When James Taylor recorded "Rio" and Joni Mitchell recorded "Dreamland," when Paul Simon recorded "Rhythm of the Saints" and Peter Gabriel blew us away with "So," they were blazing trails for Ashley Maher*. This eclectic global songstress with the golden voice was signed to Virgin UK for five years before returning to the USA and a new beginning. Ashley has recorded four CDs with topnotch West African and Latin musicians from Paris, London, and L.A. Born to British parents in Canada, and moving to Los Angeles when she was five, Ashley's gift as a singer was recognized early on. She grew up singing jazz, classical, choral, and medieval music and even studied opera in Italy for a year, before falling irrevocably in love with African music. Stumbling upon a class by Ghanaian master drummer, C.K. Ladzekpo, at UC Berkeley, Ashley knew she had found her calling. She studied drumming with him for two years, before graduating and heading straight to London in search of African musicians. London was alive with global music. Ashley performed with her band for two years before collaborating with premier traditional dance and drumming group, Adzido, to record her first set of demos. The tape soon came to the attention of the record companies and she signed a contract with Virgin U.K. Virgin released two records for Ashley. The first, named "hi," was met with critical acclaim and hailed as a promising debut. The second, "Pomegranate," featured a superb selection of Paris-based African musicians and again was met with positive press. Said Nick Coleman of "Time Out," "Her tunes are almost indecently luxurious, the playing exquisite, and the arrangements as full of subtlety as you could wish...hers is a golden world, in which words are garlands, voices are a glow and drums...well, you know what they say about the drums." Since then, Ashley has continued to develop as a solo artist. She has regularly recorded and performed in London, Paris, and L.A., sang as a backing vocalist on records by Youssou N'Dour and The Afro-Celt Soundsystem, and performed as a dancer for many African dance troupes. Ashley's third, independent CD, "The Blessed Rain," features some of West Africa's finest Paris/London-based musicians. "Building a bridge between cultures," Ashley observes, "is fruitful when both sides love and understand one another's musical language. 'The Blessed Rain' is a more intimate record than my first two. Less epic, more earthy and simple." Ashley relocated her family to Los Angeles to care for her mother when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since her mother's passing, Ashley has had a second child, while actively building her career, Stateside. Performing with LA's best West African and Latin musicians, dancers, and drummers, she has been thrilled to find audiences responding enthusiastically to the music and her band's shimmering shows across America. Currently, Ashley is busy promoting her freshly finished fourth album: Flying Over Bridges. Look for it here on CDBaby.com and her website! This follow-up to The Blessed Rain was produced by brilliant Cameroonian bassist, Andre Manga, and features LA's finest from Cameroon, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay, and the USA. For further reviews, photos, info, see her colorful and easily-surfable website: www.ashleymaher.com * Maher rhymes with "star"