Loreena McKennitt - An Ancient Muse
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Free Music Notes for An Ancient Muse
Free Music Review: A Triumphal Return!
Hit: 5 Stars
The last decade has been the poorer for the lack of a new album by the only female singer I enjoy. Her return is worthy beyond the reach of mere others: the songs meaningful and haunting, the production as nearly flawless as mere mortals may hope to achieve.
Were I to make any comment that might be construed as less-than-enthusiastic, I'd comment that the ambience of this album is very like "Book of Secrets"--though that is no flaw. Admittedly I might have been ever-so-slightly-better-pleased to hear a groundbreaking new sound; but--Hey!--after what she's been through, could any other artist accomplish as much in a return? I very much doubt it. Most artists become moribund by a second or third album. Christmas, somehow lacking in the three years since the final installment of Lord of the Rings, once again has something new and fresh to remind me of the renewal that is the hallmark of Christmas. Thank You, Ms. McKennitt!
Free Music Review: Another Kingdom of Heavens
Hit: 5 Stars
A beautiful musical blend between East and West.
This could be the shortest description someone could give about this great CD.
I have bought "An Ancient Muse" few days ago as I was told about its musical sound mixture and was not sure what to expect.
Since I have put this CD in my CD player I am having a hard time playing anything else.
Living in Lebanon, The sound of this album reflects very much the oriental musical atmosphere I live in, an oriental blend well mixed with the European; and since this place was occupied once by the Arabs and Crusaders, From Turkey, passing by Lebanon, Jordan and reaching Jerusalem, the album is a perfect feel of this area in every sound aspect.
"An Ancient Muse" is a very relaxing CD. If you like this musical atmosphere, I highly recommend the Soundtrack "Kingdom of Heavens" which delivers the same musical atmosphere of similar historical background.
Free Music Review: Loreena's Back
Hit: 5 Stars
"This record is a little like equipping yourself with a Eurail card. It's like saying, `I don't know where I'm going to go to on this trip. I'm just going to get on board the train, and allow each encounter to lead to the next.'" So says Loreena McKennitt at her website, regarding her release "An Ancient Muse." Although gone from the recording studio for nine years, she shows that her clear, clean, beautiful voice has not suffered in the meantime. Her "train trip" takes us back to the Middle East, for the most part, to explore the instruments, sounds and melodies of that area of the world, one that she has devoted to much study. A side trip or two is in order ("The English Ladye And The Knight," lyrics by Sir Walter Scott; "Penelope's Song" from Greece), but in all directions Loreena leads to unexpected places and auditory pleasures in her latest CD. It's one of her best, and definitely worth adding to your collection.Free Music Review: Another Great Loreena McKennitt CD!
Hit: 5 Stars
In "An Ancient Muse", Loreena Mckennitt continues her celtic journey - following in the footsteps of the ancient celts & using this as inspiration to create her soul-stirring, beautiful music.
The liner notes/booklet are a great addition to this CD. In it she shares information about her travels, as well as the meaning behind each song. Her ability & choice to share these stories & explain her thought/heart processes to her listeners makes her music all the more powerful.
I do have to admit that some parts of this CD sound the same as (or at least very similar to) music included on prior CD's. Although it's noticable, I didn't find that it took anything away from the "newness" of "An Ancient Muse".
Overall, I found this to be another awesome Loreena McKennitt CD & I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys celtic music - it won't disappoint!
Free Music Review: Great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
I think the biggest gripe about this CD stems from a premature judgment that the recording is unoriginal, or that Loreena hasn't created anything new since "The Book of Secrets". Personally, I couldn't disagree more: my initial thought was that "An Ancient Muse" was really stunning. The greatness of it comes from the BLEND of old and new--it's true that there isn't anything different or edgy, the songs are a blend of old Loreena and something more contemporary, taking the best from older recordings like "The Visit" and "Parallel Dreams" and infusing them with the Asian beats of "The Mask and Mirror" and "The Book of Secrets." We're led in a more cosmopolitan direction--we hear a Celtic-Asian blend, so to speak. Perhaps in the future Loreena's travels will take her in an entirely new direction, but for the time being, her music--in every one of its incarnations--is better than ever.