dusk,” each tell their own unique story.

While some compositions are quite straightforward and simple, others are set in familiar forms, yet more complex, and still others grow out of an organic, freestyle, eclectic form. At nearly an hour in duration, you will feel a distinct shift between time zones as you listen, leaving behind what the ancient Greeks called “Chronos,” or linear time, and you will enter “Kairos,” that state of meditative flow where linear time melts away into a timeless experience.