Have you ever wondered what Santana and the Gipsy Kings would sound like jamming with the house band in a Moroccan Cafe after having a Turkish bath and massage? That's one way to describe the eclectic and appealing instrumental offerings on Beauty and Fire - the seventh CD from Michaud. This is music that lifts your spirit, and inspires your soul and we can tell you that the production is lovely and the songs are refined to a high level of purity. Tomas Michaud is a master guitarist, composer and producer who was possessed by the muse of music early in childhood. Tomas developed his musical technique with the trumpet, electric bass and mandolin before he discovered his first love, guitar, at the age of fourteen. Soon he was performing throughout the San Francisco Bay Area developing a popular following which now numbers in the thousands.

On Beauty and Fire's twelve tracks Michaud excels on lengthy excursions to warm the heart and ignite passion in the mind of the listener. The title track is bouncy and expressively warm with clear notes and a fluid fretless bass guiding the opener. "Tango In Paradise" is a five-minute trip to Spain and a moment of musical bliss. "Gipsy Heart" and "Two Hearts Into One" point out the theme of the fiery nature of love and both tracks smolder as Michaud and band fan the flames. Tomas uses a palette of Flamenco and Spanish guitar techniques to paint a fusion of New Age, smooth jazz and world music portraits that reaches the soul and elevates the mind through a mystical and sensual sound experience that will send a tingle up your spine.

• Info: -- USA/CA 2009: www.worldmelodies.com (Richard J. Lynch/SoundPress.net)