Album Review—In The Stillness Of The Stars

When the Stars Become Music: A Journey into Stillness, Light and Peace

There is something inherently contemplative about looking into a star-filled sky. The immense silence above us has a way of making the noise of everyday life seem distant, while inviting questions about existence, love, spirituality and our place in the universe. In The Stillness Of The Stars, the latest collaboration between acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Premik Russell Tubbs and songwriter, lyricist, composer, vocalist and poet Margee Minier-Tubbs, attempts to translate that experience into sound. Presented for Grammy consideration in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category, the seven-track work emerges as a genre-defying musical experience that transcends normal boundaries. The artists themselves describe it as a Cosmic Sound Healing/Peace Journey to Heal the Heart, an apt description of the album’s spiritual intent.

The album brings together the diverse musical experience of two accomplished artists whose work has crossed geographical and musical boundaries. Premik’s artistry appears on more than 300 albums, and he has toured the world and performed and recorded with Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Whitney Houston, Sting, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty and Ravi Shankar. He is also described as the wind player for Will Ackerman of Windham Hill Records. Margee brings songwriting, composition, vocals and poetry to the partnership, along with a deeply spiritual dimension through spoken-word poetry, vocals, Tibetan bowls and Koshi chimes. She was a producer on the Grammy -nominated album Shayan and has also worked as a translator at MIDEM in Cannes, France. Together, they bring an unusual blend of musical mastery and spiritual expression to this album.

About Premik Russell Tubbs and Margee Minier-Tubbs

Premik Russell Tubbs is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and a virtuoso master of all saxophones, flutes, lap steel guitar and EWI. His extraordinary musical journey has taken him around the world and into collaborations with some of the most respected names in music, including Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Whitney Houston, Sting, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty and Ravi Shankar. His extensive experience provides the album with the musical authority of an artist who has worked across a remarkably broad range of sounds and traditions.

Margee Minier-Tubbs is described as a European/American songwriter-lyricist-composer-vocalist-poet. A prolific songwriter and multi-faceted fashion designer and artist, she brings spiritually infused spoken-word poetry and vocals to the project, alongside Tibetan bowls and Koshi chimes. Her experience as a producer, translator and artist adds another dimension to the partnership. Together, Premik and Margee form a genre-defying power couple whose music seeks to transcend normal boundaries and create an experience rooted in spiritual expression, peace and healing.

A Cosmic Soundscape with a Spiritual Heart

What distinguishes In The Stillness Of The Stars is the consistency of its central vision. The album’s very title suggests a journey inward, while its imagery of stars, angels, light, love and peace creates a spiritual atmosphere throughout the seven compositions. Rather than treating these ideas merely as decorative themes, the album uses them to establish an emotional and contemplative world of its own.

The project also benefits from an impressive cast of collaborators. Zach Brock, the Multi-Grammy Award-Winning violinist, Stéphane Wrembel, the renowned French jazz guitarist who composed the theme song for the Oscar-Winning film Midnight in Paris, and Swaminathan Selvaganesh, the kanjira maestro of the Shakti lineage who performed on the Grammy-nominated album Sounds of Kumbha, bring considerable musical distinction to the project. Charu Suri, the Grammy-nominated Indo-American “raga-jazz” composer-pianist, and Anita Lerche, the Award-Winning Danish-American vocalist who sings on the Grammy-nominated albums Shayan and Requiem of Light, add further vocal and musical depth. Patrick Carmichael, percussionist-drummer for The Lion King on Broadway and The Big Apple Circus, Steve Finkelstein, percussionist for artists including Mariah Carey, Ray Charles and Celine Dion, and Corin Nelsen of SynchroSonic Productions, a GrammyAward-Winning Mastering Engineer, complete an impressive creative team.

Rather than demanding attention, the album repeatedly invites the listener to slow down. Its extended compositions and atmospheric character allow the listener to enter a more contemplative state. The combination of world-class musicianship with spiritual expression gives the work an identity that feels expansive, intimate and purposeful at the same time.

The Tracks

1. 11:11 — 7:00

The opening track immediately establishes the album’s contemplative atmosphere. “11:11” sets the tone for a journey centred on stillness, spiritual awareness and the mysterious connection between the earthly and the celestial. As an opening statement, it gently invites the listener into the world that Premik and Margee have created.

2. In The Stillness Of The Stars — 18:39

The title track is the album’s expansive centrepiece and its longest composition. At almost nineteen minutes, it allows the central idea of the album to unfold without haste. The title itself captures the project’s essential mood: an invitation to discover something profound in the vast stillness of the stars. It is a piece that encourages the listener to remain with the music rather than simply pass through it.

3. Ariitea (White Prince Coming Down From The Heavens) — 6:28

“Ariitea,” with its evocative subtitle, introduces a distinctly celestial image into the album’s journey. The idea of a “White Prince Coming Down From The Heavens” adds an imaginative and mystical dimension to the work, continuing the album’s recurring exploration of heavenly imagery, spirituality and transcendence.

4. Lumière (Prayer To Archangel Mikaël) — 6:14

“Lumière” takes the album into explicitly devotional territory. Its subtitle, “Prayer To Archangel Mikaël,” reinforces the spiritual character of the composition and adds another dimension to the album’s exploration of heavenly themes. The piece contributes to the larger journey of light, prayer and spiritual reflection.

5. TaraShanti (Love’s Eternal Angel) — 7:49

“TaraShanti,” subtitled “Love’s Eternal Angel,” carries one of the album’s most tender spiritual ideas. Love and peace are brought together through the title itself, complementing the album’s broader emphasis on spiritual feeling and healing. It adds another gentle dimension to the journey towards stillness.

6. Star Of Shayan — 5:19

“Star Of Shayan” continues the album’s celestial imagery while adding another distinctive title to its spiritual narrative. Coming after compositions centred on stillness, prayer and heavenly themes, it contributes to the sense that the album is taking the listener through different expressions of the same larger spiritual vision.

7. In The Silence Of The Night — 5:31

The closing track returns the listener to the profound quiet suggested by the album’s title. “In The Silence Of The Night” feels like a natural conclusion to a journey built around stars, stillness, prayer, love and spiritual reflection. Rather than ending with a dramatic statement, the title itself suggests a return to silence, completing the album’s contemplative arc.

An Objective Appraisal

In The Stillness Of The Stars succeeds through the clarity of its artistic vision, with its elements serving a central purpose of slowing the listener down and creating space for reflection and peace. Its greatest strength is the musicianship. Premik’s extraordinary multi-instrumental experience provides a sophisticated foundation, while the accomplished guest artists contribute their individual artistry without disturbing the album’s cohesive spiritual identity.

This is not an album built around conventional pop structures or immediate commercial hooks. Its extended compositions, atmospheric character and spiritual themes invite patience and a willingness to listen differently. For listeners drawn to New Age, ambient, devotional, sacred and contemplative music, that spaciousness is likely to be one of its greatest attractions. Rather than simply presenting peaceful music, the album creates a coherent emotional journey around stillness, light, love, peace and healing.

Take Away

What I liked most about In The Stillness Of The Stars is the sincerity of its musical vision. Its celestial imagery, devotional elements and contemplative character feel closely connected to the artistic personalities of Premik and Margee. The description of the album as a Cosmic Sound Healing/Peace Journey to Heal the Heart captures what makes the project distinctive: it seeks not merely to entertain, but to create an atmosphere in which the listener can experience quietness, peace and emotional renewal.

In a world of constant noise and hurried living, the album offers something increasingly precious: an invitation to slow down and simply listen. Its appeal will be strongest among listeners of New Age, ambient, sacred, devotional and contemplative music, while its accomplished international ensemble gives it a broader musical reach.

Ultimately, Premik Russell Tubbs and Margee Minier-Tubbs have created more than a collection of celestial compositions. They have created an invitation to pause, breathe and look beyond everyday noise. For a while, the listener is encouraged to enter the stillness between the stars and discover what that silence might have to say.