Loreena McKennit - An Ancient Muse
The latest album... she is getting more perfect in style with each one!
Also the instrumental section is reacher than ever!
Recorded at Real World Studios and featuring a host of acclaimed musicians, the album proffers a treasure trove of instruments, from harp, hurdy-gurdy and accordion to oud, lyra, kanoun and nyckelharpa (the Scandinavian keyed fiddle).
The song Caravanserai immediately became my favourite song of her, even before I read the booklet where it says that it was written on the way to Konya. I went there two years ago to witness the total solar eclipse! And I also learned that my second favourite song from her, Dante's Prayer, was written in a train across Siberia... I'm supposed to take that train this year in order to witness the next total solar eclipse. How many coincidences... creepy...
I also bought her DVD - Live at Alhambra... it is a bomb. The songs sound even better live than in the studio! It is very professionally recorded, the camera zooms those instruments playing at that moment so that one can see and hear them at the same time!
Nyckelharpa kicks arse, it is exactly behind Loreena when she plays piano. Also, the camera zooms the fiddler when Loreena sings "when the fiddler plays" in The Mummer's Dance!
And I also bought the latest Ayreon - *checks the tittle* 01011001
What a bunch of great vocalists on the same album!
Hansi just rulez... what a noble sounding voice. Anneke, Floor and Simone too.
It's interesting that the vocalists got special signs, marking their parts of the lyrics in the booklet!
Hansi got the Celtic encircled cross, like that Vibeke used to wear
, Floor got the Greek capital letter omega and Anneke got the heart! I wonder why.... you too wolfshade?