Think of every folk/coffeehouse singer convention you can. Now throw those all away. Vyktoria Pratt Keating has transformed and transported herself so far beyond the folk singer persona that she has become a new entity. Think of her now as the combination of the honesty of Joni Mitchell, the sensuality of Kate Bush, and the ethereal nature of Enya.

Since her first release, Blue Apples, Keating has not only stopped calling herself Vicky, but has reinvented herself. Through an extensive tour schedule and many awards, Keating has become one of the real treasures on the singer/songwriter scene today. Her latest recording, This Guardian At Noon, released last year, moves between hip, swinging tunes ala Laura Nyro to neo-progressive rock tone poems in the style of Brian Eno.

With very sparse instrumentation and lush vocals, Keating is able to weave musical magic that throws you into medieval forests, galaxy-hopping spaceships and modern urban sidewalks all at once. As a songwriter, her words are witty, quirky, honest and penetrating. She is quoted often as saying that her goal is to be a lounge singer on a UFO.

To call This Guardian At Noon just a haunting album is doing it an injustice. It has the power of a great rock album as well as a folk album's grounded sensitivity. As a live performer, Keating also adds the talent of storyteller to her magical landscape of music.