Whale Rider

Simultaneously a mesmerizing soundtrack to a striking movie and a striking solo album, the only work not done by her being a brief piano part and vocal samples from the film itself, Lisa Gerrard’s Whale Rider is one of her most elegant and powerful efforts, the more so because of its primarily instrumental nature. Given how signature Gerrard’s vocals had rapidly become in film work in previous years, this shone a clearer light on her musical abilities, creating rich sonic textures based on synths and keyboard, occasional percussion and other instrumentation.