Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

What can I say about Sal Solo that I haven't said before? Forget any pre-conceived ideas about him - that shaven head, those earrings, and the fact that he's a Roman Catholic; the man is woefully underestimated as a composer, and criminally underused (in the UK at least} as an instrument whereby people can be brought into a deep meaningful experience of God. His latest project is a Mass for the millenium, and again, please put away any excess baggage regarding the word "mass"; it's basically the same form of liturgy as is used by the Anglicans and the Methodists, but the spin is that the music is gorgeously ambient and, at the same time, intensely devotional, drawing on all sorts of traditions from classical and Gregorian through to world music and pop. Apart from strings, vocals and clarinet from some human singers and musicians, the entire album was written, recorded, performed, programmed and mixed by Sal on his trusty Mac G3 laptop, and the whole thing is a delight. Unreservedly recommended.

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