Daniel Lanois

Whether working on his infrequent but jewellike solo recordings or turning the knobs for high-profile clients such as U2 and Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois brings a cinematographer's sensibility to production; he creates soundtracks for the mind in the recording studio. Lanois is best known for bringing an avant-garde edge to masterpieces by U2 (Achtung Baby) and Dylan (Time Out of Mind), as well as albums by Emmylou Harris, Robbie Robertson, and the Neville Brothers, among others. He favors steam-bath atmospherics and heavily treated guitars, but his soundscapes are rooted in ethnic traditions that bridge string-band folk, New Orleans R&B, and delta blues.

Lanois' distinctive brand of roots impressionism informs his solo albums as well. Acadie is an eerie, inward-looking debut; it's bittersweet mood music with French-Canadian folk and Cajun accents. It's not far removed in tone from the ambient records Lanois was making earlier in the '80s with Brian Eno. For the Beauty of Wynona finds Lanois gaining confidence as a vocalist, and picking up the energy -- if only slightly -- with a New Orleans-based rhythm section and a more aggressive guitar tone, especially on "Brother L.A."

Shine is even more expansive, flirting with reggae on "Power of One" and Curtis Mayfield-like soul on the pleading "Slow Giving." Though it includes vocal cameos by Harris and U2's Bono, the album retains its moody cohesiveness, thanks in part to three evocative pedal-steel instrumentals that serve as connective tissue between the vocal tracks. (GREG KOT)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide