But there's no such thing as a sure thing, kiddies. Or maybe there is�since I just knew somehow this record was going to be great. And it is. The only thing is I couldn't have been more wrong about the direction of the material. In a very ying/yang moment, Living in Radical Radiance is about as polar opposite to Maria's "Body Rock" single or the Rouge material as you can get. And despite being initially flabbergasted, I couldn't be happier about it.

Nothing in Maria's background --- including her 1987 solo record --- could have prepared me for this kind of material. It's like world beat mixed with an early '80s techno-pop flavor. There's a trippy vibe with dark moments and separate tranquil, floating sections. They all culminate in a fantastic project that is a voyage for the ears and the mind.

There are eight songs on this record, all written by Maria (one is co-written) and although there is no credit issued, presumably she produced the affair as well. The record opens with "What's the Matter" led by a chugging guitar and primitive beat. Maria's delicate vocals remain as compelling as ever and when she gets to the simple chorus of "Ah ooo" sounding like Jane Siberry doing a Bonnie Prince Billy imitation, I'm riveted. This isn't a matter of a song grabbing you by the hair and pulling you into the room. It's more like your ears just know that if you didn't keep listening to this gentle aural biz card for the rest of the record, you'd be missing out on something pretty enthralling.

An ethnic hand-stamp greets you en route to the next song, "Love Hunts", with an ethereal choir pulling you up with the clouds before gliding into some really tasty verses. Maria's voice is double-tracked with low and high ranges combining into a really seductive honeycomb of a place to visit. The high end is more angelic while the lower range really serves to make the ears take notice (cough). Maria's Rouge cohorts Diana Grasselli and Myriam Valle guest on the track.

The song looks at love as a sort of predator, making you helpless against it. Some of the lyrics read, "Love teaches you, taunts you. Works you over in an alley, when you think you're only walking home."

There is some excellent instrumentation with snippets of different things here and there, including wind instruments, some kind of eastern string instruments, mandolins, violins, along with a Mike Garson-ish (David Bowie) piano. All of these are interwoven into the mix at various times making it sound �ber lush but not competing for each other's space. Overall this is just an excellent song!!

"You Move Me" comes closest to Rouge material, mostly due to the chorus. This is a hypnotizing track (especially on headphones) and the vocal arrangements (one of Maria's strengths) towards the end of the song really bring out its potential.

One of my favorite songs on the record is the next cut, "Mermaid". Again, vocal-wise you're helpless to resist Maria as her voice (with some great background vocals) is the framework that this is set on. An electric guitar jags along throughout the song like a fluorescent water snake giving tremendous color. The title of this song is appropriate as you really feel like you're floating in a body of water and expect a bikini-clad Maria to tap you on the shoulder at any time (OK, maybe that part's just me).

"If I Ever Knew" approaches the song from a more stripped-down angle and is the most straight-forward song on the record. However, there are still some interesting segues that are mixed into the end of the song which really add much to it.

The jewel on this set, and my most treasured track, belongs to "Firefly". This is an absolutely beautiful song that is melancholy in lyrical content (love lost) but glimmering in musical perfection. You're lost in Maria's voice for the first few awesome verses and then a strong-arm guitar torques up this already excellent song into a stratosphere you weren't expecting. As with all these songs, there are moments that you didn't anticipate. In this one, a Spanish guitar and male vocal singing several short lines pop up in the middle and it's the icing on the cake --- almost jarring but entirely welcomed.

The eccentric "Flowers (Robbie's Song)" (again briefly featuring another male voice that blends in perfectly) is another hypnotizing piece. The rhythm track is simply undeniable. It's almost like a cobra doing its sway before striking. You're caught in its gaze and helpless to do anything else. Again, Maria uses both ends of her voice to great effect and is the centerpiece of the track.

The record ends off with the title track which might contain the record's best chorus. Subdued but still seductive, this is a haunting song and a great way to wind down the set.

I'm not only surprised at the material --- I'm impressed by the quality of the material. There are only eight songs on the record but seven out of the eight are in the five-six minute length. There are many unexpected parts to Living in Radical Radiance. Songs are going along and then you get these little odd (as in good) passages or left turns on a bridge or whatever, without jarring the listener.

Given the strength of this material, it's odd that Maria hasn't released anything else commercially in the years since her last solo record. Let's hope that it's not anywhere close to the same duration for the next one.