CLANNAD: The Essential
CLANNAD
The Essential
RCA/Legacy
The word âessentialâ can refer to something that is absolutely necessary, its deepest essence, or even both at once. Whether or not this two-disc collection satisfies either definition is very much a matter of individual taste.
Clannad began in 1970 in County Donegal as a neo-trad, Irish-speaking family band, featuring singer/harpist MĂĄire (aka Moya) Brennan, her brothers CiarĂĄn and PĂłl, and their twin uncles, Noel and PĂĄdraig Duggan. Their earlier albums were largely unplugged and harbored a light, jazzy subtext reminiscent of the British group Pentangle.
However, the material gathered here dates from the 1980s-1990s, when the highly processed, synth-laden âCeltic Twilightâ movement came close to achieving mainstream status. Much of Clannadâs output from that era, from the ubiquitous âNewgrangeâ and âTheme From Harryâs Game,â to âI Will Find Youâ from the soundtrack of âLast Of The Mohicans,â to âIn A Lifetime,â which features a guest turn from U2 lead singer Bono, reflect that esthetic.
Given the beauty of MĂĄireâs eerily pure soprano and the skill of the instrumentalists, even people who prefer purely acoustic music are bound enjoy these tunes on some level. But too many of the tracks, despite skillful remastering, come across as dense, overwrought and somewhat dated (although not so much as Riverdance and other such former crowd-pleasers of the day.) Even so, having all 31 tunes compiled in one place will no doubt prove invaluable for longtime fans, completists and nostalgia buffs.
—Â Christina Roden