 |
As with her harp and keyboard work, LM's voice stands out as one of the best around in any genre. Her phrasing is meticulous, her tone clear and emotive. And her songwriting is informed with a sense of melody that proves easily digestable to Western ears. As composer and arranger, she is ever pushing her boundaries, looking for inspiration from the far corners of the world and blending it into her developing style. And best of all, she doesn't just craft a simple theme and repeat it over and over. Her music travels, evolves and has wonderful structure, offering just enough of one interesting sound before moving on to embellish on it or contrast it with something else. The last characteristic that The Mask and Mirror shares with other McKinnett recordings is Loreena's songwriting and vocals. Yet, it is in this area that this recording breaks from all her earlier works. McKennitt more fully utilizes a "Middle Eastern" sound (with which she had dabbled previously) to her compositions. The result of this addition is an energy that wasn't always present in the earlier recordings. This energy seems to infect McKennitt in other ways as well. Her vocals, always beautiful to hear, seem more energetic and alive on this recording. Also, the lyrics on her original songs are enhanced by the energy provided through this new wrinkle in her sound. The result is a recording that is seamless from a songwriting point of view.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
