The Wind That Shakes The Barley

This CD should surprise those who have been accustomed to the style of the last several cds,and I doubt this will disappoint. It is lovely, with her lilting voice, equally capable with the sorrowful tunes and the peaceful ones. These songs are quieter than those on Alhambra, and since her voice does not have to compete with the drums (hardly any drums in these songs at all) you can really enjoy the purity of her voice. What a pleasure to sit back and listen to, and be jealous of;)The songs are traditional celtic pieces that Loreena has arranged and she accompanies 4 of them on harp. I think this instrument displays her skill as a musician best and it is not drowned out by loud accoustics.One of the songs is a tune that she has on her Christmas CD. Here she has used entirely new words, so it is no longer a "Christmas" song. It is pretty - just surprising to have such a radically different story!She is joined by some of the best musicians and they contribute to making this an enjoyable CD - perfect for relaxing or even listening while you work. Hugh Marsh is again on violin, and I love this man's skill. It would be terrific to see a "Devil Went Down to Georgia" type competition with Itzhac Perlman, another favorite violinist of mine. I don't suppose someone could arrange it? And Caroline Lavelle makes the cello absolutely buttery smooth.Digressing a bit, I hope that Peter Jackson, now filming the Hobbit, will listen to this music and and realize that Loreena McKennitt is actually part Elvish, and give her a cameo appearance (with music) in the House of Elrond. There is great music and story telling in that great hall, and Loreena should be a shoe-in. While he is at it, he could get Benjamin Bagby, of Sequentia, with his ancient harp, and he could be a storyteller in the style of his "Beowulf" performance. If he can speak ancient anglo saxon like that, the Elvin tongues should be nothing for him to learn, and it would be amazing to see the talents of McKennit and Bagby combined.Thank you, Loreena for another excellent cd. Thank you for your contribution to making the world more beautiful!

I ordered this item expecting "new age" takes on Celtic folk songs, similar to McKennitt's "Bonnie Swans" on  Mask & Mirror . On the first listen I was disappointed, this having more of an authentic traditional sound, in spite of an electric guitar (among more traditional instruments) on 4 songs. On the second listen, knowing what to expect, I was over-awed. I own about 50 Celtic albums. This quickly became my third favorite of them, after  Celtic Christmas Spirit  & Julie Fowlis'  Cuilidh (W/Dvd) (Spec) . ( Auld Lang Syne: A Fine Selection of Popular Robert Burns Songs  is a close fourth). Most of the music is haunting, especially the spare "the wind that shakes the barley" & the jigging "the star of county down (yes, a haunting jig!). And yes the titles are in all lower case on the cover. My biggest complaint is that the lyrics were not included, but the songs are fairly easy to understand.

While you may be a top 10 reviewer, I disagree with you on a few points E.A. Solinas.Every song on this album fits Loreena like the best 5-fingered glove.Before her worldly sound developed in 'The Visit', Ms. McKennitt had very much pinned down 'Celtic' sound to a science and with 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley', she brings all of her experience and knowledge, from 'Elemental' to 'An Ancient Muse', with her. There is no part of this beautiful tread down memory lane that isn't wholly Loreena McKennitt and her troupe of amazing musicians, every single one contributing to the album in their own incredibly unique ways.If Loreena McKennitt decided to stop making music with this album (which I'm sure she won't), as disappointed as I would be, I couldn't imagine a better finish than by bringing us back to her roots. With Loreena's worldly influence and Celtic flair, this album absolutely soars as her finest work to date.An absolute masterpiece in every way, and while I'd review every song, I can't. The individual reviews would be "I LOVE THIS SONG."This album has been 54 years in the making. It doesn't take nearly as long to fall in love with it.

Loreena McKennitt returns to her roots with a collection of Celtic inspired music. There are some classic folk songs and a composition by McKennitt. Also included is an interpretation of William Butler Yeats' Down by the Sally Gardens, which incidentally Yeats attributes to folk music he heard as a child in Ireland. McKennitt has frequently used the poetry of Yeats and always introduces me to new interpretations of this great poet's work. Her voice remains clear and expressive and the instrumentation is a perfect balance to her vocal abilities. Like most Celtic music, the themes of young love and tragedy predominate, but the Celts had a wonderful way of reaching deep emotional resonance with their melodies, arrangements, and lyrics. McKennitt does a wonderful interpretation. The songs focus on Celtic music and are a bit different from McKennitt's more recent experimentation and integration of world music. The instruments used often include Celtic fiddles with their ability to bring dance and pep to some selections and mournful moods to others. An great collection.

It's purely a matter of taste. I'm a fan of Celtic music, but I'm also a fan of Loreena McKennitt's fusion recordings that combined the Celtic sound with Middle Eastern rhythms & instruments. This is a good Celtic album, but I can't help but rank her others, like Book of Secrets & the Mask & the Mirror higher on my preference scale.

Such a Beautiful and Wise, Sacred Soul. Loreena Is the Real Pillar Of Unconditional Love and Light.Her Music Flows From The Beginning of Time Thru The Ages Of Yet To Come....I Recommend Her Music To All Who Are Open To Our Inner Soul's Compassion and Passions.

I own all of Loreena's albums, but I feel that this is the weakest of her offerings. Mostly covers and not particularly interesting ones. On the first track Loreena's voice feels very strained and stretched and the album overall is a bit of a disappointment. Try 'The Visit' or 'The Mask and the Mirror' to discover what Loreena is capable of.

Nothing new, sounds similar to msot the other CDs that she has made, still her voice is magic..... there are far better albums she has made, this feels more like padding to filla gap

Some very beautiful, historically important and significant songs. Musical arrangements well-balanced and pleasing to the ear. The interpretation of 'Down by The Salley Gardens' was extremely poor: the phrasing just awful. This is a poem, the words were broken': 'snow-white became two words with a pause for a breath in between. There were other similar 'moments' all of which combined to produce a performance which utterly destroyed the beauty and meaning of this song. It really is a great pity given that the singer has the quality of voice and the sensitivity to be so much better.

As lovely as the other CDs from Loreena McKennitt

Still has that great voice, but the CD does not seem to add much to the canon of Irish/celtic music that is already out there.

Just great

very fast delivery thank you great CD

Another classic work from this wonderful artist

Uno dei dischi più belli di Loreena McKennitt. Atmosfere terribilmente seducenti, melodie da sogno. Questo album è composto da brani tradizionali irlandesi, riarrangiati da Loreena, in una veste particolarmente suggestiva; Down by the Sally Gardens, The Star of the County Down, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, On a Bright May Morning e The Emigration Tunes sono brani indimenticabili.

Dieses Album ist für mich eines der besten von Loreena. Sehr einfühlsame Musik, und im Gegensatz zum ein oder anderen Vorgänger keinesfalls "überproduziert", sondern sehr natürlich und, man könnte sagen "volkstümlich". Freut mich sehr, dass es von Loreena auch mal wieder so etwas gibt.

In questo CD la McKennitt torna a confrontarsi con la musica tradizionale irlandese. Le musiche e gli arrangiamenti sono gradevoli, tuttavia le vette d'ispirazione toccate con "The Visit", "The mask and the mirror" e "The book of secrets" rimangono molto lontane. Consigliato per gli estimatori della McKennitt e delle musiche irlandesi.

Diese Musik ist nicht dafür gedacht, dass sie nebenher irgendwo im Hintergrund dudelt, sondern man sollte konzentriert diesem tollen Album lauschen. Die Klangqualität der CD ist zwar eher mittelmäßig, aber die wundervollen Kompositionen und die einmalige Interpretin lassen das zweitrangig erscheinen.

This is a wonderful cd with a marvellous traditional Celtic flare. It is both lively and tranquil, unique among McKennitt's cds and yet consistent with her style -- that is, not so different as to be unrecognizable, but unique enough to contribute variety to her body of work. A lovely addition to my McKennitt collection! I highly recommend this cd to all McKennitt fans and to those who are just beginning to discover her treasure trove of musical gifts to the world.

Loreena McKennitt's ninth studio sees her cover traditional Irish folk songs, bar one of the songs which she wrote herself. Although there is not that much originality in the way that she has chosen to arrange the songs, they work very well as an ensemble, providing the listener with an interesting variety of musical instruments to hear, possibly for the first time. Her voice is as angelic and pure as usual and the songs she has chosen suit her well.Most of the songs have their own special little something. "On A Bright May Morning" is probably the best track on this album, being a very intimate ballad with a beautiful harp arrangement and lovely vocals. "Down By The Sally Gardens" has a celebratory feel to it with emotive uilleann pipes. The title track "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" has a mournful quality to it together with a haunting peacefulness in its sheer simplicity. The same goes for the final track "The Parting Glass". However, not every song is that inspiring as "The Death Of Queen Jane" is a little dull.I do tend to prefer when artists release their own music and creations, but the collection of songs on "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" is a very decent effort merely for the fact that Loreena McKennitt does Irish music so well. For that reason, it is worth the purchase and deserves 4 stars.

Was will man dazu sagen - wunderschön wie immer. Das Album reiht sich nahtlos an bestehende an, wobei es keinesfalls einem Einheitsbrei entstammt. Man hat den Eindruck, die Frau erfindet sich und Ihre Musik immer wieder neu. Für Kenner und Liebhaber ein Muß in der Sammlung.Am besten genießt man die CD in entspannter Atmosphäre (z.B. in der Badewanne) mit einem Glas Rotwein, obwohl der Albumtitel ja eher ein Bier suggeriert. Entsprechend kann man den Rotwein auch gerne durch ein Guiness ersetzen.