(27 July 2003) The long awaited follow-up to Medea's debut album Dreams & Revelations is their latest album entitled The Miracle Line. A blend of accessible melodies and modern progressive rock the album is certain to appeal to fans of October Project, Second Story and Grey Eye Glances to name a few.

We caught up with lead singer Irene Lambrou who shared the story of the new album, "We made Dreams & Revelations in 1999 and it felt good, and a bunch of people actually bought it. Then we thought that if we made another cd that was more light, less dark, it would feel even better. So we recorded The Miracle Line over the course of a year in Pat's studio in Bucks County, mostly on Tuesday nights. Pat spent many wee hours tweaking the sounds and playing all kinds of instruments himself. Glenn played bass in his own basement and brought the bits he captured to Pat who blended it all in."

Indeed the album has a brighter texture right from the opening and highly accessible title track. "Orianna" is more acoustic yet it is vocally intense and evocatively sung. We were quickly reminded of the similarity to Second Story who hail from the same region as Medea. Vocal harmonies are lush and recorded well atop lush keyboard washed instrumentals. The first standout from the album is certainly "Garden of Sleeping Love." The track brought back instant memories of the band's debut album in its construction, especially the interplay between piano and bass in the arrangements. Irene's almost sultry lead vocals soar above the arrangements wonderfully and the harmonies in the chorus clearly the singer's virtuosity. We especially enjoyed the piano solo during the bridge.

A significant change in texture arrives with "Not the Man (Medea's Blues)" which as the title suggests is a bluesy number. Well played piano, bass guitar effects and electronics work well to back the lead singer's evocative delivery. A thick bass line and crisp percussion provide the almost R&B texture to "Better Look." Irene's pure voice sounds great in the lead and layers of backing vocals. Continuing to build the sound is the electronically oriented "Crawling Floor" which is certain to appeal to enthusiasts of Mermaid Kiss (feature). The longing in Irene's vocal delivery during the verses is complimented by a richly arranged and brighter chorus.

"Burn" is a gentle rocker with arrangements dominated by the crisp texture of the percussion and electronics. It's the power and accurate delivery of the vocals here that continue to illustrate her skill, especially as the lead soars extended notes in the dramatically delvered chorus. The short but highly accessible and radio-friendly rock track "Fear" is lushly arranged with acoustic and electric guitar feverishly competing for attention between the vocal passages. And so we don't forget the band is really a progressive outfit, they use Greek bouzouki in the art rock textured ballad "Sun Shines," highly reminscent of the band's sound on the debut album.

The traditional rock track "Save Me" shows off Irene in her most sultry voice while the rest of the band get off with vast guitar and keyboard excursions. When played on stage this tune must really get the audience going. The album concludes with the soulful "In My Soul" and a two-minute mystery tune buried in the eleventh track. Evocatively performed, we are left with a lasting positive impression of Irene Lambrou's exquisite vocal work. The piano work is equally tremendous.

Says Irene, "The hidden track is called 'Try.' Pat's lovely music worked perfectly with lyrics I had, and although theidea didn't develop into a complete song before theend of the recording process, we loved it too much tolet it fall by the wayside." It's precious and a lovely conclusion to the album.

As with their debut album Dreams & Revelations, this latest offering from Medea, The Miracle Line, is a tremendous album and well worth a trans-Atlantic journey. The album is available from links within the band's website or from CDBaby here. Check it out and order your copy today. It is indeed a must listen!