Critic's Review
Carol Wright, All Music Guide
Classical harpist and spiritual composer Georgia Kelly renewed her ties to her ancestral Yugoslavian homeland by recording Gardens of the Sun. The album opens with the lighthearted "Mala Kavana" (The Little Cafe). "Sailing on the Adriatic" features gently sparkling glissandi and a languid melody as heartfelt as a warm wind. A Baltic flavor is captured when a tambourine livens up "Gypsy Boy with Roses." The title cut, reminiscent of the soaring nobility of "Ave Maria," features Stephen Schultz on flute. The most moving track is "Requiem," a somber reflection of the peace and joy lost during that country's civil war. Gardens of the Sun plays "straighter" than her spiritual albums such as Seapeace and Birds of Paradise, but it captures the radiance and love that Kelly feels for her ancestral homeland.
