doakley64's Full Review: Journey into the Morn by Iona
Typically, I am not a strong fan of Celtic style music. While I can appreciate such a style of music for its obvious talent to produce, it simply has not jumped off of the CD to grab my attention.
Iona's "journey into the morn" is very different, mainly because it blends Celtic traditional music and styles with rock instruments and beat in such a way as to be evocative, expressive, and sweetly haunting all at the same time. Even if you are not a fan of Christian music, this CD is a must-hear for the Celtic rock fan.
The album cover is relatively unimpressive, with a picture of the group set in a silver ball covered with Celtic symbols. The back side of the cover, however, clearly defines the purpose and thought behind the CD. It carries the lyrics of a Irish hymn written in the 8th century, and states at the bottom that several tracks on the album were inspired by the hymn.
The first two songs on the CD are joined at the hip by a quick bridge. "Bi-Se I Mo Shuil - Part I" is slow, vocally expressive Gaelic adaptation of Hugh Brennan's "Be Thou My Vision." It quickly shifts into "Irish Day," a soft rock oriented song about one of the early missionaries to the British Isles.
"Wisdom," a fairly solid guitar rock anthem with little Irish influence noticeable, lays the subfloor for the CD, speaking of the wisdom of God as highly desireable.
From here, the CD swirls into a misty veil of Celtic/rock blends. "Everything Changes" softly swirls Hebrews 13:8 into a song more reminescent of more synthesizer-friendly groups such as Tangerine Dream - not quite that space, but getting close.
"Inside My Heart" is a very slow, acoustic guitar based composition covered by outstanding vocal harmonies.
"The Search" is an instrumental based on Uillean pipes, and is part of a series of songs which overlap and overlay each other in a seeming search for higher knowledge and wisdom, until "Heaven's Bright Sun" can be found. This area of the CD does drag a bit, though.
This CD is an excellent CD for contemplative moods. I highly recommend it.
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