Catherine Duc
Visions and Dreams
The Orchard

Catherine Duc's album mixes genres in an interesting way. Some Enigma-style chanting opens the proceedings on "Essence of Dreams" and the melody is pure and sweet. It's appropriately dreamy and she pulls it off without being too generic in an overcrowded ethereal genre. "Dancing in the Mist" sounds just as haunting as its title. It could easily belong on a soundtrack to a new fantasy epic.

The album continues with songs that unfurl slowly and include minimal vocal coos and titles that describe the songs well. "Secret Ceremony" and "Rivulet" sound, as you'd expect for instance. Many others are attempting a similar sort of sound, but few are as adept at it as Duc is. Her debut sees her establish a style she can be proud of.

Copyright © 2006 Anna Maria Stjärnell