The Celtic Circle 2

Artist: Celtic Circle (Various)
Type: Album
Release date: 2004
Run time: 143:54
My Rating: 9

Disc 1 (76:04)

1. Loreena McKennitt, The Mummers' Dance (6:10)
2. Clannad, Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn) (4:48)
3. The Corrs, Little Wing (5:09)
4. Capercaillie, Servant To The Slave (5:44)
5. Pamela Morgan, True Or False (4:15)
6. Connie Dover, Ubi Caritas (4:50)
7. Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning, Way Of The Warrior (4:01)
8. Jeff Beck, Declan (4:02)
9. Fiona Joyce, Letting Go (4:49)
10. Gary Moore, Johnny Boy (3:13)
11. Sinéad O'Connor, My Special Child (4:47)
12. Lisa Lynne, Fields Of Gold (4:36)
13. Máire Brennan, An Fharraige (5:06)
14. Mike Oldfield, Extract from "Ommadawn" (7:03)
15. Galahad, The Leaving Of Inishmore (3:04)
16. Lisa Cannon, Now We Are Free (Composition from the movie 'Gladiator') (4:21)

Disc 2 (67:50)

1. The Chieftains, The Foggy Dew (5:23) Featuring Sinéad O'Connor
2. Secret Garden, Nocturne (3:11)
3. Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, Seacht Suáilcí Na Maighdine Muire (4:38)
4. Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (4:52)
5. Davy Spillane, A Place Among The Stones (7:01)
6. Hevia, Busindre Reel (Radio Edit) (4:33)
7. Iona, Iona (4:13)
8. The Campbells, The Brandy Burn (4:17)
9. Corún, March Of The Settlers (4:03)
10. Dan Ar Braz Et L'Héritage Des Celtes, Borders of Salt (4:18)
11. Anita Best & Pamela Morgan, Suil A Gra (3:56)
12. Karen Matheson, Rithill Aill (3:39)
13. Nicci Berry, Down By The Glensite (3:26)
14. Cerise, Watermark (2:51) Featuring Ryan & Rachell O'Donnell
15. Corvus Corax, Mille Anni Passe Sunt (4:08)
16. Shane McDonnell, Evenstar (3:13)

Comments

CD1: OK, we start off with The Mummers' Dance yet again (The Celtic Circle people obviously love Loreena, and why not?). The Corrs' offering is surprisingly non-pop though granted I'm not overly familiar with their work. Apparently the Way of the Warrior is overcast with light showers, or that's what it sounds like. Fields of Gold is, oddly an instrumental cover of I Muvrini/Sting's Terre O'Oru. Mike Oldfield has his Celtic Circle debut, but interestingly it's not a track from his Celtic album Voyagers. I'm not sure he had Celtic music in mind when he wrote Ommadawn. The first disc ends with another cover of a piece from a recent movie soundtrack (ALA the cover of "May It Be" from the first Celtic Circle) but it is a pretty good cover.

CD2: We start with another track with Sinéad O'Connor vocals (this is bordering on O'verkill, though granted she's a great singer). Again, not entirely sure if Sarah McLachlan is considered Celtic, but there she is with quite a mellow song and not at all unwelcome. A Place Among The Stones features, once again, Máire Brennan on vocals, giving her a total of three tracks and beating Sinéad's total. March of the Settlers sounds somehow familiar, as does Suil A Gra. Hmmm. Karen Matheson's track sounds interestingly similar to Susan Aglukark's style. The cover of Watermark is not bad, though I prefer the original. Mille Anni Passe Sunt is excellent and sounds somewhat like a fusion of Dead Can Dance, Enigma and Stone Age.

A good solid collection, and nary a dud track.