|
|
|
Christmas Secrets
|
|
|
Italia
|
|
|
An Ancient Muse
:Album Description:An Ancient Muse is 'eclectic celtic' - singer/composer Loreena McKennitt's highly-anticipated first new studio recording in nine years. Taking up where her previous work left off, McKennitt fuses the melodic sensibility of Celtic Balladry with musical traditions from Greece, Turkey, Spain, and beyond. Once heard, never forgotten, Loreena MacKennitt leads the listener on a timeless journey from the Scottish borders to the caravanserais of the Silk Road to the wine-dark seas of Homer's Odyssey. McKennitt's worldwide multi-platinum sales culminated in her most recent album, 1997's The Book of Secrets, which reached #17 ...
|
|
|
A New Journey
: : Second only to Riverdance as an international Irish showbiz phenomenon, previous installments of this Platinum-selling extravaganza have become beloved PBS standards. The original buxom quartet of female singers, Lisa, Maev, Orla, and Chloe, have duly been joined by Hayley and are, as usual, backed by a full symphony orchestra and choir, plus enough traditional instruments (the house fiddler, Mairead, is a powerhouse) to keep things legit. The material ranges from folkloric ('Dúlaman' is best known from Clannad's legendary rendering), to a standard from another Celtic nation ('Caledonia,' Dougie McLean's love letter to ...
|
|
|
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Celebration
: :Prog rock lives! This fusion of rock, jazz, and classical, driven by synthesizers, excess, and dry-ice fog, was once the domain of '70s groups like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But Mannheim Steamroller has kept prog rock's intoxicated spirit and bright spectacle alive, mainly through 20 years of Christmas albums and concerts, and Christmas Celebration won't disappoint their many worldwide fans. With its overblown arrangements of standards and readily accessible new pieces, it combines a variety of styles with a heavy mix of instruments and voices. Noteworthy are the choirs and soloists ...
|
|
|
Homecoming
: :Homecoming, pianist Jim Brickman's 16th career release (his third with a holiday theme, joining The Gift and Peace), is an unerringly pleasant, gently uplifting package that delivers what most listeners probably want--a smart-sounding, family-friendly audio backdrop suited for any December gathering. Brickman's mix of nine instrumentals and four vocal tracks (seven are rearranged traditional works) carefully straddles a fine line between sophistication and sentimentality. Happily, other than a few heavily star-dusted moments (the final note of 'I Saw Three Ships' sparkles as though it was touched by Tinkerbell's wand), the schmaltz factor is ...
|
|
|
A Day Without Rain
: :As each new Enya release has washed over all who have ears to hear, as each heaven-touched work leaves admirers sitting speechless in slack-jawed wonder, questions eventually come to mind: Might her layered, choral-like approach gradually become predictable or stale? Will she ever exhaust her deep reservoir of soul-stirring ideas? Remarkably, A Day Without Rain, Enya's fourth release since her 1988 breakthrough, Watermark, establishes new artistic heights for the gifted Irish vocalist and keyboardist. The project, polished and refined over a five-year period in the company of longtime collaborators Nicky Ryan (producer) and ...
|
|
|
Unspoken
: :Relax and soothe your soul with Unspoken, Grammy-nominee Jim Brickman's first all-solo piano CD since he launched his recording career fifteen years ago. This brand new collection of romantic piano favorites exudes deep sophistication and heartfelt sentimentality as only Jim Brickman can!
|
|
|
Watermark
: essential recording:Enya's 1988 recording Watermark achieved landmark success with her groundbreaking use of multi-tracking technology to fuse new age and Celtic themes and instrumentation. The meticulous production defines her sound and achieves continuity even while weaving together tender ballads, piano pieces, massively layered vocal harmonies, and symphonic synthesizer movements. Although Enya's pristine voice isn't especially strong, her lead vocals possess a vulnerability that reflects the lyrics' sense of personal searching. From the ubiquitous, frothy single 'Orinoco Flow' (which was used to hawk Crystal Light on TV) to the hard, bold edge of ...
|
|
|
Big Blue Ball
: :Big Blue Ball is the long-awaited, much-anticipated collection of stand-out tracks culled from the all-star, pan-global collaborations that took place over three years of Peter Gabriel s legendary Recording Week gatherings at his state-of-the-art Real World Studios in the English countryside. Produced by Peter Gabriel, Karl Wallinger (of World Party, Waterboys) and Stephen Hague (Pet Shop Boys, OMD), it s a nonstop stream of poignant, sterling performances by a truly stellar lineup of artists-- including Gabriel, Wallinger, Sinead O Connor, Natacha Atlas, Iarla O Lionaird and James McNally (both of Afro Celt ...
|
|
