Distant Bell Review

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(More customer reviews)The tracklisting is
1. Gently Johnny
2. So Uncool
3. Innocence Sleeping
4. Banks of the Nile
5. Simple Lyric
6. No More Words
7. Too Late
8. The Trees They Do Grow High
9. Greenwood Laddie
10. Timeless
11. Handful of Ashes
12. Farewell to Music (w. Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains)
13. Gently Johnny (Extended Version)
"A Distant Bell" is Caroline Lavelle's third solo album. She has collaborated with many artists ranging from BT ("The Great Escape"), Chicane ("Lost You Somewhere") and Massive Attack ("Home of The Whale") to Vangelis ("Come To Me"), Hector Zazou ("The Freeze, "Lies Will Flow") and the violinist Nigel Kennedy ("Breathing Stone"). She has also contributed to Muse's "Origin of Symmetry", Radiohead's "The Bends", Loreena McKennitt's "Book of Secrets" and the legendary Irish band Chieftains, attending live tours of these artists with her cello and backing vocals.
A versatile sought-after vocalist and cellist by artists of classic, new age, electronic, chamber folk genres, Caroline Lavelle established alongside her collaborations a parallel solo career that has been one of profound experimentation. Merging traditional Irish tunes with electronic blends (on debut "Spirit", produced by William Orbit), she released an album which surpasses all the likes of Enya. Her second album, "Brilliant Midnight" is a brilliant showcase of her own song-writing and producing skills as well as the depths of her personality.
"A Distant Bell", her third solo effort intermingles, again, the traditional British-Irish tunes with that very creative and sensual attitute towards song-wirting and performing that she exhibited in her previous records. All the songs are crafted with a careful sense of perfection alongside many moments of inspirational spontaneity.

To the changes undergone, "A Distant Bell" has a minimum electronics and maximum of acoustics. The majority of the songs are performed with strings, haunting guitars, pianos and Lavelle's wonderful voice. The result is a unique and fresh interpretation of evergreen traditionality. Her distinctive voice accompany the album's emotive melodies so smoothly as to put you into a state of insurmountable captivation of music.
The haunting emotional essence of the record is further reinforced with her well-crafted self-written songs like gentle "So Uncool", the catchy Irish gem "No More Words", "Too Late" and the glorious climax "Timeless", which goes

"But old love grows so long / that the part above the ground has less effect / and time can wither tender shoots / but leaves those roots secure and strong / But the best love has no time / no forwards, backwards but only now / It's strong arms hold you when you walk and / if you fall you're always caught"... This is exquisite poetry clothed with music, at its best! A perfect 50 min. for forgetting the day and embarking on an acoustic chamber folk journey!
Also don't forget visit Caroline's website carolinelavelle.com where you can stream all the the songs on the album plus discover background of her previous albums, her own record label and some B-sides!


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An Ancient Muse Review

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(More customer reviews)AN ANCIENT MUSE. Just the title seems to suggest songs celebrating the past. Fans have waited a decade for this album, myself included. Many reviewers will tell you it falls short of expectations or explores no new territory.....in some ways I find I have to agree...
The album opens with the sun illuminating ancient landscapes in "Invocation" an instrumental chant both haunting and beautiful. We walk through "The Gates of Istanbul" starting our journey thru the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and the splendor of modern Turkey. The song is steady and rhythmic and Loreena's voice has the same banshee/angel quality it always had...no disappointment here.
The night finds weary journeymen who have camped for the night at a "Caravanserai"...an inn for the caravans of Asia. She weaves a story of the many adventures and scenery she has seen before stopping to rest...on a journey home. Easily her best song....great live performance can be seen at her website.
Next a tale of Scotland's woe...words by Sir Walter Scott set to an arrangement of music by Loreena...as she sings of the tragic love between "The English Ladye and the Knight". This kind of poetic adaption has been done before by McKennitt...."Snow", "Dark Night of the Soul" and "The Highwayman" to name a few examples. Her voice is strong and emotionally charged.....the most beautiful song on the album.
From here on out....the rest of the album delivers some fine songs. However, they are not as striking as the first four. Disappointed? I'm not...these songs will grow on me...I didn't wait 10 years just to tear apart her new album!! So for now, I can say it is worth buying.
If you like stories of history, tragic love affairs, and poetry...listen to Loreena McKennitt's AN ANCIENT MUSE.

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An Ancient Muse is "eclectic celtic" - singer/composer Loreena McKennitt's highly-anticipated first new studio recording in nine years. Taking up where her previous work left off, McKennitt fuses the melodic sensibility of Celtic Balladry with musical traditions from Greece, Turkey, Spain, and beyond. Once heard, never forgotten, Loreena MacKennitt leads the listener on a timeless journey from the Scottish borders to the caravanserais of the Silk Road to the wine-dark seas of Homer's Odyssey. McKennitt's worldwide multi-platinum sales culminated in her most recent album, 1997's The Book of Secrets, which reached #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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A Mediterranean Odyssey Review

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(More customer reviews)For those who could not see Loreena in Budapest, this is the next best thing. I nearly gave this four stars - but decided that five stars were merited for both Loreena's talent and for the incredible musicians. What almost lost her a star was that there IS NO NEW MATERIAL on this CD set. All of the songs are available on her other sets.
One CD is just a sampling of her music, sort of a "greatest hits" collection without actually putting that on the CD cover - maybe Loreena thought that was too passe', too ABBAish, if I can turn that group into an adjective....(And Yes, ABBA was a fun band)
The other CD has an assortment of her music recorded at the various locations on her latest tour and it would have been fantastic to see her perform these in Budapest and Istanbul. She has changed some of the songs slightly, and her voice has a warmth and depth that it does not have on the Alhambra DVD. The other change is a greater emphasis of the bass guitar, which can seem out of place with the Celtic/Byzantine direction she had been going, and makes it sound a little more jazzy. The violin is not as pronounced as it was on Alhambra, which is a capital shame since Hugh is so singularly talented, and Nigl has been entirely replaced on the hurdy gurdy, AND YOU CAN TELL. What happened to Nigl?
I enjoyed this for the warm tone of Loreena's voice, and it is replete with beauty and talent - just wish it had some new material. If I had to pick one CD to take with me, it would still be the Alhambra.

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A Mediterranean Odyssey comprises a richly designed Limited Edition 2 disc set commemorating Loreena McKennitt's 2009 Mediterranean Tour. Designed to attract not only the legions of devoted Loreena listeners, but to expose and inspire the uninitiated to an exotic, haunting and emotional musical experience they will never forget. A glittering addition to Loreena McKennitt's catalogue - A Mediterranean Odyssey combines NEW live performances of audience favourites from her 2009 Mediterranean Tour with a collection of previously released studio recordings. Inspired by the tones, textures and rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean, this latest release features virtuosic performances on authentic instruments including oud, lyra, bouzouki, harp and hurdy-gurdy alongside electric guitar, cello and percussion. Experience the continuing journey of the Celts across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas with this evocative 2-disc set. Disc 1 "The Olive and the Cedar" A Mediterranean-inspired collection of 11 studio recordings personally selected by Loreena McKennitt from her back catalogue. Disc 2 "From Istanbul to Athens" Is 56 minutes of concert highlights from the 2009 Mediterranean Tour including five songs not featured in previous Loreena McKennitt "in concert" releases. Includes a 24 page, lavishly illustrated booklet featuring on-location photographs captured during the tour.

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