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Loreena McKennitt is not a household name for many, though she has been creating a very unique brand of music for many years, her first album, Elemental was released in 1985. The cover of 1997's release, Book of Secrets, does suggest something of what you are going to find inside. The artist herself stands framed in a sunburst of vivid reds, oranges and gold's, which itself blends into a tapestry like appearance as it reaches the edge of the cover. And this in a way is a good metaphor for the contents, a vivid tapestry, interwoven ideas and a collection of stories and themes that cross both geography and time itself. Book of Secrets forms the last part of a musical travelogue that Loreena began with 1991s, The Visit and is consistent in its musical conclusion to those songs found there. There are many similarities to be drawn between Loreena's mix of influences and those of Enya or Enigma, but whereas the former tends to have a classical and piano bias and the latter aim for a pop market, this artist creates gloriously soft and gentle mixes of Celtic, folk and diverse world styles and even a hint of rock from time to time. Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios and featuring the loan of some of Gabriel's band, Book of Secrets is a warm and inviting album, one that washes over you rather than requiring any effort to fully appreciate its worth. People may criticize its production work, it is a very polished album and for many lacks a living and spontaneous quality, but this is music that is a fusion of styles that don't sit easily together and as such may be seen as more the product of the studio than anything else. That said anyone who can produce such moving and ethereal music as this will have me defending them against any such petty gripes, this is definitely a case where the end more than justifies the means. And its not as if the well honed production is there to cover any lack of ability as this album boasts a cast of a couple of dozen of the worlds finest musicians.

As the haunting drone of the Prologue rises with the sound of Middle Eastern strings, Loreena's haunting voice takes centre stage, rising in resonance as the drums and rhythms of a Bedouin camp drift through. Immediately images are conjured in your mind, campfires glow, desert winds move the desert sands and dark eyed exotic strangers stand in the shadows. This music not only talks to your soul, it can carry you away to a place of the artists choosing. And as gently as it carried you

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