Heaven Sent is the 17th album from harpist/composer/visual artist Peter Sterling and takes us on a transcendent journey of healing, love and divine connection. Inspired in part by the serene beauty of Sedona, Arizona’s autumn landscapes, the music was created last year during the Thanksgiving season (late fall). Quoting Peter:

"The music on this album came to me like a divine gift from heaven the day after Thanksgiving. In a moment filled with gratitude for the many blessings in my life and a tender sense of loss in love, I felt a profound connection to my angels. Their message was clear: set up the microphones and let my harp speak the emotions of my heart."

On this album, Peter plays harp, keyboards, Native flute, Tibetan bowls, free note chimes, percussion and vocals. He is accompanied by an international group of artists that includes Paul Avgerinos (keyboards and vocals), Charu Suri (piano), and a string quartet (Nina Violin, Anastasiia Tikhanovska, Maria Vakhnenko and Tetiana Kravchenko). A few tracks include Illium pipes, Irish flute, ocarina, harmonica, silver flute and/or penny whistle (Antonio R, Leon Van E., and Richard Hardy). The overall feel of the album is very relaxed, soothing and ethereal - a very welcome musical escape from the difficult times we humans are facing all over the world.

Heaven Sent begins with "Golden Leaves of Fall," a piece for harp, wordless female vocals, Irish wind instruments and light percussion. Dreamy and very peaceful, it's a graceful opening that sets the tone of the album. The reflective and serene "The River Runs Deep" has a beautiful harp melody with sparkling chimes as well as light vocals, percussion and keyboard washes behind it. "Timeless Heart" brings in the strings as well as light chimes, Native flute, percussion and Native American chant to tell a compelling story without words. "Silver Lining" is both ambient and ethereal with hypnotic harp, percussion, subtle flute, and keyboard washes - very peaceful! "Forever My Love" tugs at the heart-strings as well as the harp strings with feelings of loss and sadness. The smooth, mournful cello is a beautiful contrast to the plucked strings of the harp. Haunting and heartfelt, "The Rain Will Fall" also expresses deep sadness, this time backed with piano, gentle female vocals, strings, and percussion - a favorite. "Together Forever" is warm, blissful and dreamy, again very effectively contrasting the plucked strings of the harp with the bowed stringed instruments. Serene and soothing, "After Glow" returns to a more ambient style, moving at a relaxed pace and providing something of a massage for the mind. "Days of Old" is primarily a duet for harp and harmonica - not a combination you hear very often! Slow, open and very peaceful, it also includes the sound of children laughing and wordless male vocals - also a favorite. Heaven Sent comes to a close with "The Sun Always Shines," a warmly optimistic piece for harp, choir voices, penny whistle, flute and light chimes, gently expressing hope and gratitude.

Thumbs up to Peter Sterling and company for this beautiful album! Heaven Sent is available from Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as streaming sites including Spotify and Pandora.