Elemental

The Visit Mixing a variety of styles with a Celtic base, this was McKennitt's breakthrough album and remains one of her most musically interesting. "All Souls Night" begins the album, with dance-like rhythms and McKennitt's wonderful voice singing about the Celtic New Year. Other features ...	An Ancient Muse It's been nearly a decade since Loreena McKennitt's last studio album, The Book of Secrets, but An Ancient Muse picks up the caravan exactly where she left off on her mystical journey through the cultures of the Middle East and northern Sahara. The Canadian singer opens this albu...	The Mask and Mirror McKennitt's travels through Spain and Morocco flavor this album with a distinctly Mediterranean tinge, from the opening "The Mystic's Dream," with its dancing percussion arrangements, to "Marrakesh Night Market," to "Full Circle" and the instrumental "Santiago." "Marrakesh Night ...	Parallel Dreams (Bonus DVD)	The Book of Secrets McKennitt's recordings always have the quality of a spiritual sojourn; her songs are those of a seeker, whether she's setting Yeats, Scripture, or her own words to her compositions. It's this that attracts people to her music, and The Book of Secrets is no exception, whether it's...
Parallel Dreams Parallel Dreams captures harpist/vocalist Loreena McKennitt at her absolute finest. Fully immersed in the Celtic style, this London, Ontario, performer's voice is lush and layered in warm harmonies, soaring overtop equally beautiful instrumentation. Flowing between traditional ("...	To Drive the Cold Winter Away This is not your father's Christmas album. Loreena McKennitt's primary instrument is the harp, but her primary technique is to take a traditional folk song and supersize it with strings, modern rhythms, and lush orchestration. It's a style that works ideally with this material. H...	A Winter Garden: Five Songs For The Season Loreena McKennitt's "songs for the season" are haunting for their beauty and her fascinating voice. Blending traditional Irish music with worldbeat and New Age-like instrumentation, McKennitt's arrangements are at once elegant and eloquent, enchanting and familiar, whether she's ...	Stardust (Widescreen Edition) Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2008 Run time: 127 minutes Rating: Pg13	The Mask and Mirror

REQUIRED LISTENING! Trust Me, it's 'ELEMENTAL!'
As you will gather from my other reviews of her work, Loreena McKennitt is a very special musician. There are no others like her, period. Somebody close???........perhaps Enya, yet they are far apart, in truth. I discovered Loreena at an acquaintance's house in 1995 in Pennsylvania where I had gone for a weekend. The album I was "introduced" to was "The Visit", and the song that hooked me was "Lady of Schallot". When I came home, I looked for the album, and could only find this one by her, so I bought it. Instantaniously, I fell in love with this album, and here, which I do not usually do in a review, songs will be singled out. Listen to "Blacksmith", "Carrighfergus", "Banks Of Claudy", and "Lullaby"...simply wonderful, soul-moving, music that cannot fail to touch the heart. Again, best listened to with the lights either down very low, or completely off, and, preferably with a warm cup of Earl Gray! ~operabruin

Spare, sparkling Celtic ballads with subtle shades of things to come
This is Loreena McKennitt unplugged, on what is--to my knowledge--her first album. These are gentle, wistful songs, primarily minor in flavor and performed in a fairly traditional manner. "Elemental" is a short CD, only about 33 minutes long. Eight of its nine songs are vocals--mostly Loreena singing in her sweet, lilting voice to her own harp accompaniments, although gentle additions of acoustic bass, accordion, synthesizer, cello, guitar and occasional multitracks of her own voice sometimes enhance the pieces as well. "Carrighfergus" is a duet with singer and guitarist Cedric Smith, and Lullaby is a poem by William Blake, read by Douglas Campbell and accompanied by McKennitt's vocalise and instrumentation. Other guest artists include cellist Pat Mullin and acoustic bass player George Greer. There's none of the bodaceous intensity and world music instrumentations of McKennitt's later work (like "The Mask and the Mirror" and "The Book of Secrets") but a delicate, dreamy magic drifts through this album that is delightfully restful and soothing. And her deft, delicate, evocative arrangements of harp and harmony, even at this early stage of her career, stand out as something special. Follow Loreena McKennitt's development as a musician and composer by collecting all her wonderful works! Her next release after "Elemental" was "To Drive the Cold Winter Away," followed by "Parallel Dreams." Try also the work of Kim Robertson and Aine Minogue, two more elegantly innovative harpists and composers.

Possibly my favorite CD.
It's hard to decide which CD of Loreena McKennitt's is my favorite. I have decided that she is my favorite performing/recording artist. If you like peaceful yet powerful; mystical music that takes you away to other lands -sung by someone with a voice that can not be described (although pure, angelic,and magical come to mind) then try this album. Her music transgresses generations. The newer albums could be included in with the works of Peter Gabriel for their mystical Eastern flavor. This CD should be a staple for any fan of Celtic music...ok I'll stop now or I'll run on and on about how great she is...

Elements of Style
With a voice as clear and lovely as a moonlit winter's night, "Elemental" introduces us to Canada's Loreena McKennitt. And as beautiful as it is, this is one introduction you'll not soon forget. "Elemental," is Loreena McKennitt's 1985 debut release and is surely one of her finest. Although her style has become decidedly more complex over time, "Elemental" displays some of the now familiar aspects of that style. Here, as she does on later recordings, Loreena McKennitt combines the singing of traditional Celtic songs alongside her adaptations into song, of well-known poetic works. A look at McKennitt's website produced some interesting information that seems to explain the dramatic style evident in most of her work. According to the website, McKennitt was the recipient of a talent search award in 1978, representing her country that year and again in 1985 in international events. During those years she also distinguished herself as an actress/singer/composer in Canada's Shakespeare Festival. Thus, against this backdrop, the nine-track "Elemental" was recorded. Listen in and see how Loreena McKennitt draws us irresistibly into an enshrouded world wherein lost love and tragedy mercilessly await their moment. The album opens with McKennitt's adaptation of a traditional piece, "The Blacksmith." In an achingly pure voice, her subdued playing of the harp as the main accompaniment, McKennitt sets the theme with this song of love betrayed. Next, against a starkly laid backdrop of birdsong and softly ringing bells, McKennitt dazzles us with her interpretation of "She Moved Through the Fair." Though often thought of as a traditional piece, this lovely tune was actually written in the 20th century (though based on an older work). The next song, "Stolen Child," is Loreena's adaptation of a poem by the renowned Irish poet, W.B. Yeats. McKennitt's interpretation immerses the listener in an eerie atmosphere of mystery and sorrow. The fourth track, "The Lark in the Clear Air," is done as an instrumental, beautiful in its grace and simplicity. McKennitt's playing of the harp is perfectly suited to this short piece. "Elemental" next features another traditional Irish song, "Carrighfergus," with McKennitt in a duet with tenor Cedric Smith. The style here is quite well done, with Smith as the regretful love to the sorrowing McKennitt. The next three songs, "Kellswater," "Banks Of Claudy," and "Come By The Hills" are also McKennitt's arrangements of traditional pieces and are all strikingly beautiful. I had not actually heard of "Kellswater" before now, but it seems on the surface to be another song of love that may never come to fruition, made sadder still by the unwavering faith of its author. "Banks of Claudy" seems perhaps to be a variation of "There Was A Lady," and/or "Pretty Little Miss In The Garden." Aside from McKennitt's lovely vocals, the song is distinguished by its "lack" of tragedy. "Come By The Hills" is a poetic ode to the land itself, elegantly done, invoking a sense of yearning for such a place. The last track, "Lullaby" is an eerily, foreboding arrangement of a poem by William Blake, with McKennitt's calming vocals contrasted by the dark poetic recitation. It is dramatic and well done, anything but a lullaby. The appeal of "Elemental" to me is its simplicity of arrangement and the uniqueness Loreena McKennitt brings to each track. Beautifully sung, brilliantly chosen.

Always good
Loreena McKennitt is always good, her music never disappoints. There are three highlights to this CD, the first three songs. She starts with her interpretation of the traditional "Blacksmith" followed by a haunting version of "She Moved Through the Fair". However it is the third song that soars. Loreena has put William Butler Yeat's classic poem "Stolen Child" to music and the poem takes flight with her orchestration and vocals. The lyrics remain crisp and emotive with such lines as: Where dips the rocky highland Of sleuth wood in the lake There lies a leafy island Where flapping herons wake The drowsy water rats There we've hid our fairy vats Full of berries And of reddest stolen cherries. Come away oh human child To the waters and the wild With a faery hand in hand For the world's more full of weeping Than you can understand. Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim grey sands with light By far off furhter rosses We foot it all the night Weaving olden dances Mingling bands and mingling glances Till the moon has taken flight To and fro we leap And chase the frothy bubbles whilst the world is full of troubles And is anxious in its sleep. Where the wandering water gushes From the hills above glen car in pools among the rushes that scarce could bathe a star we seek for slumbering trout and whispering in their ears give them unquiet dreams leaning softly out from ferns that drop their tears over the young streams. Away with us he's going the solemned eyed He'll hear no more the lowing Of the calves on the warm hillside or the kellte on the hob Sing peace into his breast or see the brown mice bob round and round the oatmeal chest. For he comes, the human child to the waters and the wild with a faery hand in hand for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand. McKennitt makes this wonderful poem come alive for a new generation. That alone is worth the price of the CD.