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Product Details
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Track Listings
| 1. Incantation (2:35) |
| 2. The Gates Of Istanbul (6:59) |
| 3. Caravanserai (7:36) |
| 4. The English Ladye And The Knight (7:36) |
| 5. Kecharitomene (6:34) |
| 6. Penelopes Song (4:21) |
| 7. Sacred Shabbat (3:59) |
| 8. Beneath A Phrygian Sky (9:32) |
| 9. Never-ending Road (Amhrán Duit) (6:00) |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
It's been nearly a decade since Loreena McKennitt's last studio album, The Book of Secrets, but An Ancient Muse picks up the caravan exactly where she left off on her mystical journey through the cultures of the Middle East and northern Sahara. The Canadian singer opens this album the same way as she did her last two recordings: with an incantation, calling out in a wordless voice across an echoing space, cleansing the air and the mind. What follows is a lot like those albums as well, a pan-global excursion centered on Middle Eastern themes and instruments cast into a dramatic exotica. Oud, dumbek, kanoun, hurdy-gurdy, duduk, nyckleharpe (a Swedish-keyed fiddle), and other ancient sounds from the region and beyond ornament her music, though "ornament" might no longer be accurate. With the exception of Hugh Marsh's gypsy violin solos and a handful of other players, it's the Western instruments that serve as ornaments on An Ancient Muse. McKennitt long ago evolved the Celtic sound that launched her career. She's virtually abandoned the harp, which hasn't appeared on her CDs since 1991's The Visit. The lone uillean pipe on "Beneath a Phrygian Sky" sounds like an echo calling from the McKennitt's past. Nevertheless, the Celtic ballad form remains central to her music, and she still draws inspiration from ye olde writers of the British Isles. Lyrics from Sir Walter Scott adorn "The English Ladye and the Knight," recalling "The Lady of Shalott." But despite McKennitt's soaring alto, the tale drags under the dirge-like meter and ponderous arrangement. The epic track of this album is the aforementioned "Beneath a Phrygian Sky," with distorted electric guitar accents and an acoustic guitar melody carrying McKennitt on another journey into her romanticized version of the ancient world. --John Diliberto
Album Description
Once heard, never forgotten. From the Scottish borders to the caravanserais of the Silk Road and the wine-dark seas of Homers Odyssey: music that crosses borders and centuries. Join the journey with An Ancient Muse, the new studio album from Canadas internationally acclaimed eclectic Celtic singer/composer, Loreena McKennitt.
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Most helpful customer reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
McKennitt's best effort yet!,
By Curio (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: An Ancient Muse (Audio CD)
After nearly 10 years since her last release, The Book of Secrets, I'm glad to say that this Canadian songstress still has it--and in spades!Infused with the very soul of mysticism, the music is a journey to times long past but certainly not forgotten, thanks in part to McKennitt's rich, celebratory blend of cultures in each tune. Gone (I believe) is the harp, but yet, there is still an unmistakeable Celtic essence, the basis of her work. Opening in much the same way that The Mask and Mirror and The Book of Secrets did--with evocative, wordless intonations that really set the mood, it moves on to the exotic and alluring "Gates of Istanbul"--here is a slow but infectious rhythm that lingers long after the last note. "Caravanserai" is beautiful, soaring into a more subdued but sensitive treatment of the poem "The English Ladye and the Knight," before launching back into high gear into my personal favourite--"Kecharitomene," an adventurous, passionate song that swells blissfully, layer upon rich layer in a lovely aural landscape. "Penelope's Song" sets us back on earth before the up-tempo "Sacred Shabbat," an excellent instrumental arrangement, but to me, sounding curiously contained or flat where other tracks possess great depth and clarity. "Beaneath a Phyrigian Sky" makes up for this small hiccup, a song I think of as the siblng of her wonderful "Bonny Portmore." Concluding this sublime release is "Never-ending Road" (may it be indicative of her career, and further albums!), an emotive, haunting end comparable to what "Dante's Prayer" or "Prospero's Speech" did for Secrets and Mask, respectively. This is a CD that radiates inspiration, care, and sensitivity, a culmination of Loreena McKennitt's skill and talent as a musician in what is likely her best release yet!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
the book of secrets - part II,
This review is from: An Ancient Muse (Audio CD)
Years ago I fell in love with the "the book of secrets" and "An Ancient Muse" begins where "the book of secrets" left off. Rediscovering those themes of Middle Eastern Origins, from North Africa to Afganistan. "An Ancient Muse" may not be quite as good as "the book of secrets", however it is a close 2nd. Loreena McKennitt delivers a perfect album with haunting themes that will transform you. You will not be disappointed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ahh... I'd Forgotten...,
By
This review is from: An Ancient Muse (Audio CD)
I'd been looking and hoping for a new Loreena McKennitt CD for years. I'd given up hope. Stopped looking...Then -- there in The Lyric (the Baltimore opera house) -- Loreena McKennitt on tour! First I bought the tickets. Then I bought AN ANCIENT MUSE. Having moved on from my "new age" phase of some years back my head's been in different musical spaces: serious/wondrous jazz, guitar virtuosos, classical music... So when MUSE arrived... I was in the wrong "gear"... But with a concert fast approaching I had to find the set list, compile my own iTunes version of the concert, "get ready." And what a world Loreena McKennitt weaves! Ahh... I'd forgotten... MUSE has been on repeat all afternoon as I worked and thought about what to say. (Ahh... I'd forgotten...) Once you're in the right musical head space -- world music not jazz, poems set to music not motif development upon development, etc. -- Loreena McKennitt stirs the heart like few others. For me it's her voice, the courage to set long poems to music, the richness of the instrumental sounds... and did I mention her voice? Having devoured her earlier CDs -- I've got them all! -- I feel confident when I say AN ANCIENT MUSE is right up there with the best of them! Enjoy... and feast your ears! Dr. Kirtland C Peterson
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