10
'Sounds of Spa: Serenity' (2004)
Various Artists
The 'Sounds of Spa' series consists of several albums with songs chosen to fit a particular theme, such as bliss, harmony, holiday and eternity. The 'Serenity' volume features songs with calm, soothing qualities. Highlights include Brian Carter's 'In the Beginning,' a gentle piano and acoustic guitar tune, and Riley Lee's 'Spring,' which is guided by a meandering penny whistle melody.
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Born Hein Strobl, Austrian composer Gandalf chose his alias in honor of the character from the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. 'Sacred River,' the 30th album of his career, utilizes soft keyboards and percussion and exotic instruments like sitar and djembe to create a relaxing vibe that Gandalf hopes will provide an escape from the clamor of modern society.
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08
'Aquaria: A Liquid Blue Trancescape' (2001)
Diane Arkenstone
"I am the voice of the sea / Come to me, come to me," Diane Arkenstone sings seductively on the opening track of 'Aquaria: A Liquid Blue Trancescape.' The eight lengthy tracks on her 2001 album, feature down-tempo trance rhythms, creating a continuous atmospheric groove, and were written by Arkenstone with her then-husband David.
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New age albums typically don't earn seven-times platinum certification, but Enya's 2000 release 'A Day Without Rain' did just that thanks largely to 'Only Time,' which reached the Top 10 in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Though 'Only Time' was the album's biggest hit, a second single, the enchanting 'Wild Child,' reached No. 12 on the adult contemporary chart.
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German guitarist Ottmar Liebert typically records contemporary flamenco music with his backing ensemble Luna Negra, but this time the five-time Grammy nominee stripped down his sound a bit for 2004's 'La Semana,' an album without synthesizers or electric guitars. Though Liebert's signature flamenco influences still come through, the instrumental album's single acoustic guitar and basic percussion take it more towards new age territory.
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Electronic musician Ryan Farish's national debut, 'Beautiful,' reached the Top 10 on the New Age chart and set the stage for a career of recording what he describes as "positive chillout" music. Though Farish has branched out into trance music in recent years, 'Beautiful' remains one of his most popular works and its song 'Full Sail' has received more than 8 million views on YouTube.
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The most recent album of new material by Irish singer Enya was 2008's 'And Winter Came,' a celebration of the holiday season that includes a Gaelic version of 'Silent Night.' The record adds bells and twinkling piano to the traditional Enya sound of synthesized string flourishes and intricately-layered vocals, and became the singer's fourth consecutive Top 10 album in the U.S.
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Yanni has been composing instrumental piano pieces since the early '80s, but his career began to take off with 1992's 'Dare to Dream.' Soon after, his music was being featured everywhere from the Super Bowl to the Olympics. The 1999 compilation 'Love Songs' presented many of Yanni's most accessible and popular songs to that point.
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After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Lovland of Secret Garden began recording new age albums for the masses. Their music has been recorded by the likes Barbra Streisand and Josh Groban. Released in 1997, 'White Stones' includes 'First Day of Spring,' a beautiful song driven by violin, and 'Steps,' which features more of an up-tempo Celtic vibe.
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01
'River of Stars' (2000)
2002
Topping our list of the Top 10 New Age Albums is 'River of Stars' by the husband-wife duo of Pamela and Randy Copus, better known as 2002. Tracks like 'Stella Maris,' which combine flute and guitar sounds with a virtual choir created by layering together multiple recordings of the singers' voices, helped the album spend 74 weeks on Billboard's New Age chart.
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