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Live in Paris and Toronto

Loreena McKennitt's decision to release a live album from a 1998 tour means fans and newcomers alike get a chance to experience this magical performer in concert even if they've missed her concerts. Live in Paris and Toronto also has another important purpose: all proceeds from the album's sales go to the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety. The artist founded the organization after her fiancé, his brother and a friend died in a boating accident, a tragic event that happened while this album was already in production. Sounding as pristine as she does in the studio, McKennitt and her able musical entourage render her best songs, including "The Mummer's Dance" on disc one and "The Lady of Shalott" on disc two, in almost surreal beauty and with near mystical skill.

The Visit

Personnel: Loreena McKennitt (vocals, harp, accordion, bodhran, keyboards);
Brian Hughes (acoustic & electric guitar, balalaika); George Koller (fiddle, sitar, cello, tamboura, bass); Hugh Marsh (fiddle); Anne Bourne (cello); Tom Hazlett (bass); Patrick Hutchinson (Uillean pipes); Rick Lazar (Udu drum, percussion); Al Cross (drums).
Recorded at Inception Studios, Toronto, Canada. Includes liner notes by Loreena McKennitt.
With her piercing vocals and sensual, exotic sound, Loreena McKennitt has single-handedly made tangible the passions of Celtic and pagan life for her large, devoted audience. Her fourth release, THE VISIT, was her breakthrough, a satisfying mixture of original compositions and adaptations. "The Lady of Shalott" is an 11-minute rendition of the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, while McKennitt archly notes that she sings the subdued "Greensleeves" in her best Tom Waits impersonation.

The Mask And Mirror

Personnel includes: Loreena McKennitt (vocals, harp, accordion, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, organ pipes, dumbeg); Brian Hughes (guitar, oud, balalaika, electric sitar); Donal Lunny (bouzouki, bodhran), Abraham Tawfik (oud, nai); Hugh Marsh (fiddle); Anne Bourne (cello, background vocals); Ofra Harnoy (cello); Patrick Hutchinson (Uillean pipes); Nigel Eaton (hurdy gurdy); George Koller (bass, tamboura, cello, esraj); Al Cross (drums); Rick Lazar (percussion, dumbek, udu drum); Ravi Naimpally (tabla); The Victoria Scholars Choir (background vocals).
Although grounded in Celtic mysticism, Loreena McKennitt ranges beyond her roots in THE MASK AND THE MIRROR, searching for the confluence of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic cultures. As its title suggests, "The Mystic's Dream," which opens the album, is a highly visual piece that moves from Gregorian monasteries to Moorish markets, employing tabla, oud, and Uilleann pipes.
In "The Dark Night of the Soul," McKennitt sets her voice to a 15th century love poem by St. John of the Cross. The verses were addressed by the mystic to God but could just as well be from one lover to another.

To Drive The Cold Winter Away

TO DRIVE THE COLD WINTER AWAY, one of Loreena McKennitt's first recordings, was originally released in 1987, but this 2004 reissue includes remastered sound, new liner notes, and a DVD featuring videos and a documentary about the artist. Though this is an album of Christmas music, it bears no relation to warm, feel-good holiday offerings by the likes of Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole.
Instead, TO DRIVE THE COLD WINTER AWAY draws on old-world, traditional holiday songs from Scotland, Ireland, and England, and the overall feel of the music is haunting and melancholic. McKennitt accompanies herself on harp on each of these ballads and carols, and her clear, dramatic soprano lilts and floats through the minor-key melodies. The starkness of the recording, rich in resonance and ambience, is perfectly suited to the music, a fact highlighted by the reissue's crystalline sound. Though more appropriate for a chilly, wintry, spiritual quest on the Moors than a yuletide family gathering by the fire, McKennitt's project is a striking glimpse into the spirit of Christmas past.

A Midwinter Nights Dream

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