Mystic Journey (album)
# Mystic Journey (album)

Mystic Journey is an album by the American folk rock musician Arlo Guthrie, released in 1996. It was Guthrie's first album of mostly new material in a decade.

The album is dedicated to Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Guthrie's Hindu guru.

## Production

The album was produced by Guthrie and his son, Abe. Cyril Pahinui played on the album.

The songs were in part inspired by Guthrie's work as a hospice volunteer. Many were written three to four years before the recording sessions. "Moon Song" was written for The Byrds of Paradise, on which Guthrie starred.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :

| Review scores ||
| - | - |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | |

The Washington Post wrote that "derivative as they are, these tunes nonetheless possess a charm of their own, and Guthrie slides into them as if they were an old pair of slippers." The Wisconsin State Journal called Mystic Journey "an intimate, acoustic album about love, family and spiritualism."

The Independent deemed "Doors to Heaven" "a well-meaning but horribly 'Imagine'-esque piece of whimsy." The Toronto Star stated that "Arlo continues his life mission of slyly confounding fans and foes alike ... This time around, it's done by recording a rootsy, folk rocking set of tunes, a long haul from the gently paced acoustic album most fans likely expected." The Gazette determined that the album "contains relatively innocuous love songs for the Prairie Home Companion set."

AllMusic wrote that "the lyrics also had a Dylanish twinge in their highly poetic, sometimes obscure language, though Guthrie commented on a variety of contemporary issues." MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide considered the album "a richly crafted and introspective record that shows he's hardly played out."

