Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

Parallel Dreams captures harpist/vocalist Loreena McKennitt at her absolute finest. Fully immersed in the Celtic style, this London, Ontario, performer's voice is lush and layered in warm harmonies, soaring above equally beautiful instrumentation. Flowing between traditional ("Annachie Gordon") and original ("Dickens' Dublin") fare, McKennitt slows down time and relaxes furrowed brows on this disc by staying true to her red-headed roots. Subsequent discs tend to experiment more with tangos and up-tempo melodies; Parallel Dreams, however, is one long, luscious lullaby. --Denise Sheppard
yet another masterpiece!, 2001-04-04
loreena mckennit has yet again shone through and shown us how the human spirit can be lifted or calmed by the sound of her absolutley magical voice. the wonderful songs can chill you out, help you meditate after a hard day or nearly anything else. this CD-in my opinion- is not as good as the book of secrets but it still has an incredible vibe and is worth spending money on.

Artist: Loreena McKennitt

I love this CD !, 2009-12-22
After reading the previous reviews before ordering I decided to go ahead and give this a try...I was looking for something 'different' for Christmas. It is beautiful; a stunning collection of music, both haunting, moving and relaxing. A folky/celtic feel to most of the pieces, give an historical feel and the vocals are spectacular.

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

Perfect Package, 2010-04-21
It seems surprising to me that nobody had ever mentioned the name Loreena McKennitt to me before. I had to discover her for myself! Now however,I must have at least 7 of her CDs. What I find so exciting about this recording is the true clarity of her voice and the wonderful instrumentation with which she backs her tracks.
Loreena is obviously a big thinker and knows exactly how to put her music together.
And each song boasts its own style which is something you don't often hear now. I love Loreenas music but to me this must be the finest yet-to me anyway. 10 out of 10 for this one-without a doubt

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

exotic views and music, 2009-11-17
we are new to this lady's music and talent. Well worth adding to anyone's musical library.

Artist: Loreena McKennitt

well satisfied, 2010-06-21
After a stressful day or an argument with your nearest and dearest just close the door put on the cd close your eyes and Loreena will lift your spirits, excellent cd.

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

Celtic Woman via Canada, 2008-05-16
In the 90s the name Loreena McKennit was synonymous with the new folk music which had gone back to the roots-music which can be compared with Clannad,Caroline Lavelle (who has input on some of the songs),Claire Hamill and Enya.
Like Judy Collins before her she uses folk songs and is also a writer who had travelled the World.
As the only artist on the Quinlan Road label Loreena McKennit has become something of an industry where everything is always available and now takes in DVDs and a huge website.
Though she's selling to her own fanbase rather than the pop charts her music is no doubt collected by those who buy Wyndham Hill product and it stays in its own turf.
In the World of Loreena McKennit there's no excess and no attempts to change what for her is a winning formula so it means the pop charts are far distant lands.It becomes a case where there's always better stuff than what they tell you you should like so Loreena McKennit is not about to be plastered all over the windows of HMV who sell the CDs in the Folk section
But there are other charts she has appeared in such as the specialist ones for her kind of music.With The Mummers Dance-which in another time would have topped the charts=a remix of it actually made the Dance Chart!
The danger though in collecting McKennit music is that you can become addicted.The lady simply has a stunning name and looks good

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

Could you exist without her music?, 2009-12-11
It hardly matters whether this CD is half released already-at least it keeps her Legend going and has her input.
Loreena McKennit is there for anyone who wants her but few even know who she is or even care.
Those who discovered her in the early 90s are the select few who deserve her music.She doesn't represent any era in music-she began as a busker selling her own tapes.So in fact did Caroline Lavelle her cello player-she was busking with 2 other girls outside Kensington Tube Station while all 3 were at a music college.
Loreena McKennit is the royalty of all who began doing DIY music

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

Mixing a variety of styles with a Celtic base, The Visit was McKennitt's breakthrough album and remains one of her most musically interesting. "All Souls Night" begins the album, with dance-like rhythms and McKennitt's wonderful voice singing about the Celtic New Year. Other features include a musical setting of Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott", which, while not as sophisticated as Noyes' "The Highwayman" on The Book of Secrets, is an enchanting listen. There's also an interesting rendition of "Greensleeves" and the Spanish-flavoured "Tango to Evora", as well as the haunting "Courtyard Lullaby" and the wistful "The Old Ways". A setting of words from Shakespeare's Cymbeline closes the album, which focuses thematically on life, death and the borders between them. --Genevieve Williams
under a cold blue moonlight.., 2007-05-28
I was in the HMV in Oxford in 1995 looking for some nice CD. And I heard Loreena's Bonny Portmore. Without knowing who she was, I needed to buy the CD.

I regularly listen to her works now ("Elemental", "To Drive the Cold Winter Away", "Parallel Dreams", "The Mask and the Mirror", "The Book of Secret", and "An Ancient Muse"), but "The Visit" is still my favourite CD (individual song-wise, 'Dante's Prayer' kills me every time I listen to it).

As far as I can tell, I think "The Visit" was the turning point to her. From this work, the influence of Middle Eastern music began to be more salient. And Music for her became her never ending journey to find the Celtic root (She quoted "A good traveller has no intent on arriving").

I absolutely adore all of her works, but still love this CD the most. Wish I could listen to 'Courtyard Lullaby' in a secluded courtyard under the moonlight..

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

McKennitt's recordings always have the quality of a spiritual sojourn; her songs are those of a seeker, whether she's setting Yeats, Scripture, or her own words to her compositions. It's this that attracts people to her music, and The Book of Secrets is no exception, whether it's the lazy rhythms of "Marco Polo," the sober joy of "The Mummers' Dance," the poignancy of "Skellig" or "Dante's Prayer," or the drama of Alfred Noyes's "The Highwayman". "The Highwayman" is a particularly strong effort, especially in comparison to her earlier setting of "The Lady of Shalott"; McKennitt has become much more skilled at musical narrative. This is music that can be enjoyed on many levels, from McKennitt's growing skill as a composer to the deeper questions posed by her lyrics. --Genevieve Williams
loreena mckennitt ..book of secrets, 2010-05-07
i saw a video on youtube of loreena and had to buy an album
this is such an amazingly spiritual cd, i love every track,
her music has such a special quality which touches the soul and
has a depth of meaning. i have had the album playing through the night
and slept, but felt i was going on a journey..very peaceful.
highly recommended album

Artist: Loreena Mckennitt

McKennitt's travels through Spain and Morocco flavor this album with a distinctly Mediterranean tinge, from the opening "The Mystic's Dream," with its dancing percussion arrangements, to "Marrakesh Night Market," to "Full Circle" and the instrumental "Santiago." "Marrakesh Night Market" is an especially strong performance, with an interesting musical texture; the balalaika, udu drum, and dumbek are played alongside a synthesizer. As usual, McKennitt has set a poem to music, this time Yeats's "The Two Trees," with a lovely introduction on the Uillean pipes. There's also "The Bonny Swans," a traditional lyric, and the CD closes with Shakespeare, as McKennitt sets some of Prospero's words from The Tempest to her own music. Excerpts from McKennitt's journals, included in the CD booklet, make for interesting reading as they shed some light on her source material and inspiration for writing each song. --Genevieve Williams
Longing for the love of you, 2010-05-16
"A clouded dream on an earthly night/Hangs upon the crescent moon/A voiceless song in an ageless light/Sings at the coming dawn..."

Listening to a Loreena McKennit album is like being slowly enveloped in a dream of medieval castles, incense-heavy air, and distant exotic lands full of shadows and beauty. "The Mask and the Mirror" is a prime example of McKennit's hauntingly ye-olde music, with lush instrumentation and bittersweet vocals -- not to mention some truly lovely songs.

It starts with the haunting "Mystic's Dream," a love song that is soaked in a dreamlike atmosphere and the sound of monks chanting wordlessly in the background It's followed by the more upbeat but grisly ballad "The Bonny Swans," the vaguely erotic-sounding "The Dark Night of the Soul" is set to lots of floaty string melodies, and the dancey "Marrakesh Night Market" adds a peppy Middle-Eastern flavor to the album ("Would you like my mask/Would you like my mirror?... you can look at yourself, you can look at each other/you can look at the face, the face of your god!").

A more contemplative air enters the album in its second half -- "Full Circle" is a minimalist ballad that mourns and marvels at the sound of worship ("in your heart, in your soul, did you find peace there?") while "Santiago" is a sprightly Spanish-flavored instrumental with McKennit only making "la la" noises. She dips briefly into the upliftingly lovely "Cé Hé Mise Le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees," and ends on a suitably bittersweet note -- a somnolent recitation of "Prospero's Speech."

Loreena McKennit has a magical touch with music -- she can wrap you in velvety dreams, walk you through a candelit medieval cathedral, dance you through a spice-filled Middle-Eastern market and rock you to sleep in an ivy-filled ruin. "The Mask and the Mirror" does all these things and more, and it's honestly hard to find a single false note in the entire exquisite album.

It's also impossible to find a modern pop sensibility in the whole thing -- the music is a lush tapestry of lutes, drums, an aching sweep of violin, guitar, some truly beautiful harp, and a dark swathe of bittersweet piano in "Cé Hé Mise Le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees." While the songs can be upbeat -- such as "Santiago" and "The Bonny Swans" -- the overall atmosphere is pretty mellow and subdued. Sometimes it's redolent with spiritual intensity, and sometimes it's just sad.

Apparently her visits to Spain and Morocco flavored the lyrics for these songs, there's definitely Spanish, Celtic and Arabian atmosphere; in addition, the songs are grounded in some classic literature, derived from Shakespeare, Yeats, and St. John of the Cross. And her strong, sweetly rich voice always sounds slightly sad, as she drifts through lyrics filled with vivid, striking images ("A painting hangs on an ivy wall/Nestled in the emerrald moss... A clouded dream on an earthly night/Hangs upon the crescent moon").

"The Mask and the Mirror is a vibrant, almost painfully lovely album that drips with medieval-ish splendor and lots of Spanish/Celtic/Middle-Eastern beauty. Utterly haunting.