Enigma
Enigma's music is Gregorian chants and flutes. In their biography, it was said that in their music "verbal sounds become instruments, synthesized tones become voices, and distinct rhythmic grooves intertwine into an organic, utterly new whole." Enigma has attracted a global following and so can be found at any music store.
Tara MacLean
It was Tara MacLean's clear, bell-like voice and introspective lyrics that caught Nettwerk's attention while she sang on a ferry boat ride. They placed her single on the air, only to prompt her to produce her first full-length CD after a flood of phone calls asking where to buy.Tara's thoughts on Silence: "The album is called Silence because that is the place where songs are born. Out of a void something has to be created, to find light in darkness. When you are spending time in solitude or out in the woods, there can be so much chatter in your head that when it stops, you can filter out distractions and hear the original voice. Truth speaks to you in silence. It is the only place you can hear it."
Morcheeba
Morcheeba creates a cool, moody ambience that has it antecedents in an eclectic and heady melding of rhythm and blues, soulful hip-hop, funk and lo-fi blues guitar. There are traces of Holly Cole yet more rolling, laid back- poignant yet downbeat. Drumming with the hands, the whispery psychedelia feeling of the 60's is almost hypnotic. A new twist to a jazzy feeling, check this group out. This group is based out of London, England. They are also a bit hard to find, but with a good search engine you can find it on the web at online music stores. They typically have a greater selection than the stores in town.
***Disclaimer: All of the descriptions of the artists and their songs are from different internet review sources. I did not write parts that are in quotes.
Beverly Klass
Beverly Klass is an artist that is hard to find info for, especially with her debut album "III". Writer Daniel Ewatcha from Drop D Magazine said, "Lyrically, the songs are very powerful and descriptive, speaking of love and lost emotions amongst a time of soul searching in a very mystical, somewhat gothic way. Musically, the songs are just as powerful with a variety of influences from Joy Division to the Sinead O'Connor-esque "Temple" and Enya-inspired "Could This Be True." Unfortunately, her CD is out of circulation. The CD itself is three versions of three different songs, so it's not very long. However, I wouldn't mind burning a copy for anyone who wants it. Just email me with the request. My favorite song is Temple. Her voice is absoulte heaven, her lyrics beautiful.
Temple
We're pure intangible love/ You asked what I found in you/ I burn inside myself/ While the tempest returns/ It's been years I would say/ The night has lived too long/ I will find a way/ We'll stand in the sun/ Where all our love resides/ Where the desonance seems to die/ I will meet you there/ We'll stand together/ Where the daylight falls and fades/ Your love lives in the sun/ I will pass your way/ This stands forever/ You found eternity/ This could shatter your heart/ The reflection of your soul/ Was a vision of me/ Take all that I could be/ Take all I should be/ May faith lead your way/ Did you know it was me/ Where all our love resides/ Where the desonance seems to die/ I will meet you there/ We'll stand together/ Where the daylight falls and fades/ Your love lives in the sun/ I will pass your way/ This stands forever
Rhea's Obsession
I close my eyes and can picture myself in India, swaying to and fro. It unveils the powerful voice of Sue Hutton and the soundscapes of guitarist Jim Field. "Initiation" reviewed by Christine de Melo says, "There is the same sense of the female power to this music, especially in Hutton's amazing voice, as well as an overwhelming sense of musical history. Combining elements of Celtic, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern music to modern guitar and keyboards, Rhea's Obsession seem to have engendered a fluid sense of spiritual and musical mysticism. Hutton's use of exotic rhythms courtesy of various forms of percussion - the doumbek, djmbe, bodhran - add an almost ritualistic feel to songs like Death by Moonlight.
Death by Moonlight Breathe, follow my command/ Believe, that is in your hands/ Grieve, as death by moon is slow/ I am the white-tailed dove/ Who understands/ You are the reason/ I harness these commands/ Breathe the air while you still can/ Leave all tomorrow's plans/ Here, the calm before the storm/ Heed the message of the Dawn/ I am the wind and rain/ I the summer snow/ You are the glistening/ in the afterglow/ I follow patiently/ I watch destruction grow/ I listen for the signs/ Of moonlight to show me/ I am I am I am/ Feel the earth tremble at night/ We believe that we're alright/ We gather for the storm/ We will die before we're born/ I am the white-tailed dove/ Who understands/ You are the reason/ I harness these commands/
Cun Lacoudhir - my favorite song.
Cun lacoudhir a brisheadh/ Toinishe ag cuirdeadh/ Agus bheider go mbach/ San isee an gorda
In English
To break the ice/ I'm searching/ And maybe for all time/ The water is the guard.
(Which really means, I'm searching to break the ice but maybe the water is the guard for all time -- Rhea's Sue Hutton's comments about the dream which inspired this, courtesy of her email to my friend Christie/Domino
"Yes - the breaking ice. Cun Lacoudhir is the translation of a dream I had in which I was lying almost like in an offering, on a very dreamy pond, which was frozen over with a thin layer of ice, in the dark of night. The moon was full... The whole world had that frosty magical look. I lay on the ice, and slowly spread my arm out across the ice, with the realisation I had discovered some kind of magic I could own. As I moved my arm across the ice, it melted, and the water below came through as an incredible iridescent jade colour. In the very next moment, just as I became aware of my magical power, I broke the ice, and almost fell through into the jade waters to my death. I woke up from the dream startled.....thinking how careful we have to be with our power. We can easily mis-use, or mis-direct it. It was one of the most powerful dreams I've ever had, and I really do have an active dream life - but that one was a very prominent dream. Water may drown you, while you are digging deeper. She holds the secret, though you are still the keeper. We can drown in our own journeys if not careful. We have it all in the tips of our fingers, and don't realise just how powerful we really are. This was part of the message to me. But honestly, I STILL don't understand that dream entirely. I think it's something I'll be working on my whole life." -- Sue Hutton, Rhea's Obsession.
Rose Chronicles
The Vancouver-based Rose Chronicles came upon the music scene in May of 1992. Their style can be described as a combination of Enya, The Cranberries, and Sarah McLachlan- a trance-like style grounded in throbbing guitar. The group comprises of Richard Maranda (guitars), Judd Cochrane (bass), Steve van der Woerd (drums) and Kristy Thirsk (vocals). More than luck seemed to play a hand, for shortly thereafter Nettwerk Records became interested in what became Chronicle's trademark- "soaring melodies, lyrical catharsis and epic soundscapes"; they were signed up a year later. In March 1995, the Rose Chronicles made history as the first band to win a Juno Award in the new category of 'Best Alternative Album'. Her CDs can be found almost anywhere. She isn't as elusive as Beverly Klass.