Record Collector magazine enthused “Although there are 10 tracks, what they are called, where they are recorded and how long they are is unimportant. Taken together they constitute one of the finest expressions of spontaneous composition, improvisation and compelling music to have drifted though these ears for a long time.”
Mojo and Classic Rock gave the record three and six star reviews respectively, and it was chosen as the Sunday Times' album of the week after its release in July 2007, with listeners urged to “turn out the lights, put on the headphones and lie back in wonder.”
Compiled from performances in England and Estonia during 2006, the sacred settings spurred the guitarist on to some of his most heartfelt and uplifting playing to date, connecting to the kind of transcendent rapture found in devotional music of Tallis, Gorecki or Part.
Like A Blessing Of Tears, Fripp’s moving elegy to his mother, the abiding mood is one of reflection, acknowledging what has been and filled with hope for what may be yet to come. Composer Andrew Keeling judged the record to be “the work of an artist who sounds as if he's made peace with himself; a musician who has made the transition through business and personal grief.”
Though Fripp’s Soundscapes aren’t for everyone, this album is perhaps the most accessible up to date guide to a journey that has so far lasted over 40 years.