This is musical theater. It’s not just a typical post-rock soundscape concept album. It feels weird to even call that genre typical, but the genre does have its tropes, and you can tell when something is executed with no passion and is just a husk of tropes dressed up to sound nice. But here it’s the complete opposite of that. This is an incredible use of music to tell a story, giving Carmina Alegrìa her record and providing closure for a whole life to complete her story. 

“Desaparecer” serves as an intro, combining motifs from multiple tracks yet to come, ultimately crescendoing and landing us back down for our main entrée. The title track starts out beautifully with these dreamy arpeggios, which we revisit halfway through this movie of a song. The sound production and harmony choices, along with the voice of Carmina herself as a texture, create a warm, endearing atmosphere of remembrance. 

The title track established our home base, so now “Coágulo de un instante” begins our journey to somewhere far from it, like a flight close to the surface of an ocean of passing souls. We then ascend to the heavens as we enter “Volver al aire”. This is where the musical theater description from earlier really comes through. Beautiful operatic vocals weave themselves through rich tapestries of colorful harmony in grief to guide us back down to earth. 

“Siempre (la mano en el fuego)” definitely feels like a song back down on the earth, a continuation of those neo-classical theater influences, with grounded thunderous percussion making a reappearance, and the whimsy of the flutes here and the energy of the backing guitars. To me, this represents the human spirit’s survival. 

“Los muertos siempre son verdad” is the same song as the title track, with one key component missing: Carmina Alegrìa herself. It’s gut-wrenching to revisit it with her voice being gone. Like revisiting a home with no one there, it’s not home anymore. The song transforms; its warmth disappears with her absence. This is the kind of storytelling only music as a medium is capable of. 

In “Decirlo a veces sin palabras” bowed strings and airy textures take us through one last time in remembrance, as we revisit an element of each song, each chapter of this story, and end with an a capella recording of the family singing and chanting “Carmina Alegrìa” a beautiful touch to end on. 

“Levantando las manos” is the bonus track on the album and feels like a final moment in musical theater where the spotlights shine down on a character for an encore of powerful drama. Although it’s short, it is powerful and effectively delivers that closing curtain moment that the album needed.

Borrero also writes poetry and has won awards for it, which tracks when you listen to how this album unfolds. The way he revisits the title track later without his grandmother’s voice is the kind of move that only works if you understand narrative structure beyond just sequencing songs. This is a complete narrative arc and a beautiful work of storytelling, best experienced with full immersion to really be able to reflect on it and how it relates to your life.

A vibrant musical collective based in the heart of Houston, Texas, Ritmo Lokura is a band shock-full of talent and of style. ‘Te Lo Digo A Ti’ is the title of the group’s latest genre-defying single. A blend of reggae and latin music, with no small amount of soul, pop, and ska thrown in the mix. The results are electrifying and groovy.

During the song’s relatively normal runtime of little under 4 minutes, the group manage to squeeze in a sizable instrumental guitar intro that’s way too sweet and soulful for words to describe. Right afterwards the song begins to reveal its stylistic acrobatics. With a beat that’s solid and rocking, brushing off against the syncopated, upbeat-heavy rhythm guitar part, funky and tight, the song boldly shows off its lack of regard for conventional genre boundaries. A rather fruity organ part flows through the song, soloing to its heart’s content, adding a rather distinctive flavor to the fresh cocktail of sounds going alongside it. 

With its snappy drums, juicy bass, balanced guitar parts, and rather intricate build, ‘Te Lo Digo A Ti’ flows with extreme ease. Adding the rich latin vocals and ultra-charismatic horns to the mix only makes the song that much more special. A stunning release from Ritmo Lokura. 

“The Book of Secrets (1997)

“Over a number of years spent ruminating on the distinctive characteristics of the Celts, I began to wonder if their legendarily nomadic ways arose from an inner need. An involuntary response, rather than a pragmatic one; a restlessness that had its roots in an insatiable curiosity. I suspect it was my growing awareness of my own wanderlust and curiosity that made me aware of the real sense of connection I felt to the Celtic lineage, as part of that New World extension of a people who ranged so astonishingly far and wide.” L.M.

“The Book of Secrets“! This is album is the most celebrated release by Loreena McKennit, it hit North American charts and it gained great world success. Personally, it is not easy for me to write about my experience with “The Book of Secrets.” I am between fear, confusion, and resistance while writing this dedication to the anonymous traveler! The man who recommended me “The Book of Secrets.” As I mentioned before, it was the first Loreena McKennit release I heard and it was a recommendation by an anonymous knight. It was a beautiful autumn night in October, illuminated by the pale light of the full moon. After Midnight I received this message from the aforementioned knight telling me to: “Listen to The Book of Secrets!”

There was no further explanation or clarification! Just a hundred questions striking my mind: “What’s The Book of Secrets?”, “Perhaps, a Journey to discover a new artist and a new album for me?” “Am I, as a music reviewer always excited towards a new recommendation? or am I just excited because he recommended the musical piece he appreciates most? What made everything more difficult is that he completely vanished that night and left me haunted between the secrets of this album, secrets of him, and my mysterious inner motives to listen to it! So, I thought the best thing is to have the courage and go on this journey alone! A perfect late calm night with a good cup of Turkish coffee, let’s enjoy the journey.

Starting with astonishing oriental Qanun intro with its scary and mysterious sounds as a background. This is “Prologue.” Actually, the intro is the best intonation for this mysterious journey and inspiring pleasant vocals. The “Prologue” made me feel something strange, is it a recollection? Did I take my first step on the road?

It was like going on a darkened road with an ancient dusty book: Shades of ancient times, sounds from distances afar, and the experience as a wanderer internally and externally. Images floated before my eyes: memories, cold air, first meet, chapters from books, movie scenes, the scent of coffee and the first time I caught the grace of the traveler’s eyes.

Nothing stopped my brainstorming except the alerting Byzantium intro of “Mummers Dance”! Another cold wave hit my body and mind! What was that?! I imagined old people as we see in historical TV shows: leather clothes, masks, hats and props, moving tribes, and strange makeup! My mind continued to recalling more images: green lands, hanging trees, the smell of ancient times! The music itself carried something sacred, something not easy to be described!

During my latest depression phase, last week, I went to my room at the end of the night and put on “The Book of Secrets”! I don’t know what exactly happened, but I caught something magical and illusive while listening to “Mummers Dance”. I saw an old tribe moving to the beats of their heavy drums and the creaking of their carriage wheels. I think, my mind caught this image inspired by Marquez’ description of the Eastern tribes and gypsies who used to roam through Latin America, earning their keep by demonstrating mind tricks, and exhibiting their traditional cultural products to make a living.

Caption: A Photo of traditional dances

My imagination kept going deeper and deeper as another picture framed in my mind in which I watched the song performance in the darkness. Yeah, I know, sometimes my mind exceeds my natural limits.

The song expresses the beauty of springtime folk dances, mumming. The dance takes place in a shape of concentric circles. CIRCLES! Try to imagine: A huge tree is surrounded by people connect themselves spiritually to the beauty of nature and having certain movements. The shape of a circle is a mutual sign of unity and togetherness found in almost all civilizations.

Do you know where the concept of circle, heritage, mysticism, and religion was mentioned? The answer is “The Sufis” by Idries Shah, the book Loreena mentioned in the intro of “The Mask and Mirror” (1994)! We are on the right track of Loreena’s journey. AND, Loreena always connects herself with her Celtic roots; she appreciates the concept of TREE! You can trace that Loreena keeps reframing her own beliefs. TREE = “Bonny Portmore” from “The Visit” (1991), and “Ce He Milse Le Ulaingt / The Two Trees” from “The Mask and Mirror” (1994).

Next is “Skellig”! The first time I listened to “Skellig”, I was amazed by the melodies of strings and keys accompanied by the wonderful and brilliant vocals work. I likened the mood of this track too many things in my life. The track is very gentle and deeply touching as are the lyrics which also show true feelings of repentance, purity and mystical discourse.

Sometimes, I feel that I am in a bad need to escape my illness, psychological wounds, negativity and go on spiritual journeys. I am connected spiritually to stories about saints and monks besides escaping to poetry and history. My mind recalled one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnets from the Portuguese”

“In love, when love the lowest: meanest creatures
who love God, God aspects while loving so.
And what I feel, across the inferior features
Of what I am, doth flash itself, and show
How that great work of Love enhances Nature’s”

Skellig is a kind of rock formations located about 5 miles off the southwestern coast of Ireland. The most famous Skellig as the Great Skellig! It carries restored remains of a 6th-century monastic settlement, there is also a huge church and huge lighthouse which was used for trading, the main source of living for the monks.

I recalled the heritage of the monks in the desert who escaped away from torture and agony isolated in the deserts! I lived a part of my life near a Catholic Cathedral, St. Fatima Cathedral. There was a school where nuns work as teachers, every morning you can watch those pure faces coming cross, like a breeze of serenity, besides my grand family home carries a mutual wall with a shrine of one of the Sufi sect leader, his soul is still wandering around, praying, calling us to repent!

I felt this feeling of escapism, working hard to save the intellectual works of the ancestors. There is beautiful serenity in detaching the tired soul away from the madness and illness of life, “Oh light the candle, John”! Candle, a weak light that breaks the darkness equals the light shines from the spiritual writings. Loreena also mentioned brotherhood! The brotherhood is an existed feature in Mysticism.

Caption: Irish Skellig

While preparing extra-curricular studies in order to return to postgraduate classes, a very famous book called “Revelations of the Divine Love” by Julian of Norwich fascinated me. One of my favorite quotes is, “These two desires of the Passion and the sickness I desired with a condition, saying thus: Lord, You know what I would – if it be Your will that I have it; and if it be not Your will, good Lord, be not displeased: for I will nothing but as You will.”

The nature of a man is the same; we are always facing unfathomable tests and breaking points! I am personally writing this while bleeding; simply because I am disappointed and lost every last glimpse of hope in life but still with the need to purify the soul from the blackness of sin, and the heaviness of guilt, appeared as a shining light, a moment of fear, security, and grace. I am the sinner who after losing faith every day stands before the symbol of sacrifice and salvation and catching his smile and his loving merciful eyes!

After all those thoughts I caught the meaning of “The Book of Secrets”, a journey we take part in; places could be different and time could be different, but it is a matter of steps, experiences, experiments, a fate we all face and have.

Last year, I came across a book called “Swaneh Fattah” (A Girl’s Thoughts) by renewed Palestinian Lebanese author Mai Zeyada. She expressed in one of the book’s chapters entitled, “Month of Roses Morals”, about the prayers of May dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The mood Zeyada so spiritually expressed in her writing reminded me “Skellig”. She described the serenity of the prayers, the peace that lives inside the walls of the cathedral, and scripted the speech of the priest about following the steps of the Virgin Mary.

Continuing with Loreena’s “The Book of Secrets” journey and “Marco Polo”! The track, which is inspired by the questionably unfamiliar Marco Polo’s description of the countries, he visited.

Marco Polo was an Italian merchant and traveler who spent 28 years of his life traveling from Italy to Asia and discovered the wonders of Asian kingdoms such as Mongolia, China, Palestine, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. He solely traveled in order to taste the adventure and to forget his failure of attracting the girl he loved.

“Marco Polo” – the track– is a Byzantium oriental instrumental song that includes the parallel existence of Eastern and Western instruments. From the earliest moments of the song, you can catch the sense of wondering, questioning, the smell of the deserts, the heat waves, the taste of spices, the paintings of the bellydancers and traditional dancing, and the sounds of the tribes and monkeys.

And now! The most charming and interesting song of the album: “The Highwayman”. “The Highwayman” is one of the most celebrated dramatic poems by Alfred Noyes. Loreena impressively sets a melodic pattern to the poem by adding samples such as the sound of horses, late-night touches. The heaviness of cellos with percussion drives your mind to imagine the story; the synths were added beautifully to enrich the mood of the song.

This is where a point of discussion comes up; Loreena masters dealing with poems and she is widely known for her dramatic soprano vocals, but in my point of view, she dealt perfectly with “The Highwayman” dramatically, poetically and musically. It is her best-performed literary piece, it is even better than “The Lady of Shallot”.She uses her dramatic narrative voice to paint a theatrical image of the events. She shifts between her different pitches, a soft charming one to reflect the story. For instance how she uttered the part started with:

“‘Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!’ Had they heard it?
The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
‘Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot,’ in the distance!
Were they deaf that they did not hear?”

Then she uses her calmer and more soothing vocal pitch, which is close to whispering to portrait said calmness and fear of the night. The other part that attracted my attention was the death of the highwayman:

“And back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high.
Blood-red were his spurs I’ the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat;
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway,
with the bunch of lace at his throat.

Here, Loreena shows the ferocity and harsher side of her vocals to describe the death of the highwayman.

Moving on to a catchy and emotional instrumental work of strings, “La Serenissima”. “La Serenissima” is a calm marvelous interlude in the album especially since it comes after the epic “The Highwayman”, so “La Serenissima” can be seen as a welcome relief, a breather after the tension. It is warm.

After that comes “Night Ride Across the Caucasus.” To me, it is a charming melodic track with a traditional breeze. There is a mysterious sense of traveling, journeying, exploring, and magic. When I heard the intro of the song, I immediately imagined the historical silk-road, the mountains, lakes, seas, and the taste of the unique Asian civilizations.

Quoting a part from Leo Tolstoy’s “The Cossacks”:

“It was one of those wonderful evenings that occur only in the Caucasus. The sun had sunk behind the mountains but it was still
light. The evening glow had spread over a third of the sky, and against its brilliancy, the dull white immensity of the mountains
was sharply defined. The air was rarefied, motionless, and full of sound. The shadow of the mountains reached for several miles over
the steppe. The steppe, the opposite side of the river, and the roads were all deserted.”

You can trace the image portrayed by Tolstoy in the riffs of the song. Imagining the old tribes of travelers moving among high mountains, hills, deserts, long winding roads, cities and facing the dangers of storms and wars. It will give you a closer vibe for old traveling tribes.

For giving more visualization of the song I need to refer to “Wahit El Ghroub” into. Based on the successful “Wahit El Ghoroub” (Sunset Oasis) novel by the iconic BahaaTaher, the series scripted the process and danger of traveling from the city to the remote oasis, Siwa (which is located in Egypt).
A couple that consisted of a colonel and his Irish Egyptologist wife took the road to Siwa for work. Traveling from Ireland to Cairo in order to discover the mystery of Alexander the Great and diving into the magic of ancient Egypt, Catherine, the heroine, aiming to journey into the heart of the desert between wisdom and fear, symbolizes an opportunity of self-exploration “The Alchemist” Santiago treasured-journey.

We can trace a similarity between Cathrine, the Irish/Celtic, who searches for truth, history and serenity in the Egyptian deserts and the Celtic Loreena who is interlinking between history, religion, truth, mysticism, culture and her Celtic roots. Bare feet touch the fire sands of the desert, moving as the inner guide directs, no maps and no plans and no intention to reach a final destination! This is the core of “The Book of Secrets.” Now, we recognize the importance of the quotation Loreena uses on the cover!

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” (Lao Tzu)

Finally comes, the epic and iconic, “Dante’s Prayer”!! Through the portrayal of emotive horror of people trapped in hell, Loreena McKennitt perfectly scripts a bridge between Dante’s “Inferno” and the horrors of the afterlife, the hardships of a divine journey, and the feelings of the broken, skin and burnt flesh. A truly extraordinary song!

Each and every note in the song is heavenly, cold shivers run down my back and brain while engaging in the song. There is such sensitive imploring, praying; the real and truthful feeling of prayer. It reminds me of apart from the bible, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” (Matthew 6:13).

And another part from the Quran, “Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al Baqarah 286).

Caption: Satan in the Inferno is trapped in the frozen central zone

in the Ninth Circle of Hell, Canto XXXIV (Gustave Doré)

Now, let’s finalize “The Book of Secrets” shall we?. As I mentioned, it was not an easy experience for me to write about it, being so very sensitive! While writing this I am stuck in the dilemma my abilities of writing and my career. I couldn’t break the code, couldn’t find the clues of the album. The idea is not musical perfection or the ideological perception of the album.

What’s the Book of Secrets?

Personally, I believe that The Book of Secrets is the record of the trapped and un-narrated stories of ancient times. We have records for what happened in the past, but there are a lot of hidden narratives we lost, and by losing them, we lost a vital part of the truth, forming the full image. What is left are some scattered pieces and scattered stories of an infinite puzzle!

The past is an experience, which everyone tries to understand according to his or her background, beliefs, emotions, and personal experience. There is not one exact or one correct interpretation for the past; there is no final answer for the hidden truth of those secrets.

The secret is you! Your past, your present, your inner self. And how to raise yourself spiritually! It is your own story.

Next part: “An Ancient Muse”

Edited by: Zena Ismail and Tarek Shehata.

– Have you missed the other two parts? Here’s the first and the second.

Universally known, Folk/World musician and producer Loreena McKennitt is a shining icon of musical beauty, warmth, and grace endlessly. Her music opens new and wide horizons for discovering the forgotten heritage of the North and transforms Celtic classic pieces into profound and breathtaking musical notes.

Here, I am not only reviewing all Loreena Mckennitt studio recordings but I am also proposing my personal experience with her music. I am somehow regretful that I didn’t discover Loreena Mckennitt on my own, but one of my best friends introduced me to Loreena’s music by recommending “The Books of Secrets” last November. I didn’t think that this album would open the gates to discover a wonderful ageless world of tunes.

Experiencing Loreena’s music for me was so exceptional so, I decided to open my heart and soul and narrate my experience. I spent a week of isolation lost in books and Loreena’s music. I felt strange feelings of being really engaged in her music, voice and every line she wrote on her website.

Elemental (1985)

“Celtic history would become my creative springboard. Musically, I came to learn of and be inspired by many bands and artists ranging from those who authentically recreate its traditional forms” L.M.

Recorded within a week in a barn in Southern Ontario.”Elemental” was the first release by Loreena. Through this album, she started establishing her iconic journey as a musician, singer, and producer. “Elemental” is the shortest full-length album by Loreena, it is only 36 minutes and consists of 9 tracks. The first impression Loreena delivered through “Elemental” is that she is capable of enriching folk music by mixing it with the attractive fusion of instruments besides her impressive dramatic vocals.

She re-defined the beauty of soprano vocals. She used her voice as an extra instrument and most of the time as a maestro for her orchestra. Besides, she expressed that she could beautifully introduce musical adaptations for classic poems.

Musically, she aimed to stress certain characteristics brightening her music asher extraordinary talent as a multi-instrument player and composer. Most of her “Elemental” tracks were based on harp sound and its presence. If you go back to the cover, you will notice the harp.

Starting with an impressive folk Accordion riff is absolutely a fantastic intro for the album, “Blacksmith”. It is a short traditional track that carries a heartwarming story of a woman; as for me, I felt frozen as I faced somehow a similar situation, although it is not depressive, it is closer to a narrative one. But, for a moment of reminiscent, I found myself holding the lyrics sheet and crying. She could perfectly give us the impression of this wounded lady.

After “Blacksmith”, there is another breathtaking track, “She moved through the Fair”. I think Loreena’s performance of this track was closer to the theatrical monologue, it is highly narrative, highly monotonic. Plus, the track is highly atmospheric. You can smell the watered Green grass, feel the breeze of Ireland and engage your soul to the sounds of bells and birds.

Next is “Stolen Child“, originally the track was a poem renewed by Irish poet W.B Yeats. I think it is really smart that Loreena uses a poem by Irish culture icon. W.B Yeats is one of the most influential names in the history of English literature; he tackled wide themes in his poetry starting from Spiritual, Eco poetic, Philosophical to political issues. English Certified educator M.P. Ossa mentioned in one of his published studies,

“The Stolen Child” is a poem that combines Irish mythology, mystery, and romanticism as it pertains to childhood, and is adjacent to the modern world. This being said, the main theme that we can gather from the poem is the struggle to maintain the innocence of childhood versus the duty of having to experience the reality of life. In the end, the faeries will -we assume- protect the child from having to go into the duties of the grown-up life.

The track is magical, carries multiple catchy harp tunes with some atmospheric touches. As for me, it is the most well-composed track in the album musically and vocally. After that, comes a beautiful short instrumental track “The Lark in the Clear Air“, it is like a short instrumental interlude at the heart of the album.

After that comes “Carrighfergus”. You may feel that “Carrighfergus” is a continuation of “The Lark in the Clear Air“. The track is a deeply emotional calm piece that carries an impressive well-known English Canadian actor and musician Cedric Smith‘s voice. Simply, the mood of the track can pause your mind for minutes.

“Kellswater” as for me it’s the best-performed track in the album vocally. There is a notable fusion between musical lines and the various pitches of Loreena’s voice. There is an unlimited amount of magic and beauty in her vocals, unlimited enjoyment.

“Banks of Claudy” is another traditional track played by harp and directed by clam and captivating vocals which bring a cold winter mood to the soul.
Then comes a short melodic track “Come by the Hills” as fantastic as its melodies are really easy to be captured, you will find yourself in the heart of the song.

“Lullaby” is the final track of the album and it is another literary piece. It’s a poem by Pre-Romantic English poet William Blake “Prologue”. Intended for a Dramatic Piece of King Edward the Fourth”. The track is closer to be a dramatic monologue. It starts with the sounds of rain and thunder to give the reader a vivid portrait of the poem.

Loreena’s vocals in this track are almost a background melodic instrument. It is like a strong backing for the monologue. It is highly theatrical; you can trace Douglas Campbell’s performance and his different voice pitches.

To Sum up -as I mentioned before- What really marks “Elemental” is that Loreena has delivered her main musical ideology and how she aims to re-frame the cultural heritage of the Celts. She also introduced improved versions from traditional stuff and enriched them through magical musical fusion.

“Elemental” is recalling the powers of nature and roots. Nature is the divine powers that form the individual. Human is affected by the surroundings: culture, music, behaviors, and nature. The artist beautifully scripted the elements that formed her artistic dimensions including the glory of the Celts, folk music, theater, instruments, literature, and nature.

Parallel Dreams (1989)

“Beyond the transportation into fantasy, dreams have served as a vehicle through which we have integrated our conscious and subconscious, real and surreal, the powerful and the intangible. ” L.M.

“Parallel Dreams” is one of the most celebrated albums by Loreena McKennitt. This album marks a new improvement in her career. It witnesses wide additions in her musical styles such as that more instruments were employed also more literary choices and narratives and various moods. She expressed that the main concept of this album is dreams whether in fantasy or reality. It was really smart that she used a warm nocturnal cover art.

The first two tracks: “Samain Night” and “Moon Cradle” carried the same musical vibe. A beautiful string work scripted with mesmerizing chanting vocals. “Moon Cradle” lyrics were inspired by “The Ballad of Downal Baun” by Irish poet Padraic Colum.

The third track is an impressive instrumental epic piece called “Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance”. This track carries the familiar melodic riffs of the North’s heritage: harmonious drum and percussion beats, and traditional epic rhythms. The music is simply inspired by the traditional dances and festivals of the earliest tribes that inhabited the North. When you listen to the track, you will find yourself closing your eyes and recall images from your brain of those traditional dances in national Northern festivals.

Came up next “Annachie Gordon“. One of the most known folk narratives in the Irish collective heritage. The plot of the story was adapted many times musically and thematically. It also rings bells with Romeo and Juliet.

Loreena McKennitt uses her magical dramatic vocals to compose a magical attractive and narrative style for the story. Her breathtaking voice and her stunning harp tunes painted the air and beautified the story.

“Standing Stones” came afterward as one of Loreena McKennitt‘s best tracks: Bringing the smell of a salty sea, shining sun rays, and vast lands of green while recalling the glory of the ancestors.

Then comes “Dickens Dublin” my personal favorite track. It is another evidence for Loreena‘s narrative usage and how she employs different effects to paint musical portraits. The track talks about a homeless girl who dreams of having a place she can call home.

The presence of the piano, the sounds of carriages, and the young girl’s voice were well-employed effects. When it comes to Loreena’s voice, it is like another charming narrative soul of the song.

Referring to Dickens is impressively symbolic. He is known with discussing several social disadvantages in English society. He stressed on child-abuse, the homeless and injustice labor rules against children.

I remember in my childhood I was captivated by the cruelty narrated in “Oliver Twist” and in the Japanese anime series “Romeo’s Blue Skies” which expressed the hardships of the homeless children who working crafts under the supervision of cruel craftsmen to earn livings. But the closest story for the track is the short story “The Little Match Girl” by Danish poet and author “Hans Christian Andersen”. 

Next up was “Breaking the Silence” which opened with an instrumental intro as a conversation between instruments. I think, the track musically is based on different sounds of different nations as the nations of the North and Africa who suffered from colonialism and called for freedom and independence.
Finally comes “Ancient Pines“. A magical, impressive instrumental track reflecting a mysterious taste of tragedy.

To sum up, “Parallel Dreams” is a continuation of the classic style Loreena McKennitt started with some improvement in the sound. Plus, she featured her own compositions and lyrics. Musically, it’s softly scripted to express the sensitivity, confusion, and softness of dreams. There is a deep philosophy of this album which expresses the different imaginations of the mind: conscious and unconscious, real and fantasy. In addition, Loreena sheds the light on the complexity of some human’s brain of crafting dozens of images, sounds and linking between reality and imagination.

The Visit (1991)

“I have long considered the creative impulse to be a visit – a thing of grace, perhaps, not commanded or owned so much as awaited, prepared for. A thing, also, of mystery. This recording endeavours to explore some of that mystery.” L.M.

When it comes to “The Visit” I must mention that it’s one of the best written and composed releases. She evokes herself into new realms of Celtic music with wider cultural engagements.
As she expressed, “The Visit” is a musical historical journey. I have a nice story with this album as it was her second release I heard and it was a part of a small challenge I made to break a serious depression phase after many break downs.

So, I decided to end a book –in 10 days– and every day I finished a number of pages of it while listening to one of Loreena McKennitt‘s albums. I remember well that I had a wonderful reading time at 4 am; I finished that day’s reading part with the last tune of “The Visit”. During the challenge, I noted down some memorable quotes from her tracks in the book.

Before talking about the album, there is a question should be mentioned, What are the kinds of the journey and What is its importance?
Through the introduction of his book “The Most Surprising Journeys in History” iconic Egyptian thinker and author Anis Mansour, the icon of traveling literature expressed the meaning of the journey.

“There are three kinds of a journey: traveling, reading and reading traveling literature. Who travels to distant destinations starves for knowledge, understanding and exploring the other side of the mountains, rivers or seas in addition to discovering the other side of humanity and human’s experience for self-development.”

Analyzing various kinds of journeys between reality and fantasy as the Iliad, the Odyssey, Divine Comedy, Marco Polo travels, Ibn Jubyr, Herodotus, Gulliver’s Travels, Arabian Nights, discovering Asia, Persian Kingdom (Iran), Silk Routes, the hidden places in Japan and China and more was the main goal for Mansour to extract the morals of leaving everything behind for discovering the unknown.

A scene from one of Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi journeys

Moving to “The Visit”, The album is initiated by “All Souls Night“. One of my most favorite tracks; you can trace that she started painting her music with some Eastern tunes through percussion and strings.
The theme of the track is related to one of the most celebrated Japanese traditions, “Toro Nagashi”. He is a long-held Japanese tradition where candle-lit lanterns are released into rivers to guide the spirits of ancestors back to the other world during the Obon season. There is a mysterious sound of excitement, harmonious lines come up together to enrich your night with rays of blue and white.

The first time I heard this song was in January, I felt an enormous amount of unspeakable happiness and rejoice while listening to it under the rain. The next day I played it in the car and stared at the wet trees and streets in the rhythms of “All Souls Night“.

Then comes “Bonny Portmore“. It is sorrowful as it discusses the tragedy of humanitarian cruelty against nature. Just imagine Loreena stands before a cut tree that it was a habitat for birds and a source of warmth and shade, turn to be scattered pieces of wood. I really respect the idea of discussing eco themes. You may feel that giving a place for an eco-themed track is far from the concept of journey, but when my mom gave me the book of Mansour I mentioned above, he mentioned important facts about the position of trees in journeys.

“The tree of travelers, it is a huge banana tree located in Madagascar, its leaves are serpentine so the rain waters are saved inside the leaves. The travelers go to this tree to get water and rest under its shadow. There is a myth narrates that there is a kind of birds inhabits the tree when the people around it are travelers” After that, there is a beautiful melodic instrumental track, “Between the Shadows“. I felt that it carries Persian/Asian influences.

The upcoming track is one of the most celebrated ones by Loreena “The Lady of Shallot”. One of the most well-known poems by the legendary Victorian English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson.
In poetry lectures at college, I remember all discussions about Lord Tennyson’s poetry. His implication of figures of speech, how he discusses his thoughts and themes and how he mastered using vivid touching imagery.

There is a moral of the presence of this poem in “The Visit”. It is like a bridge between history, literature, mythology and the present time. Plus, Lady of Shallot decided to follow her own voice ignoring threats and warnings, finally, she reached death alone. It rings bells with the tragedy of various travelers who ignore prophecies, advice and follow their mono-voice.

It happened with Robinson Crusoe, he ignored the advice of the old man who told him to stay on the ground for his safety and not to adventure the sea, but Crusoe made his dream come true and travel into the sea and it ended with casting him away and alone on an isolated island for many years.
I can’t deny that Loreena did a great job to create a wonderful musical adaptation for the poem, especially dealing with poetry is really challenging for artists and literature students too. But, I wish she could’ve made an adaptation for “In Memoriam A.H.H.” I am sure she would introduce a deep, touching expression for the poem.

The Lady of Shallot painting by John William Waterhouse

“Greensleeves” was next on the playlist. Musically it is a traditional piece but Loreena enriched her version by using King Henry VIII’s words as lyrics. It has really enriched the idea of having a historical journey inside the old ages. Moving on to the next track “Tango to Evora“. When I listened to the track, I was surprised that music is so familiar to me without noticing that it is composed of Loreena.

A charming melodic classic guitar riffs, with catchy sensational harp tunes and a romantic violin melody! Bringing mood of love, beauty, and warmth. The track impressively breaks the ice of the cold emotions; sending the breeze of the Mediterranean to the mind.

Just imagine, waking up late in a summer night with the sweat on the face, aching from the heat, walking on the ground with naked feet, open the window and catch the smell of the salty water.
What’s greatly impressive that Loreena proved to the whole universe that she is a worldwide icon, and she can transfer her music to any place, by any tongue.

In the late 1990s, Greek music icon Haris Alexiou revealed to the whole world her version for Loreena‘s “Tango to Evora“. Alexiou used the same music but she adapted an ancient Greek myth as lyrics and gave it the title of “To Tango tis Nefelis”

“Courtyard Lullaby” is another magical harp track with ghost themes. You can touch the glory and presence of the huge statues. The melody of the track reflects the ancient smell of the location; old abandoned place, reflected sun rays, forgotten stories that turned to dust.

After that comes “The Old Ways“. It is a sensitive track for me when I listened to it for the first time. I felt that my blood was frozen inside my veins! Not for the captivating lyrics but for the epic fusion of vibes. You can feel the Irish traditional taste musically scripted in amazing riffs. I can’t describe what I’ve felt exactly, but it was unpleasant.

I remembered the final emotional dilemma I am trapped in, my dearest one has gone away, feelings of depression and loneliness, being stuck in very tragic events in my career and my social relations with friends.

For moments I caught the cold breeze of lonely Christmas nights, glimpsing old dusty streets with erased footprints. Finally, “Cymbeline” is a depressive melodic adaptation for Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”. Loreena chose to end her historical journey by one of the Shakespearean “Cymbeline” soliloquies.

After listening to “The Visit” just take a deep breath and sigh, WOW! I can’t deny that it is one of the closest albums to my heart. The smell of the ancient sea, the warmth of ancient homes, hanged brunches shades reflected on the sepia effects. I can’t find adequate words to frame my impression; I hope I did my best to describe what I’ve experienced.

Loreena managed to give us various chapters of history and adventure. The tunes are perfectly organized, great use of vocals, consistent themes choices.

What’s “The Visit”?

I believe that there is a certain secret in the title of the album. I think Loreena meant with “The Visit” that something unexpected happened. It is like knocking the doors of the unknown and carrying this sense of mystery and surprise. Not all the surprises are pleasant, nor some dream visits.

Loreena analyzed different types of visits, starting from the happy Japanese ones of sending light to the soul of the beloved, then a sad visit to a destroyed natural beauty of a tree that was cut and collapsed to ashen woods, another historical visit that ended by death in seek of catching a sight!

“The Visit” is our doors that we are afraid to go through, forgotten steps we regret to take, the history that impacts present or history that is repeated in present. Marked traces on “The Old Ways” of shades from the past and shadows of the existed.

That’s was our first part, stay tuned for the upcoming one:

“The Mask and Mirror” & “The Book of Secrets”

For giving our audience the best reading experience ever and a suitable time for enjoying our article, Rock Era Magazine decided to introduce the article in four parts:

• Part One: “Elemental”,”Parallel Dreams”,and”The Visit”
• Part Two: “The Mask and Mirror”
• Part Three: “The Book of Secrets”
• Part Four: “An Ancient Muse”
• Part Five: “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”
• Part Six: “Lost Souls”
• Part Seven: Seasonal Releases

Edited by: Amged Mahmoud.