Editorial Reviews

This volume of Hearts of Space's "Celtic" series features the work of their label staples in an elongated -- and sometimes even poetic -- meditation on the "sacred." Of course, Christianity is prevalent in many of the old songs, but the feelings that groups such as Anúna, Stellamara, and even the Cambridge Singers inspire are outside of religion, and in some ways outside time. These original songs and interpretations are rendered in forms of sonic poetry that appeal to that which is sacred inside the individual as opposed to underscoring a particular tradition. One of the most moving cuts here is by the inimitable -- and almost absurdly gifted -- Cathie Ryan, whose reading of "Coaineadh Na Dtri Muire (Lament of the Three Marys)" carries within it the grief, the love, and the ghostly sense of absence that pervades the lives of the three women when Christ was taken from them. In the "lament" aspect of the title, the song spirits its way from the individual to the listener, who can feel a connection by the rise and fall of her voice as she sings. Mark O'Connor's valley lonesome take on "Amazing Grace" restores the tune to its origins, primitive yet elegant in its simplicity and spirit. This is a winner. Forget tags like "new age" and "Celtic", and simply breathe it all in. It washes one's head -- and perhaps even heart -- clean for a time, and opens the world up for a little while. Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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