by PJ Birosik

With masterful fretwork and vivid imagination, exciting young acoustic guitarist Johannes Linstead blends his love of traditional and contemporary South American melodies and culture in this passionate, original and deeply emotional music. Johannes' style fits comfortably in the nouveau flamenco category, but one listen will tell you it's so much more. You'll detect elements of gypsy, salsa, Brazilian, even Caribbean music in these eleven scintillating tracks, as Johannes has traveled widely during a pilgrimage both artistic and spiritual with sojourns in Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela. Self- taught in both classical and rock styles, and citing Mozart as his primary influence, Linstead's diverse musical themes effortlessly succeed in conveying how we are all affected -- physically and emotionally -- by the three most basic elements in our daily lives: the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. Songs like "Mountain Mist," "Don Juan" and "Mi Angel" present exceptionally vital and intuitive music that fully realizes the romance, energy and vibrancy of the cultures which inspired it. Instrumentation: guitars, bass, Indian wood flute, flutes, keyboards, drums, percussion.

Pianist Hoffman pens beautifully symphonic, pastoral love odes to humanity, urging us to recognize that we're the treasure we are seeking and to discover confirmation of this special wisdom within the hearts of one another. While television and print media would lead us to believe that security systems and guard dogs are the price of protected happiness, Hoffman trusts that a "River of Kindness" springs forth when you "Open Up Your Heart" to the wonders of the people on this fragile planet. Listen to the yearning Nigerian prayer on "Waiting" and feel hope stirring in your breast, then resonate to the "Silent Longing" fulfilled when, "Joy to Joy," hearts unite in peace and love. Exquisite, lush, intricate and involving, this is the loveliest new age recording to be available in quite some time. Celebrated guest artists include percussionist Greg Ellis, flamenco guitarist Manuel Iman and flutist Richard Hardy, among others. Instrumentation: piano, keyboards, guitars, electric and acoustic bass, cello, violin, viola, oboe, English and French horns, flute, trumpet, flugel horn, African drums and percussion, voices.

Martin Souter
WEDDING MUSIC
(New World Music)

Martin Souter At last! You've found the perfect partner with which to spend your life. You've announced your intentions to friends and family; now, its time to say your vows to one another on the most important day of your lives. But, what about the music? What type should you pick? When should it be heard? Acclaimed British church organist Martin Souter wants to help you and your beloved select the ultimate romantic backdrop so important to the success of any marriage ceremony. Performed in the sumptuous acoustics of Oxford's famed Magdalen College are selections from Bach to Wagner, including both popular choices and less well-known arrangements. A detailed booklet included with the recording offers advice on how to choose the music that best reflects the mood and style of your special day. The only album of its kind, Wedding Music introduces the delightful possibilities available even in the most traditional of ceremonies. Instrumentation: organ.

Nusrat Ali Khan introduced America to hypnotic, spiritually profound Pakistani qawwali music on several best-selling albums. If you enjoy that style, you'll want to hear this new recording by the sonorous Baluchi ensemble, whose own magical sounds of love are sung in their mesmerizing native tongue and performed on ethnic instruments. Due to political unrest, the Baluch are stateless, forced to roam between Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and the Arab Emirates; some believe they are the ancestors of today's gypsies. Surely their music and song boast all the passionate romance of gypsy tradition, and their artistic heritage is drawn from Persian bardic tradition where troubadours migrated throughout that ancient empire telling tales of heroes, fair ladies and priestly spiritual ecstasy and miracles. Hypnotic, yet as fragrant as perfume, these nine pieces present festive songs, secular celebrations and trance rituals that integrate elements of Sufi shamanism. Great liner notes, too! Instrumentation: vocals, sorud (fiddle), tanburag (lute), benjo (dulicmer keyboard), doholak (similar to an Indian tambura, a drone instrument)

Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill - Regarded as one of Ireland's finest traditional singers, Ni Dhomhnaill focuses on songs of love mostly drawn from her native Donegal heritage. In keeping with Celtic sensibilities, these pieces include major three-hankie weepies about star-crossed lovers ("The Green Wood Laddie"), unrequited affection ("An Cailin Gaelach" and "Martha") and treasure-hunting husbands ("Knickers of Corduroy"). The latter has all the tension and drama of a modern country-western tune, though its timeless lyrics were probably first heard in an Irish music hall; thankfully, the words of this and other tunes can be followed in the English-language liner notes. Ni Dhonhnaill's voice is deservedly legendary, her ability to conjure even the subtlest of emotions unparalleled while technically brilliant in terms of range and breath control. Supported here on vocals by her equally talented and popular sister Triona, as well as guitarists Michael O'Domhnaill and Donal Lunny, the singer makes her finest album yet. Instrumentation: vocals, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboard, guitar, Uilleann pipe, whistle, fiddle, bodhran hand drum.

David London - ROMANTICA
(Imagine This Imagine That)

Themed around William Shakespeare's famous line, "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," these eleven instrumentals were created by an impressive new talent who seems too young to have composed and produced these elegant works of creative maturation. Looking like a fresh faced high schooler, London artfully arranges tone poems of commitment -- the soaring, hopeful "All My Life" -- and sorrow ("I Cry") that easily surpass the efforts of tunesmiths twice his age. Ethereal synthesizer textures buoy sparkling chimes, passionate classical guitar, and poignant piano melodies in a manner reminiscent of a young David Lanz or David Arkenstone, yet remain true to the album's theme without pretentious bombast or overkill. Dramatic interludes abound, as in "In the Arms of Angels," but London always returns to the intimacy of the main melody to make his point. He shoots; he scores. Instrumentation: guitar, sax, keyboards.

Developing an appreciation for Chinese music and culture as a child, the Venezuelan-born Di Donna takes the Asian view that music should be a daily source of inspiration, happiness, relaxation and contemplation; that it can revive our spirits when we feel stressed or low, and can bring our personal environment into balance. The rhythms and melodies of Feng Shui express deep feelings of being, elevating the listener in its vibration toward the infinite spaces of the Universe within. Something quite wonderful occurs when Di Donna integrates his superb knowledge of geomancy with his classical composition background: transparent, brilliant, luminescent sounds based on the nine interpretations described in Prof. Juan M. Alvarez' noted text, Feng Shui-La Armonia del Vivir. So if you want to love your home and office environment, try playing this album at low volume in the background and savor the newly found harmony it engenders in your life. Instrumentation: koto, Chinese harps, zither, bamboo and silver flutes, crystal bowls & glass bells, brass bells and gongs, strings, keyboards, percussion, drums.

Many a romantic dinner party has used this group's music for background ambience; here, the terrific trio are joined by contemporary jazz icons John Klemmer, Craig Chaquico, Grant Geissman and others for more smooth, sophisticated sounds sizzling with sensuality and spark. In fact, some of these solo performances are so electrifying that it's no surprise the artwork boasts Kirlian photographs throughout! Especially hot tracks include the urban sass of "Revelation of the Heart," some snazzy quick-step syncopation in "Step Into My Life" (courtesy of John Halbleib's trumpet) and the power-ballad piano melody, "Once in a Lifetime." All the instrumentals flow seamlessly together, sending a love wave to remind us that "the most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." Instrumentation: piano, keyboards, guitars, harp, flutes, sax, flugelhorn, trumpet, clarinet, drums.

In an unusual and extremely appealing presentation, fourteen lullabies are sung first in Spanish, then in English, with lyrics for both included in the liner notes. Love for one's child is universal, and recordings addressing this bond are common, yet rarely has an album of lullabies so beautifully orchestrated been presented; usually, the singer is accompanied simply on piano or guitar. Using a wealth of ethnic Latin and classical instruments, vocalist Del Rey and her musicians make this soothing album quite precious, poetic and unique. Listen to the unusual "Con un Tenedor (With a Fork Carefully)" for an admirable education in addition, or to "Negrito," which has its roots deep in Latin-Caribbean spirituals, for a lesson in how love conquers slavery. There are other tunes with more traditional themes -- angels, dolls, the moon -- but all are meticulously crafted to bring solace to the sleepy soul. Instrumentation: Chapman stick, Peruvian harp, flutes, cello, piano, guitars, panpipes, strings, bongos and percussion.