"bella Pollen"

Following in the precedent set by Enigma's remarkable success in the 1990s, Bella Sonus' Enamoured blends together the more ethereal side of computer-composed world music with a heavy dose of ambient electronica, while differentiating themselves from their obvious peer with the guitar work of Angel Suarez. As it did for Enigma and many of the successive artists to follow - Deep Forest, Sarah Brightman, Delirium - this stylistic template works well, evoking a substantial amount of tranquility and a bit of rhythm in the process. The man behind the bulk of the music here, Robert Smith (keyboards, synthesizer, programming, samples), deserves ample recognition for his accomplishments on Enamoured, but one can't help but find it a bit derived. Still, if one can look past this possible observation, the music gleams with a sense of beauty rarely found in modern music.

Bella White’s new album "Among Other Things" sees her music evolving as she embraces a fuller band sound while continuing to write the kind of deeply personal, intimate lyrics that made Just Like Leaving such a captivating debut. Produced by Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price, Billy Strings) at his Topanga Canyon Studios and featuring an array of first-rate musicians including Wilson on drums, Big Thief’s Buck Meek on guitar, and string arranger and keyboard player Drew Erikson (Lana Del Rey).

Ever since its creation more than twenty-five years ago, the Accentus chamber choir has ardently championed the a cappella repertory: under its conductor and founder Laurence Equilbey, it has produced an impressive discography that sets the benchmark in this music. For this new recording, the first for Alpha, she hands over direction of the ensemble to Christophe Grapperon, its associate conductor since 2013: ‘It can never be said often enough: the a cappella repertory is a Holy Grail of vocal music! It is a sensory experience directly accessible to everyone, but demanding and often atypical for the listener.’ Hahn and Saint-Saëns are on the programme of this album in superb choral works combining simplicity and expressive power, some of which have never been recorded before.