Customer Reviews

Parallel Dreams

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, by way of a disclaimer, I would like to be able to claim that I have in fact been a fan of Loreena McKennitt right from the beginning of her long and illustrious career, but alas! The sad truth is that I only discovered her a few short years ago thanks to a friend who had her "The Visit" CD playing in his SUV when he picked me up for lunch. Needless to say, I was blown away by what I heard as we tooled down the snowy streets of Cambridge past the ivied halls of Harvard on our way to a local spaghetti place. Having already become a confirmed fan of Celtic music with Irish artists like Van Morrison and Clannad, I quickly bought all of her CDs, and as a result have come to admire her work a great deal. Needless to say, this particular album, "Parallel Dreams", is a personal favorite.

Her voice is hard to describe, other than to say it has a haunting, ethereal quality that is the perfect vehicle for her wide-ranging compositions and arrangements. It is hard to classify her work, because it does encompass quite arrange of different genres. It is safe to say that she draws from an amazingly rich store of different kinds of traditional music, and seems to breathe her won unifying force in delivering them in a manner that is at once both traditional and innovative. Thus, from the opening strains of "Samain Night" through the mystical treatment of "Standing Stones" to the ending sounds of "Ancient Pines", the work seems to thread itself together seamlessly, even though the sources for the individual songs is often quite different. The only way to properly appreciate her wondrous abilities is to experience them. Otherwise, I feel like the guy trying to convince his lady friend to take her first roller-coaster ride. You have to explode down all the way from the top of the edifice to understand the rush. So it is with our lady Loreena. Buy it and get ready for the rush!

While aimlessly wandering through the c.d. store, I suddenly found myself standing awkwardly in front of the "New Age" section. "This is new territory," I whispered to no one in particular, since the store was mysteriously empty on a Saturday afternoon. "Why not?" I asked myself... I had the money to make such an impulse buy. I needn't feel guilty. I glanced over the selections available, the words "Parallel Dreams" catching my eye. This is the c.d. I had to purchase!!! Having no idea what I was getting in to, I grabbed the plastic case and glided to the register. "Will this be all?" I heard through a new bewildering fog of excitement. "Yes, thank you," I replied quietly. The beginning of a new me. Returning home to my protected shelter, I popped the disk into my stereo, cranked the volume to a level unusually high for my standards, and sat back in my most comfortable chair to listen to result of my adventure in the music store. What beautiful, elegant melodies I heard!!! Unlike anything... It felt almost sinful this enchanting lullaby of sweet chords and discords! I felt a new sense of freedom and individuality springing from the inner depths of my body. After listening to this album, I have to say that Loreena McKennit is a master of the New Age music. Her intricate pieces represent a quality unlike any other. Intriguing and tempting, I would suggest this c.d., "Parallel Dreams," to anyone even vaguely interested in New Age music.

Parallel Dreams is one of Loreena Mckennitt's first albums, and with her, she seems to get beter with each album. The Book of Secrets (in my opinion) is her very best. So in essence, Parallel Dreams is not her best...but it is great! For die hard Loreena fans, this is a must have!! I do not think that any song in this album lack quality or is BAD, but compared to her more recent songs, it's not the best. But this CD will enchant. The first song is simply haunting, and it describes love. The Fire Dance, is so enthralling that you just just cannot help but want to go out and dance around a bonfire! The two love songs in this CD are rather sad (so brace yourself..:-), for each of the lovers dies. Annarchie Gordon is a lovely song (though it may be redundent and drawn out). Standing Stones is incredible, and is one of my favourite songs by Loreena Mckennitt! The first time I read it while she was singing, I cried. Each time I hear I am moved within. Simply beautiful...but very sad. The rest of the Album is really nice, and it ends with a beautiful haunting song...Ancient Pines. I highly suggest that all Loreena McKennitt fans get this!

..."Parallel Dreams," although an excellent collection as always, seems to lack. Ms. McKennitt's voice is lovely and lyrical as ever, her music charmingly Celtic, "Annachie Gordon" is particularly haunting, although "Ancient Pines" a little too New Age in sentiment, yet the album seems to carry very few of the musically experimental elements I had come to love and expect from "The Book of Secrets" and "The Mask and the Mirror." Her blend of dialogue and song in "Dickens' Dublin (The Palace)" does not wholly work, perhaps due to the difference in recording techniques, or the "pop" sound of the music. Great fans of Loreena McKennit should definitely invest in this album, but I must regretfully deny that it is her best work ever.

I was introduced to Loreena McKennitt just a year ago through "The Book of Secrets". I now own "The Mask and Mirror", "The Visit" and, most recently, "Parallel Dreams". "Parallel Dreams" is her best yet. From the soaring vocals in "Samain Night" through the astonishing power of "Breaking the Silence" and the serene finish of "Ancient Pines", this is a truly remarkable album.

Loreena McKennitt seems to be a best kept secret. I wish more people were familiar with her work and took the same immense pleasure in it I do. She deserves far more attention than she has gotten so far, but it's nice to be in a relatively small and exclusive club of admirers.

Like some other reviewers I am a devoted Enya fan. Both artists have had a profound impact on me: something in their music gets into the deepest recesses of my heart. No one could ever replace Enya, but I'm happy to welcome Loreena into the Enya stratosphere.

Years ago I bought "The Visit" and "The Mask And Mirror", both intrigued me. I recently bought Parallel Dreams and it is absolutely exquisite. I have to agree with other reviewers, this is Lorenna's best. It is one of those rare, inspired, unforgettable albums. Loreena shines as bright as the North Star in Parallel Dreams and I cannot recommend this CD more highly. It goes into my small stack of favorites. I just wish I'd bought this album sooner. If I were to compare Lorenna with anyone, I'd pick Joan Baez because of the strong, clear story telling, not Enya, however Lorenna's style is her own, fresh, crisp,and art at its very best.

This may be Loreena McKennitt's most romantic album. It includes "Anachie Gordon" which is one of my favorite epic love stories set to song. It includes "Standing Stones" which argues that true love lives on after death. In addition, it has the theme music to the documentary "The Goddess Remembered". If you saw the documentary, you will remember that powerful musical theme. And it has "Dickens' Dublin", which really feels like Christmas.

Each song is an elaborate, carefully constructed classical/Celtic musical piece, as always accented by her well-trained high-range voice, giving the songs a soft, ethereal, romantic feel. But the songs don't fit together into one giant musical piece of art the way they do in some of her later albums. Each song is a masterpiece - but it stands alone. It doesn't flow into the next song.

Only someone who's spoiled by Loreena McKennitt's brilliance could be so picky as to say something like that though. It's like criticizing Mozart. The bottom like is that though there are other Loreena albums you should buy first, this is a wonderful collection of Loreena "must-haves", including some of her very most romantic epics.

If anyone listens to this album, and fails to be moved by the eclectic collection of paegan/Celtic influenced tracks, then I would suggest that a trip to intensive care might be in order. McKennitt is the posseser of the finest female voice -check that, any voice- it has been my privilage to hear.

Parallel Dreams is not, perhaps, as easy to listen to as her later, breakthrough albums -The Visit, The Mask and Mirror, The Book of Secrets-, but this is an advantage in a way. Mesmerising melodies overlayed by a heavenly voice soar through Shakespearian style traditional ballades -Annachie Gordon-, to the more upbeat Celt/North American Indian influenced Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance. The astoundingly evoccative results can have the listener in tears one minute, transport you to the coasts of Ireland and Scotland the next; gazing over the shoulders of Native Americans at one of their ritual dances a track later, and musing on the philosophy of the Celts a few seconds after that, to name but a few emotions and locations.

Mesmerising, disturbing, haunting, and ever hypnotic, Parallel Dreams is a stunning album -all the more so when one considers that it was Loreena's first attempt at original work. It will remain one of the slightly reclusive -praise be-, astoundingly tallented Canadian singer/musician/songwriter's finest moments, not that she ever had any weak ones in the first place. A true music fan will appreciate tallent no matter what the genre. Well, Loreena is a goddess, as her rather protective, and hyper enthusiastic fans indicate. Anyone ever seen a bad review?

Thought not.

It is hard to quibble too much with this album. Loreena McKennitt is a gifted singer, writer and arranger, and there is little on "Parallel Dreams" to indicate otherwise. But at the same time there is little here that is completely breathtaking either, and unfortunately this seems to be the album that began to find Celtic music (a wonderful and rich genre of music) to get lumped into the same category as New Age music (a generally tedious and unexpressive genre of music). This, in and of itself may not be McKennitt's fault, but while there are plenty of undeniably lovely moments here, "Parallel Dreams" is clearly a formative album full of ideas that would not really blossom until "The Visit," "To Drive The Cold Winter Away," and "The Mask and Mirror."

This is a truly wondrous album. Loreena McKennitt first swept me away when I heard "The Mummer's Dance" in 1997. Her voice is angelic and amazing, and she is an fabulous musician as well. This album, "Parallel Dreams," seems to be a forgotten treasure. I personally had a very hard time finding it, unlike some others ("The Book of Secrets and "The Mask and Mirror"). It needs more appreciation! Listen to this CD- I guarantee you'll be swept of your feet.