FEATHER LIGHT

Released in 1989, harpist Hilary Stagg's 42-minute Feather Light offers a modest, easy-listening assortment of quiet pleasures intended more for rumination than serious meditation. Stagg, playing an acoustic-electric harp, intertwines his peaceful, laconic playing with a small ensemble (acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizer, violin, occasional percussion) to create moods that mostly occupy a midrange between earthy and ethereal. The first two selections, "Easy Days" and "For My Love," convey an almost countrified demeanor (with occasional slide-guitar sections lazily, effectively accenting the mix), giving you a mental picture of a barefoot Stagg a-pickin' and a-blissin' on his cosmic back porch. The affect is appealing, and Stagg's unhurried touch adds a nice grass-blade-in-your-teeth, lounging-in-the-meadow atmosphere to tracks such as "Lovers' Reunion" and "Peaceful Journeys." The lovely "A New Beginning" stirs the mental impression of a rose slowly unfolding into full blossom. Too bad Stagg ends things with "No Pressure," where ill-advised drum patterns make the piece sound like cheesy bar music. Other than that misstep, Feather Light is a pleasant (if unspectacular) sonic diversion. --Terry Wood