2010 has been an amazing year for New Age Music! Critics have in the past, at best, called it a niche genre – but it is our claim that in 2010 it became far more mainstream. The reason for this is a long process. New Age Music has moved from being in the special selection in physical record stores, to easy access in the digital world – among jazz and pop.     

Today New Age Music shows up as a top 5 genre on major web radio services like Live365. com (see below picture). It is also is easily available on digital music outlets like iTunes. Other genres (I will not mention names) have not been this fortunate. It all began before 2010 of course, but this year it became far more obvious.     

     

The success of new age music is all about the quality of the titles available. It is a statement of the dedicated and talented artists that are currently active in the genre. In 2010 we have had the pleasure of reviewing and playing on our radio stations New Age Music Stars and Sky.fm/newage a high number of newly released songs that simply take our breath away. The quality is amazing. So please sit back and read the NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com top 10 album list for the year 2010.     

Clifford White - Atlantis

In his review of Clifford White’s 2010 release Atlantis, John P. Olsen wrote: ”Creative talent and New Age music are identical terms in reference to the multitudes of creative and influential musicians producing music today.  This can be said of all genres of course and just like all genres, New Age had a group of select artists in the primordial years whose earlier influences formed the inception and foundation of our genre.  Clifford White is a musician living in the United Kingdom defining our New Age genre then and this is true today. ” And WOW, what an album Atlantis is.     

BT Fasmer wrote: “Atlantis is like a box of surprises! Here Clifford White gives the listener a fresh perspective on the old myth. Indeed, after 65 minutes of music you feel that Atlantis has risen from the ocean and become a place in your mind you can visit and revisit again and again.” Atlantis is all in all a fantastic album!     

Sample the album here. Read John P. Olsens review here.    

Peter Kater – Call of Love

Peter Kater is without a doubt among the finest artists our genre has – and his 2010 album Call of Love is one of this year’s best releases. It is created by love for music, nature and creation itself. It is a true Call of Love. Peter has invited three very gifted musicians to create the album. These artists are Legendary reedman, Paul McCandless; celebrated cellist, Jaques Morelenbaum; and Sting guitarist, Dominic Miller. It is obvious to the listener that they have had great fun while creating the album. There is a refreshing playfulness to many segments. This gives the album a more live feeling.     

We simply cannot praise the album enough. Six time Grammy nominee Peter Kater is always delivering, and this is also the case with the album at hand. No artist out there is better when it comes to creating a song that starts with a hint of melancholy and grows into a melodic, passionate and almost divine artwork; the finished musical canvas is filled with nothing but the brightest colors.     

Sample the album here. Read BT Fasmer’s review here.     

Michael Brant DeMaria - Gaia

Gaia has every hallmark for success since nearly every album produced by Michael Brant DeMaria has earned awards and respect from those in the music industry, and rightly so.  Michael’s music, books, art, and poetry have acquired recognition in the U.S. along with international acceptance in Australia, Europe, and Russia, having touched many lives with his universal message. Gaia is essentially the achievement of over 25 years in personal and professional research by Michael into the fundamental principles of auditory healing techniques.       

Gentle imprints of Japan are represented by bamboo flute ( Shakuhachi  ) and the gentle breeziness of wind chimes leave fine impressions in Zazen & Tarani, likewise revealing Michael’s fine transition in World music personified on Gaia, along with the notion that our enduring heritage of dependency we share with planet Earth will always be just a simple fact of life. So yes, Gaia is one of this year’s finest albums!!

Read the full review then sample the album here.     

David Clavijo - The Landing (Special Edition)

About David Clavijo John P. Olsen wrote: ” When listening to New Age music, the multiple genres and subgenres of World, Ambient, Contemporary, Instrumental, Chill Out, and Groove in most cases are heard from one album to another.      

Now I have a chance to tell you about a novel new release that explores the multitude of influences I have listed throughout the entire album.     

David Clavijo from Seville Spain seems to have a natural inclination of what multi influential New Age music is all about and I felt his performance on acoustic & electric guitars along with piano & keyboards are a fine line balance that blends together quite nicely by having these diverse instrumental strengths.”     

Do yourself a favor and read the full review then check out this album here.     

Tangerine Dream – Chandra: The Phantom Ferry, Pt. 1

Isn’t it fun that the first and most influential band in our genre still is the most active too?  Well, I know for a fact that many TD fans are not so happy that they keep on releasing albums at such a speed that even the most dedicated fan can’t keep track. But one must always try to give the new albums a chance (and not just listen to TD albums from the 1960s and 70s) – and I think that this year’s release Chandra: The Phantom Ferry, Pt. 1 is an excellent album!     

Especially the first and second songs - Approaching Greenland At 7pm and The Moondog Connection – are excellent songs that you will want to listen to again and again. This is music for dreaming and working – and with TD’s unique sound that is as modern today as it was in 1967.     

Sample the album here.     

Gandalf – Gates to Secret Realities

In this review of Gandalf’s 2010 album Gates to Secret Realities John P. Olsen wrote: “Many musicians are content to remain within a specific genre and are a complete success in their artistic focus. Then there are other notable musicians where a natural progression is realized, developing into a unique artesian style and by their inner convictions, become a virtuoso by what they offer the music world.      

Gandalf is an internationally acclaimed composing musician and producer from Vienna Austria first identified as a New Age, Contemporary Instrumental and World artist. While transitioning the past 30 years of his career, his progressive directive and persona has helped neutralize the customary social borders in multicultural music for years. Gates To A Secret Reality on the Prudence label is an open manifest of Gandalf’s ambitious return to classic World music. Gates To A Secret Reality features 11 songs with over an hour of world class music is an earlier expedition not to be missed. “     

Read the full review then sample the album here.     

David Wahler – A Star Danced

Just like an orchestra conductor standing on a podium, one New Age artist first held his raised baton in hand, and began to cue the first downbeat gesture for his debut album. What emerged after the final cutoff gesture was made, led to an upbeat direction for his first album’s achievements, and proclaimed admiration for this relatively new artist. David Wahler is the musician orchestrating Antiquus in a like manner, where his time signature expertly directed a unique phrasing in tempo, dynamics, and articulation, leading to welcoming salutations of praise during the final reception at the end of his first orchestration.     

Composed, performed, and arranged solely by David Wahler, this album represents a heartfelt narration surrounding his family circle past and present, where resolution of personal life challenges are reflected as a unique source of inspiration for his music’s identity, lovingly embraced by his close family heritage. So please check out David Wahler’s new album – which is one of the finest released in 2010!     

Read the full review then sample the album here.      

Steve Orchard – Sundancer

Paul Avgerinos - Law of Attraction

Another excellent release this year is Paul Avgerinos’ Law of Attraction. He has based the Law of Attraction theme in regards to authors Esther and Jerry Hicks and their bestselling self-help books, but after listening to his thirteenth album I discovered that Law of Attraction has such a pleasingly rich sensation of expressive delights, I just had to respond myself by concentrating more precisely on the fine melodic wonderment and charismatic appeal of this sensational new release, which if it was a library book, Law of Attraction would certainly be shelved in the romantic therapy section.  

It is pretty easy to fall in love with Paul Avgerinos music whether you have been officially introduced or not. But now you are, so read the full review then sample the album here.      

Lisa Downing – Christmas for Two

The Christmas is not yet over! Lisa Downing’s Solo Piano album titled Christmas for Two may be of interest to you and while there are many exceptional Christmas albums in the New Age genre along with every musical taste from popular artists, Lisa Downing truly does have a special gift herself as a top solo pianist in every sense of the word and this is precisely articulated on her Holiday music release. Plus, knowing Lisa was a youth pastor at her church in Littleton earlier in life and performed in the Christian, Folk, Pop-Rock band named Wings of Faith, you know that Lisa’s heart is in the right place.   

Christmas for Two varies from soft and contemplative at moments to spirited phrasing with majestic crescendos like her amazing version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Carol of the Bells which give new meaning to the term Holiday music. So now we have a new title to add to our “best of Christmas” list too!  Read the full review then sample the album here.  

Yes, 2010 was an amazing year for new age music! And we here at NewAgeMusic.nu and NewAgeMusicWorld.Com have high hopes for 2011 too. So stay tuned for more excellent music from old & new artists – and we are ready to tell you all about them!