Iona - Open Sky

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Music reviews of Open Sky

Music Review: Excellent Album Slightly Lower in Quality Than Their Others
Rating: 4 Stars

Each of Iona's studio albums (Iona, The Book of Kells, Beyond These Shores, Journey Into the Morn, and now Open Sky) deals with a different theme relating to Celtic Christian history. This time around, the band draws its inspiration from Columba's mystical experience with God on the isle of Hinba:"This is where you prayed and Heaven's light shone down/This is where you sang the angel song ... Here you came to make your fast/Prayed for mercy, 'til at last/You heard the word you waited for" (from "Hinba"). A liner note on the inside of the CD jacket provides the listener with additional information on this event. Listening to and reflecting on Iona's albums can be an educational experience!

But Iona is never satisfied to write just one song about such an event. Whatever they choose as the theme of their album becomes the inspiration for several tracks or even the entire album, with a mixture of songs both directly related to the subject matter and ones that indirectly draw contemporary applications from it. "Hinba," not surprisingly to long-time Iona listeners, is followed by the 3-part "Songs of Ascent," a musical exploration of Columba's prayers and, by extension, any prayers that draw us closer to God. And just as fervent prayers strengthened Columba's faith in the 6th century, we live in a world where people ("Friendship's Door"), moonlight ("Light Reflected"), and all of creation ("Wave After Wave," "A Million Stars") point us to God and renew our faith. Through this faith, we long for the Heaven (the title track, "Castlerigg") from which Columba received healing.

The songs themselves point out another one of Iona's great strengths: Joanne Hogg's mystical, poetic lyrics. "An emptiness for You to fill/My soul a cavern for Your sea" she writes at the climax of "Songs of Ascent Part One," and these lines neatly sum up her outlook on life as evidenced in almost all of Iona's lyrical pieces. She knows all too well her (and our) need to respond to and be filled by God. On this album, that frequently means recognizing His goodness: "I feel the depth of your love and devotion/My heart like the bird that dives into this ocean blue" ("Wave After Wave").

On Open Sky, as always, such thoughts are communicated through Ms. Hogg's beautiful, ethereal, and often breathtaking vocals. She is backed by impeccable musicianship from Troy Donockley, Frank Van Essen, Phil Barker, and, particularly, band leader Dave Bainbridge. Any Iona album introduces you to a wide variety of sounds and moods, and you never know what to expect from one moment to the next. Iona mixes songs with instrumental pieces, and Open Sky contains quite a few of the latter.

This is an excellent, outstanding album that suffers only in comparison with the band's previous albums. The theme of this album is not arranged as intricately as in previous ones, and Ms. Hogg evidently fought writer's block through a good portion of the creation process. Also, after a long sabbatical that saw some personnel changes, it seems on this album that Iona is just getting warmed up again. Still, a lesser Iona album is head and shoulders above just about any other out there. Don't hesitate to run out and buy this one!

Description of Open Sky

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