Just like a successful film, mega-buck albums always spawn a sequel. After the success of last year's Chant, a beautiful recording of modern-day, celibate monks singing Gregorian chants, the next step was obvious... record the nuns! And this is what we have here: contemporary nuns belting out the powerful tunes penned by 12th century nun Hildegard Von Bingen. Von Bingen was a visionary of her time who created vaulting melodies in the Latin of the common people. Her music still holds up 900 years later. Predictably, though, avant-guard producers butcher it with their modern sensibilities (e.g., adding thumping electric bass), invariably killing the melody. In spite of their new age silliness, though, Vision remains a beautiful, soothing collection of songs. Added bonus: extensive liner notes on Von Bingen will bond you to the rich pageant that is recorded history.

--Brian Bruxvoort