''Angels Embrace'' is the eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the English singer, songwriter, and musician

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

, It was released in September 1995 by

Higher Octave Music Higher Octave Music is a sub-label imprint of Narada Productions. Since 2013, it is part of Universal Music Group's Capitol Music Group, which is located in Los Angeles. History Higher Octave was acquired by Virgin Records on behalf of EMI in 199 ...

Background

Following the release of his previous album, '' Change We Must'', in October 1994, Anderson took a break after touring with the rock band Yes before he started to write and record music for a new album. By 1995, Anderson had met his future wife Jane Luttenberger who became a significant inspiration to his life and the music he would write since the mid-1990s. A photograph of the couple is included on the album's liner notes. ''Angels Embrace'' was recorded in 1995, with Anderson as the producer, and mixed at Opio Studios in

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed bec ...

. In a departure from his previous work, the album sees Anderson explore

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

. He had wanted to compose a "peaceful work" for some time, which "plays quietly and embraces the whole room", and used several pieces of musical ideas that he had written and collected over the years as inspiration. Anderson named the album after a pastel painting by English artist Jack Shalatain titled "The Angels Embrace". His daughters

Deborah According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...

and

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

provided additional vocals, and additional keyboards are performed by Steve Katz and Keith Heffner.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's sleeve notes. Music *

– vocals, keyboards (except "New Eire Land" and "Prayersong") *

Deborah Anderson Deborah Leigh Anderson (born 16 December 1970) is an English musician, photographer, and film director. Her early music work was as a vocalist on her father Jon Anderson's albums. Her 1995 single "Feel the Sunshine" was her first song that char ...

– vocals on "Angels Embrace" * Jade Anderson – vocals on "Prayersong" *Steve Katz – keyboards on "New Eire Land" *Keith Heffner – keyboards on "Prayersong" Production *Jon Anderson – production *Ric Wilson – mastering *John Laraio – mastering assistant *Tal Herzberg – mastering assistant *Matt Marshall – executive producer *Dan Selene – executive producer *Suki Sir Tansey – creative direction *Geoff Gans – art direction *V Photo/Vitor Martins – photography

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums Jon Anderson albums