Annette Cantor, Songs to the Goddess

Anyone who reads this blog knows there is much about New Age music I do not like. But every once in a while something comes along that stands up (and out) as musically quite valid and interesting. Such an album is on tap today for your consideration. The artist is singer Annette Cantor and the album is Songs to the Goddess (Source Being).

It's cosmic space, ethnically ambient part-minimal, part-modal music for multiple wordless vocals (Annette) and some nicely turned musical arrangements by C. G. Deuter.

It has all the trappings of New Age music but it stands on its own. Imagine that there was no such thing as New Age and instead this was just an album of cosmic things. In that way it is the equivalent to some of the psychedelic mood records that came out in the late-'60s-early '70s, like Music from the Zodiac, if anybody remembers that.

It has its own musical center from which comes Ms. Cantor's pleasing warbles, dedicated especially to Mother Earth.

Well now you may scoff, but it does work as music, and that's all I care about, really. You decide for yourself.

Uwe Gronau, Visions

I normally steer clear of new age music, here and elsewhere. It's gotten a bad name for mostly good reasons as the MOR of today, easy listening with not always much musical content.

But when something strikes me as worthwhile, I don't care what it is called. Uwe Gronau does good music. His new one, Visions (self-released), is a fine example. Uwe writes the music, plays all the keys and except for a nice guitar appearance by Pete Sayer and some soprano sax by Matthias Keidel, does it all.

And it's good. Before new age there was of course prog rock--and this music is like a kind of prog minus the vocal songs in many ways. Approach it without expectations and you may find you have a place for it in your eartime. It is NOT vapid! It does what it does and does it rather well. And it is expansive in its aural palette. OK?