Finally a strong album! Like coming home!

From the first song, "Make a wish" you realize that Secret Garden are back - arrived to enchant with beautiful instrumental melodies as they knew of "Songs from a Secret Garden" or "White stones", which in especially the last two albums a little lost when too much kitsch and singing were in the foreground.

After "You raise me up" and to "Once in a red moon" a few songs of Secret Garden could not really convince me, and were more likely ballad hymns, the success proved them right though, but me this style was boring.
Only "Powered by Nature" reminds us of those times, male and female voice plus choir and at the end of rising turgid Arrangement, for me the only song for skipping.
The other two songs sung both succeeded, especially the song with Moya Brennan "The Dream".

The instrumental songs are enchanting again and journey through the peculiar world of Secret Garden, in which I have dreamed so much since the Euro Vision profit. This may sound corny, but brings it to the point. Above all, the wonderful violin of Fionnualla, the great melodies of Rolf Lovland, and also the remaining usual instrumentation (flute, orchestra, etc.) contribute to the overall experience. In "Make a wish" is the most beautiful song structure since "Nocturne" and "Lament for a broken flower" comes as close to it, the rest of quiet songs fit perfectly into the season. The only faster song "Fionnualla's cookie jar" brings Celtic rhythms. "Suite" is a 14 minute epic with lots of little surprises.

Although the first albums are no longer quite reached, presents "Winter Poem" is for "Once in a Red Moon" finally a consistently good album. A winter dream.