Loreena McKennitt - An Ancient Muse
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Free Music Notes for An Ancient Muse
Free Music Review: Be good to yourself and buy this CD and then the Live DVD CD Combo
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw her live last week and bought the DVD with the two audio CD's at the show. She was amazing and she ROCKED!! The DVD will not be available until this fall, so save your money and get it! I had no problems playing any of her CD's or the DVDs on my laptop.
Her voice is flawless live and she seems to sing so effortlessly. The band members show they have a good times playing with each other and the camera men do a good job at catching the moments! I love seeing old traditional instruments from other cultures being played. I wouldn't enjoy a concert of synthesizers and voice overdubbing to sound ethereal, therefore, I don't consider her new age. They do it the right way! The way it was done from the beginning. The DVD has surround sound 5.1. Pre order it and if you can and do yourself a favor and see her live sometime. Her shows are like her music, enchanting, powerful and plain fun!!! Some songs did bring some wet eyes but they are suppose to if they are really good!
I love to play this CD when I am doing house work as it makes the mundane chores fly. I can dance and sweep at the same time. : ) and I play it before bed to relax. It works both ways!! My favorites are "Penelopes Song" (reminiscent of "Dantes Prayer") ... oh forget it I love them all! If you love her earlier recordings you will not be disappointed and if you never heard of her you will not be disappointed if you truly love music and culture.
Free Music Review: Winter Escape into Mystery
Hit: 5 Stars
The first time I noticed the album cover, I was completely intrigued with the distant snow-capped mountains and invitation into a cozy magical tent, you might just happen upon in a magical forest. The music was worth the wait, with moments that delivers on the promise of mystery. Once you enter the mood, it remains consistent throughout and can create a world in which to relax or escape.
"Pray for their souls who died for love,
For Love shall still be lord of all"
The highlight of this album seemed to be "The English Ladye and the Knight" until I heard "Penelope's Song" that is even more impressive. The lyrics are romantic and dreamy:
"Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me."
This track is followed by a purely instrumental "Kecharitomene" with ancient echoes and Celtic worlds mingling as one in an enchanting fusion. The songs have a sacred quality enhanced greatly by the soft beauty in Loreena McKennitt's voice.
The instrumentation throughout is of rare beauty with "Beneath A Phrygian Sky" capturing the very heart of the muse. The entire album is not only a mesmerizing listening experience; it is an escape into mystery where Loreena McKennitt whispers your soul awake.
~The Rebecca Review
Free Music Review: Ahh... I'd Forgotten...
Hit: 5 Stars
I'd been looking and hoping for a new Loreena McKennitt CD for years. I'd given up hope. Stopped looking...
Then -- there in The Lyric (the Baltimore opera house) -- Loreena McKennitt on tour! First I bought the tickets. Then I bought AN ANCIENT MUSE.
Having moved on from my "new age" phase of some years back my head's been in different musical spaces: serious/wondrous jazz, guitar virtuosos, classical music... So when MUSE arrived... I was in the wrong "gear"...
But with a concert fast approaching I had to find the set list, compile my own iTunes version of the concert, "get ready." And what a world Loreena McKennitt weaves! Ahh... I'd forgotten...
MUSE has been on repeat all afternoon as I worked and thought about what to say. (Ahh... I'd forgotten...)
Once you're in the right musical head space -- world music not jazz, poems set to music not motif development upon development, etc. -- Loreena McKennitt stirs the heart like few others. For me it's her voice, the courage to set long poems to music, the richness of the instrumental sounds... and did I mention her voice?
Having devoured her earlier CDs -- I've got them all! -- I feel confident when I say AN ANCIENT MUSE is right up there with the best of them!
Enjoy... and feast your ears!
Dr. Kirtland C Peterson
Free Music Review: Ancient Voice
Hit: 5 Stars
There is no other musical voice today that speaks such one world magic as Loreena McKennitt in her recent release of Ancient Muse. As a long time fan, I was excited to finally hear her long awaited follow up to The Book of Secrets. Amazing! She did not disappoint me as I was mesmerized and transported to another place in time. A very Middle Eastern sensitivity is apparent through the veils of lyrics floating amidst the strings and percussion variations. The more you listen to this ...the more you can hear, as poetic visions are felt. Her lyrics and music echoe the voices of the great Sufis and ancient troubadours from another era.
Her strengths on this disc are her visionary skills, delicately reflecting the deeper mirrors of the psyche. This is a tapestry of music woven from Celtic, Greek, and Turkish threads. They are ancient elements or divine oracles of truths waiting inside each of us to be experienced. Many times I felt I was somehow elevated into a momentary spiritual portal of revelation. The only down side is I wanted to remain in this state of rapture much longer.
Dont let us wait so long dear Loreena, for you are a true visionary. You speak to all of us about human themes of love, home, and the journey of Life no matter what culture we represent. This ancient voice...this Ancient Muse is timeless!
Free Music Review: Very pleasing
Hit: 5 Stars
I do not propose to make an detailed, track-by-track review of the work; that has already been thoroughly done by others. Rather, I will simply give my reasons for liking Loreena's latest work.
I bought 6 of Loreena's albums, largely simultaneously, and having listened to them all, I see no tired repetition or lack of creativity. This CD's contents are definitely new and constitute good listening. Every artist by nature introduces something of a common thread in all of his/her works, and Loreena McKennitt is no exception. However, if one simply listens for what is there, rather that what he/she wants to be there, he/she will notice not only the common thread, but the subtle and not-so-subtle differences that make this CD truly unique.
Here is how I arrive at that conclusion:
The way I see it, listening to music really is not about me. It is not about me listening to what I know makes me feel good or puts me in some other particular mood. It is much different. One one level, it is about seeing what the artist has to offer, and perhaps sampling an echo of the creative process. On a far less cerebral level, it is like looking at roses that are beautiful for the sake of being beautiful (enjoying the music for its own sake).
Buy the CD, you won't regret it.