New Age, Alternative,
Metaphysical Publication
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Past Times With Good Company is the latest of four releases as Blackmore's Night. The first, in 1997, was Shadow of the Moon. It was followed by Under a Violet Moon in 1999, and Fires at Midnight in 2001. They were kind enough to also send Fires at Midnight along, and I can see how their audience feels so included in the music that they sometimes sing along. They publish the lyrics, which are lovely poetry in themselves, and they revisit their audiences' favorites now and then. It's clear that they play what they love, and their fans love them. And having heard them, what's not to love?

Second Nature, by Miriam Stockley, draws on Stockley's Johannesburg, Africa roots, with songs in Zulu, English, and her own 'vocalese'. These tracks are richly textured, layered and lusciously harmonized.  My favorite is Siebelius' music and Stockley's and Houston's lyrics for A Finnish Summer Night, a tender ballad. The music is modern; the arrangements are dramatic, and there are moments when it sounds like Adiemus, for which Miriam Stockley was the featured voice. This is a big soundscape, like an African horizon over the plains. Don't miss it, especially if you're an Adiemus fan.