Travel always makes a great theme for a New Age music album. Listening to Chaterine Duc new release Voyager is like going on a grand expedition. She effortlessly takes us to ports all over the world and manages to make each stay unique and exciting. Come join us on this epic voyage!
Chaterine Duc has over the last few years made a mark for herself as one of the finest artists in the New Age music, ambient and electronic genres. She debuted in 2005 with Visions and Dreams. Recently she signed with MG Music, and Voyager is the first release here.
New Horizons
Owen’s Boat starts with bagpipes, fiddle and whistle. The trip starts somewhere in the UK – in Ireland perhaps? The Celtic influences are strong, and one thing seems certain; Owen has a great boat, and we are sailing on a wind of positivity and joy! The same atmosphere continues on track two, Inishowen Dawn, guided by a wonderful female vocal. Here Catherine was, according to her website, inspired by a trip to Inishowen Peninsula in Northern Ireland.
On Vardo we have made landfall somewhere quite different. The rhythm, violin and accordion indicate that we are in Spain. The atmosphere in the opening is very interesting, almost hostile, like something is burning. The melody that’s rising from this has lots of bright, warm colors. Here we get to hear a very nice gypsy’s fiddle. It is always interesting when New Age music meets world music.
On Mantra our voyage has taken us all the way to India. The song has a nice touch of chill out, perfectly mixed with Sanskrit chants performed by Natalia Christiana. My favorite part of the album are the two next tracks, Once and Antilles. Both songs capture the magic of sailing. Antilles was, according to Catherine, inspired by a trip to the Caribbean Islands, while Once has a touch of computer games music (inspired by Elder Scrolls).
Voyager by Catherine Duc is in short a first class New Age music album. Listening to it feels a bit like reading a historical novel, filled with adventure and mystery. That’s a voyage I don’t mind taking again and again. Fans of Chaterine Duc will not be dissapointed.
Score: 92/100 – See how I rate music here
Voyager is available on the MG Music homepage – and most other online music stores.