I am glad to hear that Canadian recording artist Loreena McKennitt has released ‘A Mummer’s Dance Through Ireland’. The record is a compilation of her Irish themed music which I think is very appropriate since she did find inspiration in Ireland when she was still starting up in the 80s. It’s the serenity and melancholy of the Irish landscapes that lend themselves in tunes like Stolen Child (Elemental), Bonny Portmore (The Visit) and Mummer’s Dance (Book of Secret). Loreena is what J.K.Rowling is to fantasy enthusiasts. She has created a distinctive genre singing in that strong and unique voice of hers that one critic likened her to a Homer’s Siren in The Odyssey.

  My interest of things Loreena McKennitt started when I read a review about her in Newsweek magazine somewhere in the mid-90s. It was a brief account of her evocative voice and her references to St.John of the Cross and William Shakespeare. I also got my first taste of her recording when a friend lent me the tape of Mask and the Mirror. I fell in love with the whole haunting atmosphere she introduce on each of her recordings.  For me atmosphere is very important. That is something lacking in Rock, Jazz and pop music and you can’t blame me if I really like artists who are into re-verb and stuff. Congratulations to Ms McKennitt for being back after a ten-year absence from the music scene.

More infos are available here: http://www.quinlanroad.com/shopping/mummers.asp