Although French Canadian vocalist
Anael has a lushly orchestrated sound that's obviously indebted to
Enya, she isn't nearly as influenced by Celtic folk, preferring to draw inspiration (and, occasionally, repertory) from classical, choral, and liturgical music, as well as jazz, pop, and new age. Still, most of her material is penned in the present day by her collaborator
Bradfield, who generally handles composition, arrangements, instruments, and production on her recordings. Born and raised in Saguenay, a town in northern Quebec,
Anael became interested in music as a teenager and entered several talent competitions; however, after performing locally on both radio and television, she put music on the back burner until meeting
Bradfield in 1993. After
Bradfield released his own album, Harmony in the Chaos, in 1995, the duo set about recording
Anael's own debut the next year. Titled Light of Refinement, the record received positive reviews upon its release in 1997, as well as comparisons to ethereal female vocalists like
Enya and
Maire Brennan. The follow-up Unconditional appeared in 1998, further establishing the duo's concern with spiritual themes. 1999's Language of the Soul added French lyrics to
Anael's array of languages, which already included English and Latin; additionally, several Hebrew texts were used as source material. ~ Steve Huey