Since her debut album Elemental (1985), Canadian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Loreena McKennitt has steadily but certainly conquered a loyal audience with a predilection for atmospheric Celtic music with Mediterranean and Arabic elements. During the production of the album Live In Paris And Toronto (1999), McKennitt's fiancée drowned during a sailing trip. It took her years to recover
… from this loss. She got the inspiration for her seventh studio album An Ancient Muse from the travels and stories about the diverse cultures in the Silk Road. McKennitt immersed himself in travel and literature research in countries such as Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Mongolia and China. In her dreamy, meditative compositions, the times of the caravan trips revive. Excellent musicians play an arsenal of versatile acoustic instruments (e.g. harp, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipe, bouzouki, duduk, lute and zither). McKennitt expresses universal feelings with a lyrical voice on themes such as love, freedom and cultural exchange. (SvdP)more
