The New Age Music of Anael

I discovered Anael's music a little more than a year ago, when I began participating in the Global Unity Meditation. Her music had been used throughout the guided meditation mp3, and I immediately loved her sound! Her voice is so pure and sweet, and the lyrics of her songs are delivered with such depth of spirit, that I knew more of her could only be more of a truly great thing. I find that the artwork that depicts her as an angel is absolutely no accident of whimsy; one could actually believe this is the voice and the countenance of an angel, and that concept lends a special glow to the musical experience that is Anael.

The first album I purchased, "Spiritual Beings on a Human Journey" (released 2003) is the album from which much of the music in the Meditation is derived. Most notably, the songs "Be Still Thy Soul" and "Sky Sent (Disclosure)" are two of her best ever. "Be Still Thy Soul" is a prayer for exactly that which it proclaims. It is a peaceful, measured song with gentle directives of how to achieve and maintain that peace within. It was later one of the songs to be used in a project album created in partnership with Shelley Yates and the Fire the Grid foundation for their own Earth healing meditation CD ("Light & Love" 2007). It is a song that in its simplicity reminds us of the proper place to begin each day, and how to better define within ourselves that which we consider to be the "important" things about this life that we live. The other main song of the meditation that captured my heart was "Sky Sent (Disclosure)". This song embodies, for me, the entire point and purpose of the New Age - from its conception in the far reaches of time before time to the beginnings of its culmination in our own day and age. The song is majestic and soothing all at the same time, and is quite the inspiration to the hearts of the spiritual workers of our time. Being somewhat open to interpretation, the song may also reflect the "disclosure" of the realities that lie beyond our own understanding of existence, reaching into the concepts of spiritual as well as possible extraterrestrial visitation. It all depends upon how the listener chooses to decipher the meaning of the words. It is clear, though, that the song refers to the amazing potentials that await us in our near future.

Anael is gaining even more popularity here in America more recently, after a decade of recording and performing largely in her native Canada. She has been compared to Enya - though I do not personally see the comparison. She has a distinctive sound all her own, and her music is pointedly spiritually instructional in nature for the most part. As her partner in song creation, Bradfield creates some of the most inspirational New Age music this listener has ever heard. He trained classically on the piano , and has been writing for many years. He performs almost all the musical score himself (largely piano performance along with other instrumental sampling), and performs the task of recording and mixing the tracks in their own studio in Montreal. His lyrics have a breadth and depth to them that is instantly beneficial to those who listen to music for its spiritual value. Always contributing his talent to the gift of the Creator, he touches upon issues of the heart and mind, and then reveals their resolution through the Light of Spirit. His melodies can run the gamut from light and sometimes playful to somber and mesmerizing as his songs make use of styles ranging from the Baroque and Renaissance periods all the way to present day soft Pop, with a sprinkling of various different cultural music in the mix. He employs the use of samples of Gregorian chants and interesting choices of the odd instrumentation in his work, which lends another layer of complexity to the construction of each piece. As a singer, Anael also has the benefit of being able to sing in Latin, French and Hebrew, as well as English - making their signature sound truly international and creating a sense of unity amongst all peoples and religions.

I now own almost all of their albums (Bradfield also records for himself - I have yet to finish that portion of the collection), and with every new musical experience I have with them, I love them even more. Bradfield's own music is largely instrumental, and has a wonderful flow and ability to envelop you in its power and grace. Most notably, "Exhilara" (2006) is a rousing spiritual musical adventure for the senses. He somehow manages to combine the sounds of classical work with what sometimes almost seems primal or tribal, sounds that are deeply rooted in the human psyche. Instead of being a jarring dissonance, his musical vision melds into an amalgam of old and new energies that stir the soul at its very depths. Between the two, Anael and Bradfield bring some of the most heart-thrilling and soul-calming music to be found in the New Age genre. Anael also writes beautiful songs of her own, and lends a hand to many of the melodies. When producing their albums, Bradfield is a perfectionist to the core - overseeing the creation of beautiful artwork and liner notes to accompany each album, along with including the lyrics to every song. He also takes many of Anael's photographs, and has captured her inner beauty in images that reflect their joint musical offering to the world - that of peace and love and gentle kindness, within the embrace of spiritual unity and focus on the work at hand.

This listener highly recommends their music, together and separately. It's not just music we can enjoy for the sake of its sound (though it is most definitely that!); it's music that becomes a part of us and helps us, through broadening our perspectives, to bring about the changes and opportunities we need to travel the paths we have set for ourselves.