Shantala

Based in Portland, OR, Shantala is a husband-and-wife team consisting of Heather and Benjy Wertheimer. Their primary focus as a duo is acoustic-oriented folk-pop, and Heather's influences as a vocalist (either direct or indirect) have included Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Sandy Denny, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell (among others). But Shantala has also attracted some attention in the new age market, which no doubt has something to do with the fact that their folk-pop tends to be pastoral, gentle, relaxed, peaceful and tranquil--no one would mistake Shantala for anti-folk (a gutsy, to...