Mystic Chords & Sacred Spacesis truly among the creme de la creme of Steve's distinct work. It is an astonishing series of recordings. At times I found myself facing the darkest of the dark in the collective unconscious. Just as I thought I had reached the edge of where I could go in my voyaging, a tonal shift would occur and carry me into a delicious and heart-achingly beautiful space of unparalleled hope and faith. These recordings are both initiatory, and a veritable soul-retrieval in this time of widespread soul loss. In essence, this is healing sound. Arranged as a collection of four discs, each is a stand-alone musicscape experience. Yet, as a full collection Mystic Chords & Sacred Spacesis nothing short of initiation, each disk building upon the energy of the previous one, opening out into vast domains and vistas, carrying us deep into subterranean realms of luminosity.

Collections of Charles Trenet's pre-World War II work are downright ubiquitous, owing to Europe's lax copyright laws, but this one has the virtue of excellent sound and thorough annotation, both courtesy of producer Tony Watts. The 26 songs cover Trenet's career as a recording artist and composer from the mid-'30s through the mid-'40s, and touch all of the essential bases (starting with "Boum!") and more, giving a thorough overview of the highlights of his early career. ~ Bruce Eder

One of the most successful artists of all-time and second only to U2 as the biggest-selling Irish artist in history, Enyashines on A Day Without Rain. The 11-track recording was composed by Enya, produced by Nicky Ryanwith lyrics from Roma Ryan. As she so often does, Enya transcends formulas, borders and commercial expectations with her first full-length album of original material since 1995's GRAMMY®-winning The Memory of Trees.