With these kind words Anders Lundquist introduced his review:
“Here you can read how I feel about the beautiful songs on Malou Berg‘s new triple cd. Highly recommended for fans of Jon & Vangelis, Enya, world music, new age of the highest quality and meditative, healing songs in general.”
Below you can read his whole review:
LightSongs (3CD Malou Mountain Music)
25 years ago, after having spent a number of years in the gospel world, Malou Berg started making a different kind of music which was harder to fit into a genre, and probably will end up in the ”open category” if nominated for a Swedish Grammy.
After a while, Malou discovered that she had started singing words that didn’t exist. Words that came to her because they fit the music. She soon realized that she had started developing her own language, Pleiadian, which made the lyrics as universal as the music itself.
The elegantly designed triple cd box, ”LightSongs”, consists of 15 songs and nearly three hour of music. This was the ninth album in the Pleiadian suite, which she has developed since the turn of the century.
The music can described as relaxing, meditative, and calming. That doesn’t mean that it should be confused with the lazily produced new age music, or the kind of synthesized muzak that can be heard in shopping malls; this is organic, quality music.
Soulfully, Malou sings with presence and confidence. Voices are weaved together with the instruments, creating a seamless whole. The result is nuanced music that is not only great background music, but is rewarding to the active listener. If you close your eyes while listening, it’s almost impossible not to see pictures.
In an era of musical fast food, Malou’s slow, long, and suggestive pieces are the equivalent of ”slow cooking”. Never in your face or demanding attention, it entices you, bringing calmness in a process where stress and hurry has been replaced by beauty, rest and light. It may take a little more time, but the end result makes it worth the wait.
With such an extensive release, it’s hard to name favorite tracks. Together, the songs, create a kind of synergy, en entity that is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s not hard to understand why Malou’s LightSongs have created a buzz in Asia, including China and South Korea. These songs add a dimension that is hard to put into words. To sum it up, listening to LightSongs makes me feel good.
Anders Lundquist, music journalist and songwriter