Whisper To The Wild Water

So Moya has gone all God on us and I've been called to spend sixty-four minutes and four seconds in the presence of the Lord. What did I do to deserve this? Such were my first uncharitable thoughts when the fickle finger of fate landed this opus on my CD deck.

But I need not have trembled so, for within a few bars I was basking in the warmth of her deliciously passionate voice as it glided effortlessly across a stimulatingly layered instrumental landscape. The thankfully chunky production also adds the bite missing from much of her recent solo works.

There's less too of the apparently compulsory borrowing-from-every-continent lark that has tended to plague albums of this genre of late. Instead it's well worth your while getting lost in the mists of old age mysticism with what are essentially Irish tunes (some as Gaeilge), some original, some trad and most covering Irish mystic topics and treated accordingly.

'Follow The Word' tiptoes sprightly through a musical landscape evoking a time when people needed neither priest nor preacher to commune directly with top management. 'Bm Thusa Mo Shuile (Be Thou My Vision)' is simply and achingly beautiful. The harp-led original instrumental 'Mary Of The Gaels' has a meaty contemporary yet sensitive production, while 'Life', another original, is a gem, with Maire's layered voice soaring to the heavens and eyond.

'I Lathar Di (In The Presence Of God)' is a truly unearthly experience, with some superb choral interludes that are positively breathtaking. Brennan's vocal performance on 'Ageless Messengers' is equally sublime and even transcends a rather more boisterous and welcome kick-ass approach from the backing musicians.

Sadly, for 'Peacemaker', inspired by a prayer of St Francis of Assisi, she couldn't resist having her young son Paul practise his joined-up prayers. How Tammy Wynette can you get?

But that's a mere minor irritant. Whisper To The Wild Water is a timely reminder of why we fell for Clannad in the first place - that voice, the melodies, the sensitive and provocative musicianship. Indeed, on the evidence of this collection, Maire Brennan could well be the new Enya. Now there's a thought to toss around the fireside on a cold Donegal night.