Reviewed by Simon Eden

Improving on the 2006 'Very Best Of Michelle Tumes' this new compilation is limited to tracks from 1998-2001 but thankfully includes what may be her most famous song "Listen" and the 1998 hit "Healing Waters". Many of the comments made back then are still valid. Comparisons to Enya are obvious on several but not all of the tracks due to the programming style and vocoder use. With a soft gentle voice suited to a lullaby, there is also similarity to early Jaci Velasquez with whom she worked in 1998 and the 1990 Twin Peaks theme. There is a magical Arthurian theme, with angelic choirs and swirling mists hovering over the waters but this is still fluffy pink girly pop taken from her early recordings and misses out her more recent and mature 2007 work. Despite the songs being approximately a decade old they haven't aged. However spiritual the vocal content maybe, this is an album to let wash over you in a gentle meditative way, like the sound of a trickling stream.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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