from which I borrowed these pix.She's back and as good as ever. Loreena's seventh and latest album has been out since last fall. When I first got it, I was wearing out the CD. And she looks even cuter on this cover.
For those of you who don't know of her, and like Celtic, New Age and/or Folk music, please GET TO KNOW HER. She's great. Although trained as a veterinarian, Loreena becam a masterful harpist. She is one of the most literate musicians I like to listen too, drawing material from Charles Dickens, William Blake, William Butler Yeats, Alfred Lord Tennyson, King Henry VIII, William Shakespeare, St. John of the Cross, and Alfred ("tlot tlot") Noyes. Although she has played her harp less lately, she has been composing much.
Her discography, biography, and ordering information is available at
her own web page, Quinlan Road,
from which I borrowed these pix.
Elemental
the soothing Lullaby with an angry verses by William Blake,
and the handsome Blacksmith. She Moved Through
the Fair
is always haunting no matter who does it. 
To Drive The Cold Winter Away
This is my least favorite of her albums. It just doesn't
have the energy I like of the others.
Parallel
Dreams
Huron 'Beltane" Fire Dance is an intriguing meld of
Native American and Celtic music. The way the two beats interlace is mathematically
interesting, something that appears only a true Celtic musician can do
well.
The Visit
Ahh, the first music of hers that I heard...from an alternative
radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan, accompanied by Mike
Oldfield.
(May you rest in peace, WAMX.) All Souls Night is the best, and
a classic piece by Loreena that all her fans recognize.
Oddly, there appear to be two versions of the cover. On the more pensive
cover, Loreena almost looks like my long-lost twin sister, curly locks,
height, long face and all.
The
Mask and the Mirror
I was reluctant to get this album since I heard Loreena
did not play her harp on it. Mistake. The Mystic's Dream is a drawn-out,
soothing prelude, and Santiago is a fun faster piece.
A
Winter Garden
Although it has only five tunes, this is still a good buy
(especially in an after-Christmas sale). God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
and Good King Wenceslas are wonderfully gentle percussive versions
of the familliar songs.
The
Book of Secrets
Oooooh, it's about time. Not only does Loreena look good
on the cover, but her she expands her composing abilities. The Mummers'
Dance is a nostalgic and frollicking tune with catchy Renaissance lyrics.
A pop remix with a dance-beat feel released about February this year certainly
added to Loreena's popularity. Of course, only in May have I heard the
original version on any of the pop radio stations.
The Highwayman continues Loreena's literate oevre with a musical adaptation of Alfred Noyes' poem that I remember from Jr. High school. The snare drums, electric guitars and swells in the music are timed perfectly. (I'm afraid she outdoes Anne of Green Gables' rendition.) I already have a screenplay in my head from listening to it too much. It's a silent film with Loreena's music the only narration...