CD: Achillea - Amadas Estrellas

Rhythm is the heart The idea is the spirit The voice is the soul. In his studio in Ibiza Spain, Jens Gad, the co-visionary of the multi-platinum group ENIGMA, is joined by the mesmerizing European dance/pop singer Luisa Fernndez. On this greatly anticipated second ACHILLEA release, they guide you on a new ethereal journey of global electronica, lush atmospheres, seductive Spanish vocals, entrancing guitar playing, and ingenious beats. Luisa Fernandez, born in Galicia in the north of Spain, has chosen her world language to guide a musical journey through different continents. Amadas Estrellas is a multi-cultural concept for an international audience and entirely produced on Spanish territory. Luisa’s spiritually sensual vocals, based on Spanish poems of love – combined with the richly layered atmospheres and European dance club electronica that Jens Gad and ACHILLEA are renowned for – is compelling and deeply satisfying. Let yourself go – escape into the sensory world of Achillea.

AG-CD-UACHAMA

$15.98 each

(Note from Ceridwen):After listening to this new CD, I have come to the conclusion that this is their best one yet - these two just keep getting better all the time! This CD was inspired by their trip to American Stonehenge in Washington, and I was very moved by the depth and evocative nature of their multi-layered compositions. I love what they say in the liner notes:

"While at Stone Henge we felt the breeze play across the stone altar. We wonder, does the altar make the wind sacred? Or does the wind make the altar sacred?"

Angels Voices - Entrancing Ethereal Grooves

The mystery and beauty of the feminine voice combines with intoxicating electro-organic beats in this super-chilled set of lush down tempo electronica. Today’s finest female vocalists in modern electronica Helene Horlyck, Irina Mikhailova, Suzanne Sterling, Sophia, and Darshini are featured in these entrancing ethereal tracks. Artists such as Achillea (Enigma co-founder Jens Gad), Artemisia (Buddha-Lounge co-creator Steve Gordon), Hands On Black Earth, Sophia, and Karmacosmic & Darshini take you on a mesmerizing ethereal journey. Expertly hand-selected and compiled for yoga, dance, relaxation and late-night listening by Yogafit founder Beth Shaw and perfectly sequenced and mixed by our award-winning DJs the Gordon Brothers (Buddha-Lounge, Hotel Tara, Café de Luna). The pulsing synthesizers, atmospheric electric guitars, hypnotic grooves and earthy world percussion in these mystically beautiful grooves intermingle with and weave around dreamy alluring feminine voices. Let these sensuous vocals and hypnotic beats entice you to dance, trance, and relax.

CD: Archives of Ages to Come
by Emerald Rose

“This CD has been about two years in the creation, and is really our second full-length studio CD ("Bending Tradition" being our first, in 2000). Our intent was to focus on original songs, pulling in mythic themes and a variety of moods. We find that each song has its own life and its own speed of development, no matter what we may WANT to happen; "Dagger of the Moon" has been evolving since before 1998, and "Three More Drops" since 2001, while "For Blodeuwedd" came together in less than a week, and "We Come From Monkeys" in about three months. We feel that Emerald Rose is changing its style from a Celtic folk style into more of an "art rock" sound with Celtic roots. Listeners may find this compilation to be a bit more in line with groups like Great Big Sea, and you may hear some classic rock influences from Jethro Tull to ZZ Top here and there. We’ve had several instrumentation changes in the last couple of years as well: Logan has introduced the mandola in more tracks and experimented on guitar with "Nashville" and other tunings, Larry has been developing on low whistle and Uilleann pipes, and we’re using more percussion based around the Roland HandSonic, often with a more of a "drumkit" rock feel. In 2004, when we had the good fortune to play for the "Return of the King" Oscars party in Hollywood, we felt it was important to have a new promotional CD for that event. We made a mad scramble to put together what new songs we had developed, along with some "classics" from previous albums, and the result was "Songs for the Night Sky" (2004). The response from fans was tremendous, and helped to reassure us that we were on the right track. This was intended from the start to be a limited release, and we always knew these songs (Urania Sings, Come To The Dance, Gwydion’s Song, and Take Me Down) would appear on a full-length CD. The versions here have been remixed, enhanced, and professionally mastered. Finally, we’ve included three songs drawn from Celtic tradition: Andy M. Stewart’s "Queen of Argyll" (one of our favorites from the Silly Wizard days), "Irish Heartbeat" from Van Morrison and the Chieftains, and an adaptation of an old folk song "Wheel of Fortune" with some Tarot-inspired lyrics from Arthur. The development of a CD is a roller-coaster ride, with moments of sheer delight, periods of screaming frustration, and long hours of grueling, carpal-tunnel-destructive work. We hope the end result is worth it!” ~EMERALD ROSE, August 2005.

AG-CD-UARCAGE

$14.98 each

CD: Art of Peace
by Elaine Silver

Elaine Silver has a voice you’ll never forget. It has been described as stunningly clear and fine, magnificent, rich and supple. She sings a cappella or accompanies herself on guitar and banjo, and has performed in concert for hundreds of thousands at colleges, festivals, churches, clubs and children’s events throughout North America and Europe. She was featured nationally on The Wisdom Channel and on New Jersey Network’s award-winning television program State of the Arts. Elaine is the recipient of a Garden State Music Award for Outstanding Folk Performer, and has appeared in concert with Arlo Guthrie, Doc Watson, Tom Paxton, Suzanne Vega, Jorma Kaukonen, Tom Chapin and many more of the folk world’s brightest stars. Latest release from Elaine, featuring 12 tracks.

AG-CD-UARTPEA