Two factors account for the broad-based popularity of Secret Garden (the duo of Norwegian keyboardist Rolf Lovland and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry). One: the twosome's attractive, smartly conceived mix of compatible elements including light classical, urbane New Age, and well-mannered contemporary Celtic. Two: the pair's ability to persuasively present this formula with poise and (crucially) fetching good looks in a concert film, which in 1999 enjoyed broad exposure on American public television. (The performance, A Night with Secret Garden, is available on DVD.) White Stones is Lovland and Sherry's second collaboration, and, despite a few side trips into weighty sentimentality (e.g., the heart-clutching earnestness of "First Day of Spring"), it nicely conveys the pair's simple yet endearing children-of-the-cosmos spirit. Highlights here include the disc's energized, Celtic-influenced tunes ("Steps," "Moving," "Escape") and an infectious, regal charmer ("Celebration") Lovland composed in honor of the Queen of Norway's 60th birthday. Accompanied on nearly every piece by a small orchestra or Celtic instrumentalists, Sherry's violin sometimes evokes moods of melancholy that seem better suited for a two-hanky, movie-of-the-week film score. Yet a piece such as "Hymn to Hope" shows she can also elegantly trigger deeper feelings of longing and anticipation that can linger for hours. Overall, a worthwhile listen. --Terry Wood

List Song:
1. Steps
2. Poeme
3. Hymn To Hope
4. Moving
5. First Day Of Spring
6. Passacaglia
7. Reflection
8. Windancer
9. Appassionata
10. Escape
11. Sanctuary
12. Celebration
13. Home
14. Illumination