June 2003

Reviewed by Eric Steiner

Serah's seventh CD, Late Harvest, takes her New Age style into a decidedly more popular direction. Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and Christopher Cross' "Sailing" each get a lush, world beat makeover, and they are sure to cross over into the adult contemporary radio charts. While these two cuts will certainly introduce Serah to a larger audience than New Age followers, I prefer songs like "Catching Fireflies" and "Crazy Love" for the percussion of Senegal's Wasis Diop and the distinctive African background vocals.

Serah's vocals remind me of Enya or Sarah McLachlan, and I especially like the way she mixes easily with African background vocals on "Forgive the Moon" and "Breathing Desert Air." After listening to Late Harvest, I'm going to check out her earlier releases, such as Senegal Moon or Flight of the Stork.

© 2003–Eric Steiner