Loudest Voice

What seems to be an unlikely pairing of former Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss is actually one of the most effortless-sounding duos in modern popular music…

Part of Avril Lavigne's appeal – a large part of it, actually – is that she's a brat, acting younger than her 17 years on her 2002 debut, Let Go, and never seeming like she much cared about the past (she notoriously mispronounced David Bowie's name when reading Grammy nominations), or anything for that matter. She lived for the moment, she partied with sk8er bois, she didn't want anything complicated, and she sang in a flat, plain voice that illustrated her age as much as her silly, shallow lyrics…

This double CD makes an excellent introduction to two great works even if other individual recordings might be preferable. This is particularly true of the Mozart in that although the ladies are peerless vocally, Barenboim's conducting is quite heavy and neither Gedda - typically somewhat pinched and throaty at times - nor Fischer-Dieskau - too light and woolly of tone for the bass-baritone required - is ideal.

A group whose distinctly ethereal and gossamer sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD, Cocteau Twins were founded in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1979. Taking their name from an obscure song from fellow Scots Simple Minds, the Cocteaus were originally formed by guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie and later rounded out by Guthrie's girlfriend Elizabeth Fraser, an utterly unique performer whose swooping, operatic vocals relied less on any recognizable language than on the subjective sounds and textures of verbalized emotions.

On their second album, duo Secret Garden play with the conventions of Celtic and neo-classical music, weaving in unexpected elements like Spanish guitars and Eastern European folk melodies as their muse dictates. Norwegian pianist Rolf Lovland composes striking instrumentals for which Fionnuala Sherry's violin supplies the lead voice. Just about every song here features a lavish orchestral arrangement, but it's Sherry's violin that speaks loudest and touches the heart most tenderly. Her fluid, emotive technique shines on tracks like "Appassionata," and is made all the more admirable knowing that she was recovering from serious injuries and in great physical pain during the recording sessions.
The overall mood is weighty, heart-centered, providing a supportive background for personal reflection…