Woo-hoo! Pagan music! As some of my contemporaries like to say around these parts: "Whoda thunk?" As a hoary old Pagan with nearly 30 years 'time in Craft', all I can say is that it's about time. Contemporary  Pagan music has come a long ways from the inebriated folk tunes I endured as a kid, and the evolution is refreshing. And it sure beats the sound-alike bubblegummer pop nonsense that pervades the corporately-ruled airwaves of the USA.

Even if you're not Pagan, there is a lot to like about these two albums. Powers' voice is inspiring without being intrusive, and she has a style that I'd define as country/folk/Celtic. Celtic may be pretty much done to death by now, but the Celtic touches in this music are more ornamental than mainstream, and subtle rather than intrusive. Her lyrics are interesting and inspiring, especially in the imagery they invoke. I am not a regular listener to lyrical music- as a writer, sometimes English lyrics can be a distraction, but Ms. Powers albums passed the dual test of being interesting in both the 'close-ups' in the car and on the computer, and good 'background' on the big system. My only real complaint about both albums is that at 44 and 46 minutes respectively, they would rate as 'short' by today's 80- minute CD standards. It's a tightwad thing- I like to get my musical bang for the bucks I spend. (Just to be clear on this, any album less than an hour long is 'short' by my picky standards.)

"Legends of the Goddess" starts out with a quietly tender love song that invokes the natural landscapes that all Pagan folk yearn to return to (until they run into the ticks and chiggers, then they are thankful for civilized things, like carpets, tweezers, bug balm and air conditioning&ldots;).  In some ways, the opening song, "Winter of Dreams" evokes the lyrics of Joan Baez'  "Silent Running", with the same natural elements and the yearning for the faraway lover. To be honest, I am not terribly keen on love songs, but Powers' lyrics are evocative without being syrupy, which is refreshing to a grumpy old curmudgeon like me.

"Earth and Sky", along with "Tir Na Nog" could be soundtracks for travelogues- especially the latter, with its catchy soaring swoop that brings images of aerial views of the Irish landscape. I'll take that on an IMAX screen, please.

Atmospheric electronics and strings bring in "Circle of Stone", a song about Britain's most famous 'rock group', Stonehenge. It is a pale shadow of what it once was, but Powers' lyrics remind us of its storied past and its place on the Salisbury Plain.

The seafaring "Samhain Madrigal" is the second of the three love ballads on this album, along with "The Hunt is the Sweetest"- a most interesting treatment of The Wild Hunt. One would think that a song about hunting down ones lover in the moonlight would be all pulsing rhythms and driving attacks. But Powers takes a surprise turn on this piece- despite the hide-and-seek lyrics, the melody is a tender love song, a creative blend of sweetness and spice.

Two Goddess oriented songs fulfill the promise of the title: "Morrighan's Quest", and "The Goddess of the Hunter  Moon". Here, the powerful hunter rhythms come galloping in, with powerful percussion and Pipes blended with the excellent electronics. Shall we dance?

Rounding out "Legends of the Goddess" are "My Avalon" and "Song of One". The layered vocals of "Avalon" bring Enya to mind, but with a crisper mix of sounds. Lovely Uillean pipes and a tin whistle bring in the hopeful "Song of One". This would make a great closing song for working circles- it is simple and singable enough to be utilized by a group of people.

The follow-up album, "Beyond the Pale, Legends of the Goddess II" brings richer orchestrations and a more complex vocal sound, which is to be expected with three years between releases.

"Sweetest Song" and "Beyond the Pale" are the nautical openers, with complex, layered vocals and some lovely acoustic guitar. The nautical theme pervades this album- "The Goddess of the Sea Mist" and the yearning "Pipes of Inishmore" round out the quartet.

"A Heart In Winter" takes the musical figure of Pachabels' Canon and weaves spoken French and sung English lyrics together in a quirky and lush Baroque melody.  This is one of the two winter pieces on the album, along with "Answer Me With Silence", which features some more wonderful Uillean pipes.  I could listen to that all day, along with the harp.

The Goddess theme returns with richly textured "In the Arms of the Milky Way", and "The Goddess of the Sea Mist", the soaring standout on this album.

The pipes become an oddly triumphant dirge on the powerful memorial "Long Way Down", and brought to mind some holes people have left in my own life. Hi, Mom- wherever you are.

The Pagan theme comes to the forefront in the wickedly wanton "Belthane Fires", with double entendres popping up in the most unexpected places. Just read the lyrics, and listen- you'll hear what I mean. If I have any nits to pick about this album, it is that the liner's lyrics were a bit hard to read against the mottled background. And it isn't like I could highlight the text like I can on a similarly difficult website- it took some bright light and a lot of squinting to make out some of the words.

One could sneak "Sisters of the Wind" onto a top pop station, and unless someone listened closely to the lyrics, this song could easily be one of the first Pagan-Pop crossovers on the airwaves. Sure would be a refreshing break from the usual load of sound-alike pop divas and rappers, that's for sure. The album ends with the instrumental "Sailing Home", floating us into a Dreaming Sea on Powers' vocalese and the surge of the waves.

All in all, I'd say that this pair of albums by Laura Powers are definite keepers, for when you are in the mood for intelligent, non-irritating female vocal company. Again, it is refreshing to escape the usual mass-produced corporate mating songs and get into something closer to the Earth and her seasons. Ms. Powers is a multitalented lady- in addition to her singing and songwriting, she is also an excellent artist. Go and see what I mean on her website.

http://www.laurapowers.com.