Priscilla Hernandez

You can ready the review online in MORPHEUSMUSIC

Review Extract:

STYLE:

Timeless ethereal songs with lush strings, downtempo percussion and passionate piano arrangements. Ancient Shadows opens with a piece of pure atmosphere - heavenly voice, smooth cinematic strokes and the calls of crows - this brief cut sets the tone for the rest of the album with an interplay of fairy tale light and haunted darkness running throughout. There are electrobeats and synthetic colours, plaintive piano chords and emotive orchestral strains forming a lush foundation for Pricilla's captivating vocals. Songs here are delicate and angelic, full of feeling and strong imagery - exploring themes and stories from dreams both benign and disquieting and developing ideas grown out of the mists of ancient folk lore and intimate imagination. Pricilla Hernandez also plays a number of the instruments on the album including keyboards, recorder, flute and whistle. The tracks here range from simple structures of voice and strings or piano through to some rather sweeping compositions, always with the sound revolving around a central vocal uniting everything storybook melancholy.

MOOD:

Overall a mood of romantic wistfulness touched with gothic shadow pervades this release. Edging toward folk music at times but mostly maintaining a contemporary edge and a movie score ambience. The cover imagery paints a gloomy world of pooled light and heavy silhouette and the music works within this same tonal range - brooding flights of fancy, crepuscular skies spied through knotted and ivy laced foliage, a female voice on the breeze hanging before unfathomable cloudbanks.



ARTWORK:

The artwork for this album is very generous with a three panel digipack opening out to reveal not one but two glossy booklets within. Everything is an ashen, purple tinted grey - a photographic portrait of the artist on the front cover with outstretched arm and the shadows of crows transparent against the dense air. On the reverse is one of Priscilla's illustrations - a pale skinned, fair haired figure in flowing robes of black, white and grey - an impression the singer that appears with numerous variations across the package. Opening up the sleeve reveals the dual nature of the project - gloom and twilight to the left, dappled woods and shafts of sunlight to the right. The twin booklets contain credits, lyrics, explanations of all songs and the project overall along with thanks all set against an array of powerful illustrations and photographs. The back page of one booklet includes a special code that unlocks some exclusive internet content that can be reached through a URL for the fan club

OVERALL

Ancient Shadows is a fully independent release that has allowed Pricilla Hernandez to present a lavish package that is brimming with music and artwork. As both songwriter and illustrator, she has brought her varied skills together to deliver a fantasy world of combined photomontage and painting, musical programming and performance. Promotional material explains that this is "a compilation of themes I’ve written on over the years. Some of them have been rescued from my childhood long before I ever dared to sing them. Some hidden in folders full of dust, others that have always been muttered shyly till I gave them a new shape". Collaborators on the project include guitarist Gaston Iungman, who plays on the track Nightmare with Héctor Corcin bringing his skills as co-mixer working on mastering, production and also developing some electronic pads and live percussion (including a frying pan) and electronic drums.



WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM

This album will appeal to lovers of melancholy songs and fantasy ballads - the album leans a little toward new age aesthetics with plenty of gothic shade.

note: NOMINATED AS BEST NEW AGE ALBUM OF THE YEAR ALONG WITH SLEEPTHIEF, ENIGMA AND DELERIUM
- Morpheus Music (nominated as BEST NEW AGE ALBUM)

"Ancient Shadows" is the official debut album by this Barcelonian chanteuse. Across nineteen tracks, Priscilla Hernández guides one through her private magic kingdom, a landscape collaged in dark ethereal and new age music. Like Enya, her work bears a vivid ancient allure, yet there's still enough gloomy atmosphere to enchant those audiophiles whose inclinations tend to be a bit more gothic. After an intro of distant cawing crows and pixie whispers, "Away" gently ushers one into her realm. Accompanied by tender piano and dusty, soporific drums, Hernández's voice is a swirling sensual shimmer. Like a stroll across a picturesque country field, it is a gentle journey; later in, the piano ponders a comforting melody before being eased into a Celtic slumber by pan flute-like woodwinds. Comforting as a lullaby, "I'm Right Here" drifts in like a summer fog. Delicate piano trills and twinkles brightly over stopwatch ticks and synthesizer exhales, complimenting Priscilla's ether-light falsetto sighs. Though always tranquil, there are moments where her sound is a bit more consonant. For example, in "Nothing", Hernández's piano tumbles through a hazy dirge, its hammers striking its strings with gentle gusto. As if in this same haze, der voice itself is blurred, vivid yet bittersweet, her emotions mirrored in the flustered sorrow of an intermittent cello. Though as a whole, "Ancient Shadows" is rather like a fantastic daydream, there are moments that lend it contrast, essentially playing the 'ghost' to her 'fairies'. Sweetly sour, "Haunted" finds a falsetto piano stumbling and tinkling like a child lost after dusk in the woods. Stalked by twig-snapping, trip-hop footsteps, Hernández's voice sounds velvet soft and worried, while overhead violins brood like circling vultures. "Nightmare" follows, and despite its swirling psychedelic guitar beginning, it eventually falls into a scattered tapestry of dread. As the guitar transforms into a cackling goblin, Priscilla mutters and whispers feverishly over a turbulent sea of strings. Though less impish, "I Steal the Leaves" is seeped in torch-song calibre blues. Here, Hernández sews at her piano with a wounded heart, her tale of end and rebirth colored by washes of harp, gentle pan flute, and brass gong pillows. With a background in both molecular biology and fairy-flavored illustration, it is unsurprising "Ancient Shadows" offers a wealth of skilled compositions with striking packaging to boot. Hernández's music is imaginative and fairytale dark, her sound echoing the fantastic in a motif that would perfectly compliment such cinematic epics as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and would be welcome addition into anyone's ethereal music library. - VIRUS MAGAZINE

Ancient Shadows is Priscilla Hernandez's first full album release. Her first album of songs (some dating back as early as her teenage years) is an instant classic and a masterwork of a relatively new genre on the scene called Gothic Ethereal. Ancient Shadows evokes a cinematic atmosphere from beginning to end, with half of the album devoted to "The Ghost" and half devoted to "The Fairy". This mixture of light and dark becomes apparent with the sheer, transcendent beauty of Priscilla's natural voice against a backdrop of dark, lush orchestral textures. In the sonically gorgeous song, Away, Priscilla makes use of a wood flute that lends a Celtic flair to her lilting melody. In the song Haunted, strange, elusive harmonies indicate her creative genius for creating new trends in goth rock. The wonderful "I Steal the Leaves" is nature's answer to pop music, a gentle song that is reminiscent of folk star Loreena McKennit. Overall, Ancient Shadows is a monumental production, the amazing feat of an extremely gifted independent musician of pure star quality. Grade: A+ - GUITAR LAB (Music magazine from Korea)

Ancient Shadows is the full-length debut of spanish ethereal gothic singer-songwriter, composer and fantasy illustrator Priscilla Hernández. This album brings you a world of fantasy: dark fairy tales, romantic ghost stories, and hypnagogic hallucinations that dwell in the boundaries between dream and awareness.


REVIEWS AND PRESS:
“An otherworldly beauty and sense of magic. Ancient Shadow’s ethereal nature makes for perfect listening in the velvet depths of night, just be prepared for the fae-touched dreams it may invoke.” (FAE NATION)

“Everything about this album is perfect. It makes me want to sit on the floor of my old Victorian house, turn off all the lights, light candles, and wait for the ghosts to come”. (Amy Lotsberg, COLLECTED SOUNDS)

“Without any doubt one of the biggest talents to break into the fairy scene” (David Riche, FAIRIES WORLD)

“An impressive work just like the wind that moves the branches of trees or the fairy wings that brings music to the air. TREMENDOUS!!!” (Manuel Lemos, A ULTIMA FRONTEIRA)

“Tímeles ethereal songs with a mood of romantic wistfulness touched with gothic shadow - brooding flights of fancy, crepuscular skies spied through knotted and ivy laced foliage, a female voice on the breeze hanging before unfathomable cloudbanks.” (PAUL JURY, MORPHEUS MUSIC )

“Darkness is present in the shape of a sweet sting (Pedro Ortega, MENTENEBRE)“I cannot classify or describe the endless beauty of this work” (SONIDO OBSCURO webzine)-Ancient Shadows is a monumental production, the amazing feat of an extremely gifted independent musician of pure star quality (Guitarlab Magazine)

“Imaginative and fairytale dark, her sound echoing the fantastic in a motif that would perfectly compliment such cinematic epics as the Lord of the Rings trilogy (VIRUS MAGAZINE)

“Like caress or the first breeze in Spring, full of delicacy, refinement and poetry” (SIDE-LINE)
“Pay attention to this little jewel. A perfect mix of New Age and Gothic.” (SHOP CIRCUS)
“Ancient Shadows" is a journey full of contrasts enraptured by angelic vocals and delivered with a dreamy beauty. ( MUSIC NON STOP)

“A musical adventure through a fantasy world, between light and shade, ghostly and magical” (ARTICMIST)

"Her songs take the listener on aural journeys to pleasant and exotic places that open up one's imagination and sensuality to higher levels of awareness and meaning" (RADIO FREE WORLD)

“A fire that could unleash into a torrent to defy any musical scale" (HIDDEN SANCTUARY).
“An unique & personal soundscape that is difficult to put a finger on or describe”. UNITED GLOBAL ARTISTS

“Like Venus emerging triumphant from the sea” (DIARIO DE NAVARRA)“The soundtrack of a fairy tale” (WORLD 1 MUSIC MAGAZINE)“An excellent blend of gothic, new-age, folk-fairy music, and darkwave” (NEOZINE)

“This artist may be on the brink of defining a new style of music" ( Bill Bright, GODS OF MUSIC)”The soundtrack to a wonderful dream” (GOTHTRONIC)“The suggestive voice is capable of alternating the angelical and the sinister” (H. Jordan, AMAZINGS) - several publishers

Reviewed by R.J. Lannan

Rating: Very good (4.5/5)



Read the online review at NEW AGE REPORTER or NUEVASMUSICAS

I believe that everything good has an opposite that is evil. I have recently learned that a land noted for enchantment, light and goodness has a dark, shadowy side. This is the place that Priscilla Hernandez writes and sings about. A fairyland that sustains not only everything that makes up our golden dreams, but also the little known ambiguous world where sometimes evil lives right on the edge of winning a battle for our dreams. It is the land we sometimes label nightmares. Her album is called Ancient Shadows and it represents a growing genre called New Age/GothIt is awe inspiring.

Priscilla Hernandez is a composer, performer and a talented illustrator. Ancient Shadows is not a project that Hernandez has entered into lightly. It has been a part of her since 1994, a time when she was just a teenager. A time when confusion and identity are our biggest concerns, and yet Priscilla had a clear vision of what she wanted to do musically. She moved from the Canary Islands to Barcelona , Spain to be in a more metropolitan setting that would help foster her dreams of musical success.

Her previous album I Steal the Leaves (also a track on this album) met with a modicum of achievement, but it was a practice run for her. Ancient Shadows is the music that is really going to do it for this musician. Sometime in your life you must wonder if you are living a dream or if your dreams affect your life. The duality is confusing for even the most mature intellects and it sometimes causes your head to spin and your heart to be uneasy. You can explore Facing the Dream the opening cut that starts out with a banshee wail and then a chilling echo of Priscilla's ethereal voice. It segues brightly into the track Away which is the musical discovery of the fear and insecurity you feel when your world crumbles around you. All that you assumed as solid is not. All that is liquid becomes gaseous and all your beliefs become mist. However, you must continue into the mist to find your destiny. I may have listened to the title cut Ancient Shadows at least a hundred times. It has a liquid sensuality that draws you into the Goth/groove music only to get you lost in the battle between good and evil. The fairy and the ghost oppose each other like chess pieces on squares of lightness and dark but both vying for your soul’s attentions.

Priscilla's voice has a sweet quality to it somewhat like Candace Night, but with a sharper tone. Possibly the song that started the whole concept and written when she was twelve years old, I Steal the Leaves is a tune about balance. Balance in nature, in life, and in the worlds in between. Sweet harp, robust bass and a strong vocal make this song one of the best on Ancient Shadows.

Buried deep in the lyric is the promise of hope even though dark forces tug at you from every direction. Sueño Muerto (Dead Dreams) is a very remarkable track. Sung entirely in sweet romance Spanish it is the story of haunting dreams, dreams of death and the search for your soul in a land where everywhere you turn there is either a bottomless abyss, an insurmountable wall or your own mystified disbelief as an impediment. There is some unsettling music on this album too such as the tracks Nothing, Haunted, and Nightmare.

The final cut Facing the Dream (Closing Credits) is rather frightening with voices that whisper and vie for the attention of your spirit. But like the rest of the recording, it is mesmerizing. Priscilla Hernandez' music is fascinating because it takes the land of faeries into a different kingdom other than the territory of the Celts. There is but a smattering of Celtic music on this album and yet this unique recording remains completely complimentary to the music we love. Perhaps it goes a step further into the twilight realm with its musically surreal shades of dark and light.

On a closing note, Hernandez has filled her bi-lingual liner notes and CD jacket with some awe-inspiring fantasy artwork that has to be seen to be appreciated. I highly recommend this album as something very different, but quite enjoyable. - R. J. Lannan (New age reporter)

Introduction

Priscilla Hernández introduces herself and an ethereal gothic singer-songwriter and a fantasy illustrator. She composed this album herself as well and she also plays most instruments on the album herself. She had the help of a few other musicians for the music. Priscilla was born on Tenerife and is currently living in Spain. ‘Ancient Shadows’ being her debut album, has dedicated much of her time and used her fantasy, and created 19 tracks that will tell the dark fairytales Pricilla found in the back of her mind…

The album is, like said, to be seen as a gathering of stories. The dark side of fairytales and the ghost stories are mixed in with the angelic voice of Pricilla Hernández. The tracks are split up into two main entities. Both the ghost and the Fairy have their own booklet in the CD. All the lyrics are in both English and Spanish, written inside the booklets. The booklets have Pricilla’s own drawings in them, too. She has created a darker Ghost having most of the drawings showing the dark sides of life, death, pain and wrath. The Fairy seems to have a lighter personality and her story is told to give her space in his world again, almost desperately. Also she tell where the tracks come from, and several photos and drawings of herself are put into the booklets as well. The entire CD is covered with drawings aswell, and the back of the CD tell us that the album is dedicated to KIRA, her very beloved dog that died in 2003. On her website Pricilla has dedicated a special place for her, showing the love she still has for her friend.

After tell you all this I think it is a good time to tell you what I thought of the CD, but first some extra information:


Website

http://www.yidneth.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pricillahernandez


Review per song

01. Facing the dream (opening credits) – 0.57
It’s only a short statement. It lifts up the veil between real life and the dream world, and you are taking to the world of Pricilla Hernández.

02. Away – 5.15
Away is about growing up, and having to let go of your imagination and fantasies. The world all of a sudden is pretty and magic anymore, but though, real and hostile.
The track is slower with having a piano guiding her most of the time. In the back the ritualistic drums and the pan flute give the entire track still a strong vibe, without having the despair of the child shown to much. The lyrics tell me that the girl is so afraid and wants to hide. The track is working both ways, musically quite positive but the lyrics tell a sad story.

03. Ancient Shadow – 3.40
Ancient shadow has a slow beat in it as well, joined by a new age sound in the back, and multiple vocals. The entire vibe of the track is quite sensual, and gives hope. Ancient Shadow is about being passionate and fantasising about and old spirit. Somebody who lived long ago or maybe he only lives in the mind. She still sings to the spirit to come and see her.

04. But if you go – 3.25
I hear the background of the track being filled with softly played African drums. A piano guides Priscilla during this track which is about the failing in love and the insecurities you get, you don’t want to the other person to leave you. The music gets stronger as the track progresses, and the singing is a bit harder.

05. I steal the leaves – 3.51
This track about the balance between night and day, shade and sun, spring and autumn feels positive and it takes you into a spin around thinking about all that gives life the cycle it has. The pagan feel in the track is coming to you in the form of different percussion, that makes nice to move to, and the flute in the end.

06. The willows lullaby – 2.52
Starting with a piano and some strings join in later Pricilla is singing about the willow that is mourning the forest. Mostly high tingling sounds are used, and combined with an eerie slow low voice. There is no real rhythm, only the loose sounds.

07. The call of the nymph – 4.40
This track sounds stronger and harder because of the stronger voice and the faster singing. Mainly the synthetic strings support Pricilla in this track, and later on the acoustic drums join in. the song dies out slowly with a hissing voice.

08. Nothing – 4.09
Nada. With a low cello and a piano in the beginning this track sounds desperate and lonely. De singing varies a lot and shows the pain and in this track. It’s a ghost, who sings this, she tells us she has to stay in this void that is now here life while she watches the rest of the world move on, and enjoy their lives. Whilst she is floating on her own never able to feel our warmth and love again. The Nothing remains. The atmosphere in this track is mainly set by the Cello. It dies out quite sudden.

09. Haunted – 3.53
With only a piano that starts playing and some hardly audible background voices, Haunted is about a house that is the evil ghost itself. This track tells about all the weird things that happen to a haunted house and the fear the house has of its own being. The track is faster. I t has a electronic beat and besides this in the end the cello joins in, tighter with the piano some more to guides the story to its end.

10. Nightmare – 3.39
In Nightmare the electric guitar is picked up, also the electronic beat is still there to help out. The track is about the really scary nightmares that will shake you awake in the middle of the night; not daring to move, because then the monster under your bed will come out and attack. The track has a bit harder feeling, in the first part where it’s about the creepy monster. The eerie sounds of the guitar and the faster drums and hissing and heavily breathing in the background gives the track a nervous and creepy sense.

11. Fairytale – 1.20
This short track is really about the different fantasy artists and their creatures. The inspiration Pricilla gets from the different fantasy artists is huge.

12. The realms of twilight – 3.17
This track about losing your innocence and the beauty of childhood as you will grow older sends out a message of hope. The slow music and the high pitched singing in the background, like angels, makes this track really friendly, and very suitable to play whilst lying in bed, and fall asleep peacefully and quiet.

13. The voice of the night – 3.12
The voice of the night was written when Pricilla was younger. Its about losing fear of the darkness and then being able to embrace its beauty, and safety. The song is positive compared to most other tracks, and the high angelic voices are guided by a harp, that plays a quite simple fantasy like track. The only constant noise in the track is the new agey sounds in the background.

14. Lament – 2.25
This track is written when Pricilla was very sad, and had found a way to express her broken heart. The track is really slow, and is not cheerful at all. The violin plays a sad song, and the piano in the back gives the song a bit more power. Besides this instruments no other are guiding the lyrics. The entire track is really sad, and can bring tears to your eyes.

15. Ahora que te has ido – 1.12
This is a musical piece, having the violin and the piano playing some really sad music, together. ‘Ahora que te has ido’ means ‘Now that you are gone’. This track is dedicated to Kira, and in the booklet Pricilla tells her story about the pain she felt when her dog had just passed away. Both ‘Lament’ and this track are written in 2003, this is the year Kira passed away. Listening to them, both tracks have the same atmosphere and the main instruments. I think lament is about Kira as well. In both these tracks the love for her dog and the aching Pricilla still feels thinking about the death of her friend, really shows in these songs. (Note from the reporter: as my cat got hit by a car a few months ago, and died… this really brought tears to my eyes as well.)

16. The prince and the fairy – 2.14
this is the last track featured in the Fairy booklet. It doesn’t contain any lyrics. Only the slow new age sounds and the piano used as one of the main instruments on this track. Besides this the angelic high voice of Pricilla in featured al during the track as well. The music tell the story of a young prince, captured under the spell of the fairy he finds in the forest.

17. I’m right here – 4.43
This song tells the story of ‘Ancient shadow’ only then from the eyes of the Shadow itself. The tracks starts really slow, later the music in enhanced by and electronic sound in the background. Also here the piano is one of the main instruments as well. The track feels really shy and sensual as the same time. With the varied voices and the way of singing it’s really clear how well Pricilla can sing, and use her talent in different ways.

18. Sueño Morte – 3.57
Sueño Morte means dead dream. This track is sung in Spanish. With a dead dream its writer meant to say, some dreams won’t come true. It’s meant to help herself move on to realize new dreams. The music is really simple with a shallow ritualistic drum and some shy strings.

19. Facing the dream (closing credits) – 3.57
The intro starts with classical sounding voices. The track consists of smaller parts of music and eerie hissing lyrics. The main part of the track is quiet. There is no real music played here. It’s only creating the illusion that there is more to life then we know. And with this creepy message the end of the album is here.


Technical

Tracks: 19
Extra: the booklets with the information about the tracks (and a personal note for us)
Total playing time: 62.51


Cover



Conclusion

‘Ancient Shadows’ has featured songs that Pricilla has written and reassembled of the years. In her music she shows her own strengths and fears, and tells stories mainly from her own life. It is very clear that, while in listening to the album, I get a good look into the life f Pricilla, and also into her talent. The songs can all be categorised as new age. The dark influences that can be found in the music, especially in ‘nightmare’ will also be very welcome in rituals people may use to relax, gain their strength, let go of things, of feel more desirable. ‘Ancient Shadow’ and ‘I’m right here’ have a veil of sensuality over them and will give you mind a moment to drift off to another realm.

The entire album is very suitable for playing the in evening, so you can light some candles and start reading one of those books that’s been in you cabinet for to long. The album is not suitable for people who aren’t fond of new age and fantasy. I love both, and am very happy I got the chance to review Pricilla’s personal stories. The music is recorded very beautifully as well, although sometimes I think it would have been prettier if the voices where blended in some more with the music. This because the different instrument are sometimes there to really guide the lyrics, and this type of music is not really made to sing along, but to just listen and let you mind wander of into your own fantasy world.


Rating

Music: 10
Sound: 9
Extra: 9
Total: 9.5

- REFLECTIONS OF DARKNESS

*Sigh* after listening to tinny sounding, poorly produced folk music this is just what I need. I fell like I've taken an antidote.

Everything about this album is perfect. Not just the voice, musicianship, songwriting, and production. The art on the package (and the website) is beautiful. This is a good example of why I am so against digital only releases. Music is more to me that just the sound, it's everything. I want to be able to look at the gorgeous artwork, I want to read the lyrics. It all adds to the enjoyment.

So thank you Priscilla for releasing an album that appeals to more than just one of my senses.

OK now down to the music. Priscilla's lovely voice is nicely layered and moves over the melodies seemingly effortless. The genre might be described as new age/ambient. As you may have guessed from the title, there's a bit of the fantasy/ghosty/fairy realm here. Ethereal, I guess. It makes me want to sit on the floor of my old Victorian house, turn off all the lights, light candles, and wait for the ghosts to come.

I've listened to this album several times while writing this review and it's already in my personal rotation so I'm sure there will be many more listens in the years to come. This is a beautiful release, and if I'd heard it before making my Best of 2006 list, it would certainly have been on there. - Amy Lotsberg

Ancient Shadows (Priscilla Hernandez (Spain) YID0001, 2006) is a 19-track album meant to tell the story of the ghost and the fairy. Also intended to be a highly visual and cinematic experience, the main contents are placed within bookend tracks entitled "Facing the dream" labeled as opening and closing credits respectively.

A range of musical themes recur throughout the hour long album and textures vary from more aggressive gothic tunes to sublime new age sounds. Priscilla's stunning ethereal vocals grace the entire project soaring above the rhythmic arrangements often self-backed with remarkable harmonies.

The superbly illustrated digipak comes complete with two booklets. The booklets contain further illustrations by the artist, full lyrics and stories behind each of the songs. Every page of both booklet is graced with either a photo or illustration; words are provided both in English and Spanish. The stunning presentation spared no expense.

While others have made comparisons of Priscilla's work to Tori Amos and Kate Bush, these allusions are difficult to recognize in the material. Instrumentally and vocally, it is easier to hear the references to Enya that are often made, however Priscilla's voice has a more delicate albeit more powerful energy. Listeners will be enthralled with the rich orchestration Priscilla has produced across the album. The first musical theme emerges in the title track. The song has lovely harmonies, crisp percussion and a gentle hook that recurs and drifts in and out throughout the project, for example in "I Steal The Leaves," one of the ablum's powerfully delivered standouts.

As the stories unfold, the listener is immersed in soaring vocalise or sung lyrics and well orchestrated arrangements. We especially enjoyed string and woodwind textures, notably the recorder parts in several tracks. One of the album's darker tracks, "The Willow's Lullaby" features both with stunning harmonies and robust string passages. The robust, gothically-oriented standout "Haunted" returns later as if to echo its sister track. In addition to whispers, breaths and whispers, echoes also add texture that illustrates the story in "The Call Of The Nymph," but Priscilla's soaring vocals will bring goosebumps to even the most insensitive listener.

While much of the album is heavily arranged, the tracks recorded as vocal atop piano with only slight supporting arrangement, provide not only a suitable contrast but serve to demonstrate Priscilla's singing and songwriting versatility. "Nothing" is arranged sparsely but draws on the recurring theme that runs throughout the album. To ensure that the listener doesn't get too comfortable in the gentle new age texture, Priscilla's voice soars in the standout track "Nightmare" atop rocking electric guitar.

The project never loses sight of its cinematic aim returning thematically with Priscilla's gently soaring vocalise in "Fairytale" that blends seamlessly into the lushly arranged "The Realm's Of Twilight," yet another album standout, Priscilla singing harmony with herself in a lovely duet. "The Voice Of The Night" is a tender piece backed by gently plucked strings. It is easy to hear the Enya allusion as Priscilla's evocative voice floats across the arrangement. The closing harmonies are spine-tingling.

The album's themes develop rhythmically in the notable "Lament," rich vocal harmonies blending with lush string arrangements. While the majority of the album is sung in English, two Spanish named tracks have been included. The first is a very gentle, string-textured instrumental entitled "Ahora Que Te Has Ido," which blends perfectly into "The Prince And The Fairy," immediately recognized by Priscilla's soaring vocalise that graces almost the entire track.

"I'm Right Here" is one of the album's most memorable tracks--a love song that listeners will certainly play again and again--and a certain standout. A gently arranged ballad, Priscilla's lead vocal soars primarily above a rhythmic piano arrangement. Keyboard washes and Priscilla's self harmonizing vocalise add texture under the lead vocal and piano. We will not have been the first to hear a very strong reference to Sarah Brightman in the stunning Spanish-language track "Sueño Muerto." The allusion is evident in Priscilla's emotionally delivered soprano lead vocal, gentle but depthy harmonies and the rhythmically produced instrumental arrangement. A dramatic reprise of "Facing The Dream" (closing credits), full of dramatic vocal effects, closes the album.

Clearly Priscilla Hernandez has a tremendous career ahead as a singer and songwriter as well as a fantasy illustrator. The Ancient Shadows album provides listeners an excellent introduction to the stunning artist whose etheral voice and personal repertoire is certain to span rock, new age and classical crossover. Bravo!

(www.musicaldiscoveries.com) - Russsel Elliot

Exerpt: Priscilla Hernández' debut album is a treasure trove for adventurous music fans. She's singing and writing everything herself. The result is steeped in myth and legend and features stunning songs. The record comes in a beautifully designed package befitting the immaculate contents and is illustrated by Hernández herself. The title song has a haunting mood and a gorgeous vocal. "I Steal the Leaves" is a standout and evokes comparisons to Loreena McKennitt with its multi-layered sound. "The Willow's Lullaby" is darker and almost frightening, Hernández soft voice atop eerie whispers and atmospheric backing. The album's dual nature almost gothic works juxtaposed with New age sweetness works well. This is a masterpiece. - LUNA KAFE (Sweden)