NATASHA

'Natasha' is a beautiful album, close to her best, partly due to the fact that she wrote all of the songs (on her previous album 'Instincts', the three that she wrote were far and away the standouts-the rest was fairly mediocre). The passionate 'Break Through the Rock' begins the album very well, with powerful drumming and emotional vocals, along with her unique songwriting, setting the bar high for the rest of the album, which delivers very nicely. 'Clear Light' which blends into 'My Drumbeat Heart', reminds me of the 'Water Bearer' album, an album many consider her finest, and 'Song of the Mountain' recalls a theme from that album's title track. But it's 'In The Presence of the Spring' that brought tears to my eyes. The lovely chorus is among the very finest things that she has done. 4 and a half stars for this gem.