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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get this album. If you don't like it, your mother will., 1 May 2004
Unusually, I bought this album on the strength of having read about it on the Amazon website, and must say that it has been one of my most satisfactory purchases. Comparison with Enya is inevitable. There are indeed many similarities between Maire Brennan and her more famous sister, but there are enough differences to make it impossible to say that one is better than the other. Their vioces, not surprisingly, have a similar timbre; the differences lie more in the songs and the production. Maire is produced with a lighter touch, and I like this. The quality of the voice and the instruments are more distinct, with a sharper edge, and I think this makes the overall effect sound more 'Irish', if there is such a quality. (I often wish I could just for once hear Enya's voice in its purity, without the 'wall of sound' in which it is invariably embedded.) The production and all of the performances on this album are faultless.Most of the songs reflect Maire's Christian faith, but this is also presented with a light touch, so as to make the songs acceptable to a universal/secular audience. Neo-pagan Enya fans need have no fear; I would guess that a lot of people will just enjoy chilling out to this music without being put off by, or even noticing the words. Favourites? That's a hard one, as some of these songs are still growing on me, but I particularly like 'Where I Stand' and 'Ageless Messengers' The melody and lyrics of 'Where I Stand' are equally strong, but the masterstroke on this track is the repeated kyrie eleison motif, beginning as a barely preceptible, ghostly shimmering in the background, but becoming more assertive and solid as the song progresses. As for 'Ageless Messengers', it has a chorus like a joyful peal of bells that would make anyone feel happy, whatever the words might mean. O course, you will know what the words mean; they are there in the accompanying notes, with English translations of the Gaelic. One minor beef. The last track is a bit out of place. It is the only duet, and seems not to fit the theme of the rest of the album. And it doesn't even get a mention in the notes or the list of tracks. (If it weren't for the Amazon reviews, I wouldn't know who the male singer was!) Why? I can only suppose that, in these days when 'value for money' is so overrated, it was added (as an afterthought) as a 'bonus track'. This really wasn't necessary, particularly as the last but one track, 'Be Thou my Vision', performed with haunting simplicity would have been an ideal finale.
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~ Moya Brennan
~ Marie Brennan
~ Máire Brennan
~ Moya Brennan
~ Moya Brennan
