Ah, yes, Loreena McKennitt. Know her well, too; was introduced to her music by my friend. That same friend also introduced me to Secret Garden. I will admit the only album I have heard of theirs is Dawn of a New Century, and my favorite on there is the title song.
This friend ALSO introduced me to Mike Oldfield, by way of introducing me to his album Voyager, which is an absolute masterpiece, IMHO. She actually developed a novel from scenes she wrote to the music. From there, I looked him up and realized he was awesome as heck.
I also like Jean Michael Jarre, ELO, Alan Parsons Project, to name a few. Funnily enough, though as a child the only thing my dad ever listened to was old-school praise/worship music, I learned as a teenager that his tastes had been farther ranging when he was younger. And lo and behold, I managed to like a lot of the same stuff without ever having known he had liked it, too. Stuff like Alan Parsons, Pink Floyd, the Beatles (specifically for me, St. Peppers), Jarre, etc.
Mannheim Steamroller is a HUGE thing between my dad and me. He had tons of their vinyls that he'd taped to cassette when he bought them, so my mom would put headphones on her stomach while I was in the womb and would play Mannheim for me. I can literally remember listening to "Wolfgang Amadeus Penguin" from Saving the Wildlife while I was in the womb. I was born knowing that song by heart!
I'm going to sound stupid right here, but "prog"? Do you mean progressive rock?
If that is what you mean, based on Wikipedia, groups I like would include Genesis and Pink Floyd. If not, then I'm not sure... I will admit that sometimes I will hear a song and not really know how to categorize it; or there will be a particular genre or sub-genre that I have not yet heard (or did not realize I had heard it).
Of the tried and true genres, here are some examples of what I like:
RAP: Eminem; Will Smith (though, of course, his is a different style, really)
COUNTRY: Shania Twain; Carrie Underwood; Kenny Chesney; Garth Brooks; Brad Paisley; Rascal Flatts
COUNTRY ROCK: Kid Rock (I like him most in this genre)
CLASSICAL: Mozart; Beethoven; Gustav Holst's The Planets; Gabriel Faure's Pavane (and much, much more)
POP: there are so many sub-genres to this... I especially like Bubblegum Pop, the bouncy, infectious stuff that was popular in '99-ish time period. Mandy Moore's "Candy", Len's "Steal My Sunshine", Vitamin C's "Smile". I also like choice songs from various boy bands like *N SYNC, Backstreet Boys, and LFO ("Summer Girls" and "West Side Story" are special to my sis and me).
SOFT ROCK: Elton John, Phil Collins, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Jack Wagner... basically, anything you hear on an "'80s, '90s, and Today" kinda station, I like. Same with Oldies; love 'em all (with varying degrees).
IRISH/GAELIC: I fell in love with Irish rock after attending the Kansas City Irish Fest. Groups like the Indulgers, Great Big Sea, Flogging Molly, and Dropkick Murphys. Oh, and The Elders (not sure how big they are nationally, but a HUGE sensation in Kansas City)
NEW AGE/CELTIC: Enya; Enigma; Deep Forest; Ronan Hardiman; Adiemus
COMEDY: Ray Stevens ("Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is a hoot!); Jim Stafford (also love his pure country stuff, too); pretty much anything from Dr. Demento; Weird Al Yankovic is pure genius
DANCE/TECHNO: A huge variety of various songs; groups would include Fatboy Slim and Venga Boys
ELECTRONIC: Well, already mentioned Alan Parsons Project and ELO; also like Polyphonic Spree and REALLY like Royksopp.
HIP HOP: Outkast, Gnarls Barkley
REGGAE: I will admit to liking Sean Paul, though I will also admit it's all starting to sound the same; really, really like Sean Kingston
There's one for the Celtic genre that I like that fits more towards Classic Celtic (like McKennitt) than New Age Celtic (like Enya): Steve McDonald. He's got some great stuff out there. My stepmom told me about him, and I've been getting all his CDs from the library since.
I also like the groups Arid and Coldplay (I want to go to a concert of theirs; they were AWESOME on SNL); not entirely sure what genre they are considered (for purposes of organizing the music on my comp, I stuck them in a folder entitled "Melodic", for lack of a better term).
Of the stuff played on contemporary "Mix" type stations, I LOVE Beyonce and Pink, and also enjoy Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake (dude should just join the cast of SNL permanently; that would make ME a weekly viewer again), and David Cook (and no, it isn't because he's from near my hometown).
I also love Broadway (Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, what I've heard of Wicked) and soundtracks (mostly scores, with stuff like Disney's Enchanted mixed in on the lyrical side; LOVE choral scores.... "Duel of the Fates" and the theme from "Glory" are amongst my faves).
So, yeah..... That's only the tip of the iceberg.
Joy
PS: Oh, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the House MD soundtrack (and ADORE Hugh Laurie and the Band From TV), and I REALLY love Robert Downey Jr.'s album "The Futurist".