•
Rating:
"Sing to me, O muse, of those who traveled far and wide..."
Loreena is back. Finally, after almost 10 years of hiatus, the redhead returns with "An Ancient Muse," the seventh album in her discography. I wish I could find the right words to describe it, but I believe sublime is the most appropriate adjective. It is thanks to her experience accumulated during long travels in the Middle East and other places of fantastic inspiration that have made this work mature and of indescribably high quality. And we're not just talking about music, but also and above all about history and origins, discovery and reflections, and again, tragedies and legends... Pure music permeated by an aura of inner introspection and study of mankind. Each song has its own central theme, around which captivating melodies with a predominantly oriental tone orbit orderly, almost like the perfect movement of the stars.
But enough with the preliminary chatter, I would like to analyze each song and at least hint at what lies behind it. The journey begins with the quest for the Oracle at Delphi, in Greece, with "Incantation": the intro is breathtaking, and Loreena's mystical voice is heard right from the start. It's incredible how this artist (yes, Artist, with a capital A) manages to immobilize us with so much pathos, projecting our minds onto distant and boundless natural landscapes, discovering the world and its unsolved mysteries. Two and a half minutes of the track, a slight pause, and then the rhythmical "The Gates Of Istanbul"; here, we can now see the Ottoman Empire, its splendors, and simple string instruments well-orchestrated combined with tribal percussion and the dreamy voice that takes on tones of a disarming chant making this track the first peak of creativity in the entire album. But this is not the best, even though it's excellent. If we want to talk about the first real masterpiece we encounter in the album, then "Caravanserai" is just for us: it's two minutes of instrumental prologue, very soft I would say, perhaps not easy to follow, but then we find ourselves listening with wonder to one of McKennitt's pearls, not to mention the extracted single. Beautiful, catchy, long (in fact, the choices of the Canadian are not at all commercial), perhaps a little melancholic but perfect. Needless to say, we have a great deal of experience behind the scenes, as Loreena drew inspiration from her stay with a nomadic family of Mongolian origin, observing and studying their connections with the Celts. The title instead refers to the construction she visited in Turkey, precisely the caravanserai, a fascinating mercantile bazaar place.
With "The English Ladye And The Knight" we change place and atmosphere: we move to the West, and more precisely to England. A goosebump-inducing song, complete with moving female choirs, which very much recall the imposing and solemn, yet intimate, atmosphere of an English cathedral, while the central voice, vaguely narrated, tells us about the sad love story between a warrior and his beloved, forced to part due to wars fought in Palestine, the Crusades. We finish this beautiful chapter to delve even deeper into the majesty of "Kecharitomene". Although this is a long instrumental track of more than six minutes, I would say it is yet another masterpiece produced by the dear Canadian. Truly noteworthy instrumental sweep, there isn't a single misstep so far. Places and characters it draws inspiration from? In China, the precursors of the Celts, and the convent of Kecharitomene (which in Greek means "full of grace"), where Anna Comnena, a Byzantine princess, spent her final days.
And now, the highest point of the album. "Penelope's Song". I believe it's the most sentimental among all. The story of Ulysses and especially of his wife Penelope. I wouldn't want to unravel everything about the song, it's simple as it is, absolutely to be listened to and let yourself be carried away by this languid and poignant poetry. Next comes "Sacred Shabbat", the shortest of all tracks, four instrumental minutes of sharp and marked oriental and evocative style. "Beneath A Phrygian Sky" is beautiful but slightly tedious, as it is very long and very light with the voice almost reduced to a whisper. Nothing wrong, just a negligible dip that has nothing to do with the perfection of the album in its entirety. The last fundamental pillar we find in "Never-Ending Road (Amhrán Duit)". No specific place nor any historical references inspire the track. The only thing we can say about this masterstroke, also very catchy and with a sweet and gentle tone, is that it speaks only of love, the feeling that must endure on this never-ending road of life and birth. And the last seconds leave us, as they took us at the beginning, immersed in a sensation of wonder, amazement, and emotion.
"An Ancient Muse" can strike immediately upon first listening (well, of course, if you appreciate the genre...), and it feels from the first notes that Loreena McKennitt, with her voice that can change from strong to sad to sugary, when she sings, she does it with her heart. Excellent work, I reiterate, and for those who appreciate the genre it is a Must to have absolutely, at the cost of paying with one's own life.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 The Gates of Istanbul (06:59)
See there, past that far-off hill
A tower held in the sky
Hear there, in that dark blue night
The music calling us home
See there, in that far-off field
Flowers turned to the sky
Feel there, in that dark blue night
The music calling us home
Stars may always guide our way
From desert sands where winds blow harsh and long
But here's where our hearts will pray
And all our loves will slumber with a song
Stars may always guide our way
From desert sands where winds blow harsh and long
But here's where our hearts will pray
And all our loves will slumber with a song
So now, if our hearts be true
And like a pool of truth reflect the sun
We will find right honour there
And keep us safe and lead us from all harm
So come love, let us dance all night
Until birds they waken at the dawn
Then come love, let us sing all night
And all our loves will slumber with a song
Then come love, let us dance all night
Until birds they waken at the dawn
Then come love, let us sing all night
And all our loves will slumber with a song
03 Caravanserai (07:35)
This glancing life is like a morning star
A setting sun, or rolling waves at sea
A gentle breeze or lightning in a storm
A dancing dream of all eternity
The sand was shimmering in the morning light
And dancing off the dunes so far away
The night held music so sweet, so long
And there we lay until the break of day
We woke that morning at the onward call
Our camels bridled up, our howdahs full
The sun was rising in the eastern sky
Just as we set out to the desert's cry
Calling, yearning, pulling, home to you
The tents grew smaller as we rode away
On earth that tells of many passing days
The months of peace and all the years of war
The lives of love and all the lives of fears
Calling, yearning, pulling, home to you
We crossed the river beds all etched in stone
And up the mighty mountains ever known
Beyond the valleys in the searing heat
Until we reached the caravanserai
Calling, yearning, pulling, home to you
Calling, yearning, pulling, home to you
What is this life that pulls me far away
What is that home where we cannot reside
What is that quest that pulls me onward
My heart is full when you are by my side
Calling, yearning, pulling, home to you
04 The English Ladye and the Knight (06:48)
It was an English ladye bright,
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,)
And she would marry a Scottish knight,
For Love will still be lord of all.
Blithely they saw the rising sun
When he shone fair on Carlisle wall;
But they were sad ere day was done,
Though Love was still the lord of all.
Her sire gave brooch and jewel fine,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall;
Her brother gave but a flask of wine,
For ire that Love was lord of all.
For she had lands both meadow and lea,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,
For he swore her death, ere he would see
A Scottish knight the lord of all.
That wine she had not tasted well
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
When dead, in her true love's arms, she fell,
For Love was still the lord of all!
He pierced her brother to the heart,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall –
So perish all would true love part
That Love may still be lord of all!
And then he took the cross divine,
Where the sun shines fair on Carlisle wall,
And died for her sake in Palestine;
So Love was still the lord of all.
Now all ye lovers, that faithful prove,
(The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall)
Pray for their souls who died for love,
For Love shall still be lord of all!
05 Kecharitomene (06:34)
(Instrumental)
''The name of the song is Greek (Κεχαριτωμένη/Kecharitomene). It means "endowed with graces" and is an adjective mainly attributed to Virgin Mary''
06 Penelope's Song (04:21)
Now that the time has come
Soon gone is the day
There upon some distant shore
You'll hear me say
Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me.
There like a bird I'd fly
High through the air
Reaching for the sun's full rays
Only to find you there
And in the night when our dreams are still
Or when the wind calls free
I'll keep your heart with mine
Till you come to me
Now that the time has come
Soon gone is the day
There upon some distant shore
You'll hear me say
Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me
08 Beneath a Phrygian Sky (09:29)
The moonlight it was dancing
On the waves, out on the sea
The stars of heaven hovered
In a shimmering galaxy
A voice from down the ages
So haunting in its song
These ancient stones will tell us
Our love must make us strong
The breeze it wrapped around me
As I stood there on the shore
And listened to this voice
Like I never heard before
Our battles they may find us
No choice may ours to be
But hold the banner proudly
The truth will set us free
My mind was called across the years
Of rages and of strife
Of all the human misery
And all the waste of life
We wondered where our God was
In the face of so much pain
I looked up to the stars above
To find you once again
We travelled the wide oceans
Heard many call your name
With sword and gun and hatred
It all seemed much the same
Some used your name for glory
Some used it for their gain
Yet when liberty lay wanting
No lives were lost in vain
Is it not our place to wonder
As the sky does weep with tears
And all the living creatures
Look on with mortal fear
It is ours to hold the banner
Is ours to hold it long
It is ours to carry forward
Our love must make us strong
And as the warm wind carried
Its song into the night
I closed my eyes and tarried
Until the morning light
As the last star it shimmered
And the new sun's day gave birth
It was in this magic moment
Came this prayer for mother earth
Reprise:
The moonlight it was dancing
On the waves, out on the sea
The stars of heaven hovered
In a shimmering galaxy
A voice from down the ages
So haunting in its song
The ancient stones will tell us
Our love must make us strong
09 Never-Ending Road (Amhrán Duit) (06:02)
The road now leads onward
As far as can be
Winding lanes
And hedgerows in threes
By purple mountains
And round every bend
All roads lead to you
There is no journey's end.
Here is my heart and I give it to you
Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple and few
Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands
Deep in the winter
Amidst falling snow
High in the air
Where the bells they all toll
And now all around me
I feel you still here
Such is the journey
No mystery to fear.
Here is my heart and I give it to you
Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple and few
Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands
The road now leads onward
And I know not where
I feel in my heart
That you will be there
Whenever a storm comes
Whatever our fears
The journey goes on
As your love ever nears
Here is my heart and I give it to you
Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple and few
Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands
Loading comments slowly
