Loreena McKennitt: Lost Souls (Review)

Release date: May 11, 2018

Label: Quinlan Road

https://loreenamckennitt.com/album/lost-souls/

Loreena McKennitt fans everywhere are rejoicing at the release of her latest album, Lost Souls, which is her first full album of original music since her 2006 release An Ancient Muse. There were two albums between her last release and this one, however both of those were filled with interpretations of traditional songs, at which McKennitt excels. I am sure however, that her fans have been anxious to hear something penned by the Canadian singer/songwriter herself. The album’s title refers to the songs collected therein as “lost souls” in that they are works McKennitt has crafted over a period of time which have not found a home on her previous albums. When I first read this on her website, I worried that perhaps this was an album of outtakes, however, I am happy to report that this album, like all of her previously released original music is gorgeously crafted, wrapping the listener up in a blanket of lush sounds, Western, Eastern, Celtic, ancient, and contemporary.

The album opens with the atmospheric “Spanish Guitars and Night Plazas,” which McKennitt composed while working on her album Lost Souls. As any fan of the artist knows, McKennitt does extensive research into the regions and periods for which she is writing lyrics and music, and this is revealed here, “enriched with the aroma of jasmine,” as she says on her website.

On a previous album, McKennitt took her inspiration from Lord Tennyson’s “Lady of Shallott,” and here, she incorporates “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” into song. Additionally, the lyrics to “The Ballad of the Fox Hunter” are from a poem by William Butler Yeats. McKennitt is adept at taking literary poetic source material and turning it into gorgeous, melancholy songs. She has adapted material from William Butler Yeats before, as in the case of the song, “Ce He Mise Le Mise Le Ulaingt/The Two Trees” on her Mask and Mirror Album, as well as “Stolen Child” on Elemental. The result here is as lush, haunting, and gorgeous.

On the instrumental “Sun, Moon, and Stars,” Loreena departs from the Celtic and Mediterranean cultures she frequents and taking inspiration from a Moldavian folk song, weaves a rich tapestry of sound,  taking us across the dessert with North African nomads, and into the outback of Australia, looking up into clear skies unpolluted by light pollution.

Americans are so familiar with patriotic music, it can be odd for us to hear the patriotic songs of our near neighbors, in this case, Canada. In “The Breaking of the Sword,” McKennitt has penned a beautiful tribute to those who have served her country. The horns swelling on this piece remind me of earlier works by others, such as “Waltzing Matilda.” This sound, reminiscent of another era adds much to the song in connecting modern day veterans to ancestors who also served their country.

I believe that the wait for this album was well worth it. This reviewer feels as though she, too has been waiting for these songs to find a home. Loreena McKennitt albums have never disappointed, but it is good to hear her original voice once again, a trend that will hopefully continue with future albums.

You can purchase Lost Souls from the Quinlan Road website here: https://loreenamckennitt.com/shop/.

References

References:

Yeats, WB. The Two Trees. Retrieved from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-two-trees/ on September 13, 2018.

Yeats, W. B. Stolen Child. Retrieved from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/stolen-child/ on September 13, 2018.