I'm often surprised -- in good and bad ways -- with some of the CDs I pick up to review by bands I've never heard before. When Stonecircle's package arrived in my mail, I almost passed it along to another reviewer unheard. Thankfully I stopped long enough for a quick listen first -- Alchemy is by far one of the best albums I've received in a while.

The first track slowly builds through an atmospheric introduction which blends a synthesized background with a dramatic fiddle line. As the other instruments join in and the music builds, I expected something new agey, perhaps ... but no, Stonecircle surprised me by bursting into vigorous, lively music. And then when Lauren Buffington-Jones added her gorgeous voice to the mix ... well, this album was clearly going to be exceptional.

And it doesn't disappoint. Stonecircle lilts and pounds its way through 11 tracks (more than 70 minutes of music) with excellent musicality. And all five members of this Utah-based band are good at what they do. Very, very good.

Buffington-Jones provides incredible crystal clear vocals throughout the CD, with a strong, but delicate voice stylistically reminiscent of singers such as Loreena McKennitt and Kate Price. As good as the musicians are on this album, I might almost expect to resent the intrusion of words over their music, but a voice this good is too rare to ignore.

The two lead instrumentalists are both amazingly adept at their jobs. Nina Cooley handles flute and whistles with exceptional talent, borrowing techniques from traditional and jazz schools of music ... and even shades, at times, of Jethro Tull's flute master Ian Anderson. Cooley also adds percussion and vocals to the overall sound. Krista Baker plays great fiddle, sweeping and wild. My only quibble here is the fiddle on some tracks is mixed down so much it sounds like the fiddle is playing in some room down the hall. Perhaps it was an intentional effect, but it doesn't work.

George Schoemaker, whose guitars are a solid foundation for the music, also adds harmonica and vocals. His step into the spotlight for the French song "Pierre de Grenoble" is a bit startling at first, but is not at all out of place. The final member is Irminsul, whose keyboards provide additional and necessary support. He also plays a lovely Celtic harp, although it's rarely in the forefront. Both Schoemaker and Irminsul flex their music-writing muscles, too, for tracks including the songs "The Stone Tower" and "The Homecoming" and the instrumental "My Tapestry," which (along with Turlough O'Carolan's "Planxty Irwin") shines the brightest light on Irminsul's harp. The original pieces stand up well against the many traditional numbers on this album.

Accolades also to the band for its clever arrangements. They're not striving for straightforward Celtic tunes here; they're making them uniquely their own. Touches of classical, baroque, jazz and folk music appear here and there, all to great effect.

What, you need more? Why aren't you out looking for your own copy yet?