Live in Paris and Toronto

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 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...	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 ...	Nights from the Alhambra - (Jewel 2 CD + DVD) After nearly a decade off the scene, Loreena McKennitt returned to the performance and recording stage in 2006 and 2007. The Canadian singer picked up exactly where she left off, traveling through the Celtic-Middle Eastern fusions she explored on The Book of Secrets with her late...	The Mask and Mirror
No Journey's End Tracks:1 No Journey's End - Documentary2 The Bonny Swans3 The Mummers' Dance4 Explore The Music Of Loreena McKennitt5 The Mummers' Dance6 Bonny Portmore7 The Lady of Shalott8 Marco Polo9 Night Ride Across The Caucasus10 Dante's PrayerFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCER...	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 ...	Elemental	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 ...	Loreena McKennitt: Nights from the Alhambra (Amaray - DVD + 2CD) After nearly a decade off the scene, Loreena McKennitt returned to the performance and recording stage in 2006 and 2007. The Canadian singer picked up exactly where she left off, traveling through the Celtic-Middle Eastern fusions she explored on The Book of Secrets with her lat...

Annoying add-on, cannot load onto ipod
Okay, this is not a review of the music, since there are plenty of those here already. What I have a problem with is in the manufacturing process. Like another reviewer noted, this CD does not play well on my pc. Odd, for a digital format... Secondly, when I do open it on my pc I get an annoying macromedia flash window of self promotion. Thirdly, and my biggest complaint, is that I cannot load this onto my ipod. I'm sure there is a workaround, but I'm not proficient enough on a computer to know what it is. I understand that artists need to protect their works against piracy and illegal filesharing, but if I spend my money on a product with an already inflated price I should be able to listen to it the way I want. It is no wonder then that consumers get frustrated with the recording industry and their zillions in profits and turn to other means for getting their music. Just my two cents.

As She Proves Again....LOREENA RULES!!!!!
OK, Folks; this time, very short and sweet. Of all the "live" albums that I have purchased in the past, say 10 years, this IS IT! Truly a knockout, spellbinding set from this wonderful singer/songwriter/musician. None can touch her in the world of "Celtic", or "New Age", etc.! Recorded in two venues, one in Paris, and one in Canada, then edited together into a seamlessly beautiful performance. Don't just take my word for it, check out a few more of the reviews here, Then, go out and get this album, and ENJOY! ~operabruin

It's a live album, okay we get it
Musically, the recording is beautiful in every way except the long audience applause before and after every selection breaks the spell. Why did the producer feel that he had to put the audience applause on the recording? Is this somehow proof that it is indeed a live recording?

Ethereal
With a voice that can only be described as unworldly and ethereal, Loreena Mckennitt, with vocal and harp alike lifts the soul and offers a rare moment of beauty. Her interpretations of classic ballads marks this as an important album and indeed listening to it, I've often felt my heart skip a beat. That such a great talent has gone so long without producing a new album remains a loss for all music lovers, but at least we can take solace in this marvelous work. Truly a must have.

"Let your indulgence set me free."
This is a wonderful album on many reasons. Like most McKennitt fans I held off from buying it because I already had the songs on other CDs. This first CD is really a complete performance of The Book of Secrets, and the second is a carefully chosen selection from The Visit and The Mask and The Mirror (plus a hidden bit, which as you will see shortly could probably be considered a lament and a memory). By and large McKennitt stays very true to the original recordings. Tempo's are generally slightly slower, although there are exceptions like The Highwayman, which is a full minute faster here. There are subtle differences everywhere in phrasing and the inner working of her group. In a piece like The Mummer's Dance, for instance, you become much more aware of the workings on the strings. And songs like The Lady of Shallot and Dante's Prayer reach a level that can only be described as perfection. Live performance is the acid test of a musician's powers, and everyone in the group, from the likes of Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh to La McKennitt herself, achieves everything that could be desired. This was McKennitt's last album, put together in 1999. Suddenly a brilliant and fertile career came to a halt, with nothing about why every being said. The sole clue to the hiatus is two lines in the album folder dedicating the album to the memory of Ronald Douglas Rees and mentioning the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund For Water Search And Safety. Ronald Rees was Lorena McKennitt's fiancé and he died unexpectedly while she was wrapping up this album. For some time she was completely silent, but has gradually increased her performances again. Now a visit to her website reveals that another album is in progress. Good for us, and very good for Loreena as well. If for no other reason than that on two CDs you have many of McKennitt's songs done beautifully you should by this. For the newcomer, I can't imagine a better introduction to the work of a woman who is scholar, minstrel, and beauty. For the fan it is a reward for the affection of a singer/songwriter who has stayed steadily true to her vision of what should be, rather than fall to the lure of pop culture.