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Our Review

Expecting something more ethereal and less pop, I was pleasantly surprised by Laura Powers. I shouldn't have been: the label read "lush, contemporary Celtic-infused music", which is exactly what this is. But that's cool. For my money, I'll open up to Celtic pop a lot more readily than I would some hard core headbanger New Age, anyway. And as a pop diva, Laura Powers delivers.

Though the music of Ms. Powers may be informed by Enya, it is not at all derivative and seems to me to be much more pleasing and less over-wrought than some Celtic strains I've heard, even with all of the percussive Celtic-infusion and lush echo effects. But having said that, the subject matter taken here certainly gives the artist license to wantonly scatter lushness about. As she has certainly done.

As holiday fare it raises more questions than it answers; in fact, Code of the Goddess does not have the signature of traditional holiday music at all, except possibly in the Windham Hill tradition of holiday music. But it is certainly reflective enough, contemplative enough, uplifting enough for the holidays. And the holidays are nothing if not a vain attempt to preserve summer's lushness indoors in winter. And So It Is Here Declared That Laura Powers Code of the Goddess Is Holiday Music, Now And for Evermore. Amen.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Lush, contemporary Celtic-infused music inspired by the story of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. An expoloration of themes from The Da Vinci Code, featuring favorite works and new material from Laura Powers, creator of the Legends of the Goddess CD trilogy. Honoring greatness of the human spirit, these songs reflect on the spiritual journey and humanity's quest for the ultimate truth.

Produced by Laura Powers

Associate producer, Christ Pelcer

Mixed and mastered by Gary Dales at Rachel's Room and Scottfree Studios, except "Winter Of Dreams" and "Tir Na Nog,", programmed, recorded and engineered by Steve Keller at KJ Studios & mixed by Randy Poole

Layout and design by Michael Riddick at www.riddickbros.com.

Chris Pelcer - Programming and engineering on "Sweetest Song", "Answer Me With Silence", "Goddess Of The Sea Mist", "Beyond The Pale", and ""Dance 'Til The Rain Begins", nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar, bass and keyboards.

Bryan Cumming / Studio 23 - main tracks & engineering "Heart In Winter", "Rose Line Canon" and also assorted acoustic guitars, wood flute, melodeon, keyboards, percussion.

Michael J McEvoy / Rezzonator Productions - Programming and engineering "Shine Love" and "Mystic And The Muse".

Dexter Green - Programming and guitar, and Chris Donohue - bass on "Get Inside".

Jeremy Luzier - Programming, guitar, and vocals, "Opus Dei".

Dan Portis-Cathers - Additional programming/mixing, "Rose Line Canon"

Brian Fullen / House of Drums - Drums and additional percussion, drum loop on "Get Inside" - www.brianfuller.com

Hunter Lee - Tin whistle, Irish flute, Uilleann pipe

Jonathan Yudkin - Violin, viola and mandolin

Laura Powers - Lead and backing vocals

John Tirro - Vocal harmony on "Beyond the Pale".

Glenn Jordan - String tracks on "A Heart In Winter".

Laura Powers

Code of the Goddess

Artist link

Track List