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Album
McKennitt, Loreena
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
(Quinlan Road)

Price: 129 SEK

Canadian artist Loreena McKennitt has, over more than two decades, explored many aspects of the Celtic music she’s always loved. Now she’s returned to her earliest inspiration — traditional Irish and Scottish music — to create a new album.

In many ways the new album — which is being released as a CD, as a download and on vinyl — is a return to the simple, age-old music with which the singer began her career with her 1985 debut recording, Elemental.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley includes familiar “classics” such as “Down by the Sally Gardens,” “The Star of the County Down” and “The Parting Glass.” They are mixed with lesser-known traditional songs, including “The Death of Queen Jane” and “As I Roved Out.” There are two instrumental tracks — including a McKennitt original called “The Emigration Tunes,” which refers to Irish-Canadian history during the famine of the 1840s.

“This has been a somewhat spontaneous project,” said the singer, “and it was one that I wanted to accomplish close to home. I was inspired and encouraged by many of my friends and fans who asked that I record traditional material once again.

“In another sense, it has been like ‘touching the stone’ going back to the roots of my initial deep affection for Celtic music. The simpler and more traditional arrangements and haunting melodies of that music, led me to the broader history of the Celts which in turn resulted in my musical travel writing of recent years.”

The new album was recorded during the summer of 2010 at Sharon Temple, a handcrafted wooden building north of Toronto. Completed in 1832, the Temple of the Children of Peace — to give the building its full title — is the centerpiece of a National Historic Site, which encompasses nine historic buildings in a park setting.

“It was a real joy to record our music in a place that is so rich, both historically and architecturally,” McKennitt explains. “There is a fascinating interplay between architecture and sound; visually and sonically, the Temple inspired us all.”

She added: “It was so pleasant to be able to step out into a natural area, surrounded by trees, squirrels and chipmunks and the sounds of cicadas by day and crickets and robins and sparrows at night, attracted either by the ambient light or the music.

“For me, there seems to be a crucial link between close access to the natural world and creative inspiration.”

Some of McKennitt’s long-time musical companions — violinist Hugh Marsh, cellist Caroline Lavelle, guitarist Brian Hughes, hurdy-gurdy player Ben Grossman — were joined by a cast of other accomplished players.

The album was recorded and mixed by engineer Jeff Wolpert, with whom McKennitt has worked on numerous international live recording projects.

Grammy-nominated McKennitt built her international reputation — with some 14 million records sold around the world on her own self-managed record label — by exploring the rich history of the Celts and exploring their roots in the Middle East and even further afield.

“Every once in a while there’s a pull to return to your own beginnings,” McKennitt explains. “With the perspective of time and experience one can again feel familiar things you once loved, and love still."

“And I must say it feels wonderful to return to my musical roots.”

1. As I Roved Out		Listen
2. On A Bright May Morning		Listen
3. Brian Boru’s March		Listen
4. Down By the Sally Gardens		Listen
5. The Star Of The County Down		Listen
6. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
7. The Death Of Queen Jane
8. The Emigration Tunes
9. The Parting Glass

Other albums by McKennitt, Loreena:

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