Lisbeth Scott

The ethereal voice of the classically trained singer has been gracing soundtracks for years (both Shrek films, The Sixth Sense) and provided a focal point (in Latin!) on keyboardist Paul Schwartz's hit new age album State of Grace, but she didn't hit the "big time" until she was heard on the soundtrack to 2004's surprise religious hit The Passion of the Christ. Hers is an incredibly rich instrument which begs to be heard in any setting, whether a film score or on pleading love songs like "Grace," but the album's original inspiration was her work on The Passion. The opening track "Reveal" might put off a few people because it sounds almost like a soundtrack outtake, lush and floating but without any real song structure. Lisbeth Scott reveals more of herself -- and in English, after singing in Aramaic on the film soundtrack -- on the confessional "To Love and Be Loved," but really gets rolling (in other words, with a percussion track) on the folk-rocker "All of These Years" and ultra-spiritual "Grace," whose machine-generated percussion is reminiscent of some of the songs she recorded with Schwartz. As the tracks unfold, Scott establishes herself as a compelling songwriter, and it's easy to forget the musical (if not the spiritual) connection to Christ. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide