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loreenamckennitt thevisit definitiveedition
Artist: Loreena McKennitt
Title: The Visit - The Definitive Edition
Genre: World Music / Celtic Folk
Release Date: 24th September 2021
Label: Quinlan Road (Tonpool)


Album Review

Thirty years ago, Canadian World Music / Celtic Folk multi-instrumentalist LOREENA MCKENNITT released ‘The Visit’, an album that upped her game, and opened the doors to a career that was already heading happily onwards and upwards. It’s a very good album indeed. And it has stood the test of time - but then there’s always been a timeless quality to her music - and a re-visit is a shrewd move, considering a whole new generation of fans waiting in the wild and windy wings are perhaps unfamiliar with its undeniable charms.

But this is 2021, and a simple re-visit is clearly not sufficient, when you can lob the kitchen sink in with it and still have room for the kitchen. Complete with a deluxe private train carriage where you can listen to seventy versions of the original album and peruse a personal, individually hand-made family photo album signed by Loreena herself, while petting one of her small dogs, (one each for every fan), this re-visit is like no other, as it also offers you the chance for immortality, and an airport to be named in your honour.

Ok. Not quite.
But not far off.

What you get here is a thing of beauty, wrapped up in a thing of even more beauty, and the amount of beauty you need at this point in your life will be an individual choice. Possibly also a financial one. But if beauty in abundance is your thing, then here’s what you get - hours of unreleased tracks (just pretend you’re still on lock-down) including the first ever surround-sound mixes of Loreena’s music (it says here), a 32-page illustrated booklet, a Blu-ray disc (are they still a thing?) all packed up in a rather gorgeous looking hardback book. Along with the original album, live tracks, unreleased tracks, interviews and… and… well… how much more do you need?

The frippery is a distraction of course, and nothing wrong with that. But all that really matters here is the actual album itself. From opening song ‘All Souls Night’, which sounds like something CLANNAD spent their entire lives trying to write, without getting close, to the heart-wrenching simplicity of ‘Tango To Evora’, there is magic sprinkled liberally throughout. Eleven minutes into ‘The Lady Of Shalott’ and you just want it to go on forever, and by ‘Cymbeline’ you’re on your horse and ready to go fighting for some noble cause after pledging eternal loyalty to your nearest and dearest.

This stunningly beautiful album needs no additional window-dressing, but if you are going to wrap something in satin and silk and send it sailing out into the harsh, real world, then there can be no finer initial gift than this, dazzling through any number of layers of additional packaging.


Tracklist

CD1
01. All Souls night
02. Bonny Portmore
03. Between The Shadows
04. The Lady Of Shalott
05. Greensleeves
06. Tango To Evora
07. Courtyard Lullaby
08. The Old Ways
09. Cymbeline

CD2
01. Courtyard Lullaby
02. Stolen Child
03. Between The Shadows
04. Lady Of Shalott
05. Loreena introduces the band….
06. Standing Stones
07. She Moved Through The Fair
08. Manx Ayre
09. Cymbeline
10. Interview Part 1
11. All Souls Night (album edit)
12. Interview Part 2
13. Courtyard Lullaby (solo)
14. Interview Part 3
15. The Lady Of Shalott (solo)
16. Interview Part 4
17. Between The Shadows (Solo)
18. Interview Part 5
19. Stolen Chold (solo)

CD3
01. An interview with Loreena McKennitt
02. Round table discussion

CD4
01. All Souls Night
02. Bonny Portmore
03. Between The Shadows
04. The Lady Of Shalott
05. Greensleeves
06. Tango To Evora
07. Courtyard Lullaby
08.The Old Ways
09. Cymbeline
10. All Souls Night live trio
11. Bonny Portmore live trio
12. Between The Shadows live trio
13. The Lady Of Shalott live trio
14. Greensleeves live trio
15. The Old Ways live trio

Blu-Ray
Blu-ray audio disc with the original recording rendered in Dolby Atmos®, 5.1 surround sound and a hi-res stereo version.


Line-up

Loreena McKennitt


Website

https://loreenamckennitt.com


Cover Picture

loreenamckennitt thevisit definitiveedition


Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10




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