Vesica Piscis

Not to be confused with Bob Weir's '70s Grateful Dead spinoff band, Kingfish, Kingfisher is a new age/pop solo artist who recorded Vesica Piscis in the late '90s. This CD isn't fantastic, but it's a cut above a lot of '90s new age — more substantial, more probing and more likely to contain interesting melodies and harmonies. The songs on Vesica Piscis, which Kingfisher arranged and co-produced, are contemplative, tranquil numbers that draw on European folklore as well as elements of Christianity and Buddhism. Some listeners turn to new age because they want to unwind, unplug and hear something that's mindlessly soothing, but Vesica Piscis isn't without a brain — and on the whole, Kingfisher keeps the CD from becoming an exercise in muzak. While tunes like "Jesus in the Garden of Bees," "Kelly's Dream in the Rain" and "Sister Falling" are light enough to function as background music, those who turn up the volume and pay close attention to Kingfisher's songs are likely to get more out of them.