Loreena McKennitt - The Wind That Shakes The Barley
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Artist: Loreena McKennittEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2010-11-16
Music Label: Verve
Soundtracks:
- As I Roved Out
- On a Bright May Morning
- Brian Boru's March
- Down By the Sally Gardens
- The Star of the County Down
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley
- The Death of Queen Jane
- The Emigration Tunes
- The Parting Glass
Music reviews of The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Music Review: McKennitt does the Celtic Highlands
Rating: 5 Stars
Every McKennitt listener has often longed for an album of tracks that pay tribute to Ireland & the Celts, and while Loreena has consistently produced sets that are more Eastern oriented, this marks the first time shes gone head-on and tackled such rich source material from the Irish Songbook.
And of course, this is a natural fit. Many of us have long thought that McKennitts' voice is ideally suited toward Celtic songs, perhaps even more so than Enya's, but to see these old classics come to life under her tutelage is a wonder of its own. The album is also solidly divided into obvious categories - uptempo, ballads, and instrumentals (with vocal backing at times). For a change, the ballads shine through, on recordings such as "An Ancient Muse" they often seemed meandering, but it seems McKennitt has got it figured out on this one - consider "The Death of Queen Jane" - with any other songstress this could have gone terribly wrong, but here its almost epic.
The standout would have to be the very atmospheric and experimental title track "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" - this is a traditional piece but is far the most acoustic thing here - as it is, it is cold, distant and rocky - much like the sparse mountains and hills of the area it is culled from - and if its mood and memory you're after, this is definitely the go-to track. On more upbeat traditionals such as "The Star of the Country Down", its evident that the term 'instant classic' could be applied without the slightest falter. These songs were made to be sung by McKennitt's dexterous voice; and I suspect they will find their way onto any traditional Irish playlist as a standard.
If you gravitated toward the more instrumental and hook-oriented pieces of Loreena's past such as "Marco Polo", then this album has "Brian Boru's March", a largely instrumental track that captures in essence what this entire project is all about. Riveting. Even on tracks that seem to be far too traditional in nature (and indeed, that is the point of this record), the singer is able to bring to it a lot of dignity and nuance, which is why this is a quality enterprise in totality. Regard "On a Bright May Morning", a song that in anyone elses' hands would have been a snoozefest - here its transformed into an anthem of sorts.
The closer, "The Parting Glass" is a poignant piece of work that comes and goes as a whisper - feathery, delicate, yet beautifully structured. The crystal clear vocals and attentional to instrumentation and musical detail will have you reaching for the repeat button. In fact, that can be said of this entire project, which easily shines on its own within Loreena's own discography. Granted, its an acquired taste if you do not normally listen to Celtic music or aren't very fond of it, but theres something here for everyone. Fans of the "Celtic Woman" series, Clannad, Enya, or even Afro Celt Sound System, will find much to gather here.
Five Stars. Indispensable addition to the world music catalog.
Description of The Wind That Shakes The Barley
In a stirring and inspirational return to her roots, Loreena McKennitt has created a new album of traditional Celtic songs, recorded this summer in the historic 1832 Sharon Temple north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.International CDs
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