Like a perfume with delightfully sweet top notes, the tonal purity of Diana Panton's voice instantly enchants. As with the best signature scent, the middle and bottom notes reveal subtle complexity - at times uplifting and carefree or hauntingly melancholic, bringing out different nuances based on the message of each song. This heady mix of delicate fragility paired with honest expression recalls the ephemeral natural beauty of a rose with its soft lingering scent. Intertwined with these intoxicating vocals are accompaniment and solos of the finest quality. The minimalist instrumentation by Don Thompson (O. C.) and Reg Schwager (C. M.) highlights every word and raw emotion. soft winds and roses highlights modern classics from the 1960s onward. This music seeps under your skin, blooms in your heart and remains there, affirming that this sonic elixir is something rare and special.


What I love about Diana's voice is how moved she is about music and that she clearly passes into a zone when singing. I know because I wind up there myself when I'm writing. I don't hear anything or see anything, and hours can pass as if the time elapse had just been minutes. When Diana sings, she's swept up by her focus and artistic expression, and nothing else matters. [...] On soft winds and roses, Diana, a two-time Juno winner in Canada, returns to a romantic style that captivates and intoxicates.
soft winds and roses is a beautiful album. It really comes down to Panton’s voice. She has produced the album in such a way that her voice is clearly spotlighted. It is clear, and it is full of emotion and feeling. She draws the listener in, and magically keeps them well within her grasp. A gentle kind grasp that is, but she holds on to the listener. soft winds and roses is a wonderful album.
Diana Panton is the most beautiful Canadian voice you may not know about [...] impeccable phrasing that conveys simple, authentic emotions, without effusion. An interiority revealed with honesty and modesty. [...] Once again, an irresistible flawless performance. Thank you Diana Panton.
Hearing Panton’s understated and wonderfully nuanced vocals accompanied only by guitarist Reg Schwager and the multi-instrumentalist/arranger Don Thompson allow you to experience these mostly familiar songs in a unfamiliar, but quietly charming setting. 
Diana Panton’s latest opus, soft winds and roses, is a halcyon classic. It exudes tranquility while simultaneously stimulating thoughts of love and passion.  [...] It requires nerve for a singer to cover well-known masterpieces [...]. Making these songs seem fresh again is challenging, but Panton magically infuses them with a breezy energy. There is something “nice ‘n’ easy” about them, as Frank Sinatra would say. 
There is a timeless, almost magical quality to [Diana Panton's] rendition [of “Pussywillows, Cat-Tails,”] as she delivers a captivating, touching performance.
I wasn’t familiar with Gordon Lightfoot’s “Pussywillows Cat-Tails” prior, but wow! It’s beautiful, too—as is the album as a whole. And did I mention “Here, There and Everywhere” and “Both Sides Now”? The first is beautiful, the latter profound. 
[Diana Panton] has released a delightful album of modern classics composed from the 1960s onward. [...] A bit of a trip down memory lane, but a smooth, lovely, and very happy one.
There is a purity to Diana’s voice on soft winds and roses that lands so perfectly in my ear.  Couple it with her thoughtful song choices and continued collaboration with the legendary Don Thompson and Reg Schwager and I am easily drawn in.  It’s a delicate potion that one holds to heal. Private in tone but never powerless. 
[This is] an album of positivity that is sent from Diana Panton to us, and in these troubled times we need a lot more love to stop us breaking down. I’ll return to this album when the worries of the day get on top of me; it belongs to a simpler and happier time.
Beautifully recorded!