Loreena McKennitt
An Ancient Muse

"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.