Africa is a musical world unto itself, characterized roughly by an accentuated tradition of rhythm and community. And while this anthology makes no argument for the essence of African music, it's extremely entertaining nonetheless.

Producer and composer Paul Schwartz thanks many people on State of Grace, but there is one notable exclusion: the 12th-century nun Hildegard von Bingen. Although these aren't her compositions, echoes of her ecstatic hymns and sequences resound throughout Schwartz's latest electronica-classical opus. He composes his own 21st-century gothic chants, which are sung by the impassioned soprano Lisbeth Scott. Scott is a powerful singer who brings a more emotional, perhaps even lustful, tone to these electro-Gregorian evocations, gliding over synthesizer ministrations and violin from the durable Gavyn Wright. Paul Schwartz was also responsible for the Aria CDs, on which he updated operatic arias with dance beats. State of Grace benefits from the less oppressive rhythmic regimentation, letting these soaring melodies ring out. When Schwartz deviates from his gothic inspirations, State of Grace flags, notably on a predictable rendition of “Amazing Grace”, a misguided Celtic take on the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” and a trio of instrumentals.

This box set contains all of the commercially released European CD singles from Nevermind and In Utero. • Includes a total of 11 non-LP tracks, five of which are live recordings. • Contains the often-requested lyrics to all the songs from Nevermind in the liner notes of the “Lithium” single.

On his fourth release, and first of all-original material, Composer-producer Paul Schwartz explores themes inspired by the night. He generates a lush, dreamy sound that will appeal to fans of Enigma, William Orbit, and Caroline LaVelle. In fact, some of Earthbound echoes the feeling of LaVelle's 1995 album, Spirit, as well as Orbit's work on Madonna's Ray of Light.

Known for placing sampled and re-edited opera classics over orchestrations and dance grooves on the classical crossover hits Aria and Aria 2, Schwartz now invokes different combinations of neoclassical music, dance grooves, and ethereal pop, and he deploys a 30-piece orchestra on many of these new tracks. Vocalist Lisbeth Scott lends her talents to several compositions, including the poppy electronica of “The Dark of the Night” and the heavily orchestrated “Ravens”, which features a haunting string melody to match the poignant and morose lyrics. Folk singer Tara MacLean sings on the downtempo pop of the title track, while the composer delivers a solemn piano “Nocturne” to end the album. While Earthbound treads a lot of familiar ground, Schwartz makes his nocturnal musings warm and welcoming.