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Eponymous title. [On her own, Ms. Collins is good; the New Albion Band is terrific – why isn’t the chemistry hotter on this album? It’s just a bit too P.C., save-the-whales in tone for my taste and Collins sings with a slightly smug, self-righteous, sound that ill-becomes both her and the music. Four or five good cuts; the rest is for die-hard completist fans only.]

THE ENID: Aerie-Faerie Nonsense. [A cult band that was apparently as reclusive as the Loch Ness Monster. Their music is, maybe, the bastard son of Brian Eno and Clannad, only more sensuous than the former and less "commercial" than the latter, which is not to pout down Reno & Clannard, both of whom I like very much, but to try to fix what’s so special about The Enid. Their music is elfven without being coy and hobbitoid; richly atmospheric and extremely delicate. The group made only 2-3 albums and then vanished; silkies came out of the sea one night and dragged them down…of maybe it was the servants of Dagon. There’s definately a suggestion of the Lovecraftian about their sound…… Check them out, if this admittedly lame excuse of a blurb engages your interest. Outstanding sonics contribute to the Mood.]

The Compleat Dancing Master. [Mixes hilarious quotes from an 18^th-Century book with appropriate ballads and instrumental cuts that really swing. Fine musicianship mixed with a nice touch of dead-pan irony. A charming collection and decidedly off-beat.]

Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. [Punk, Irish, sea-shanties! Arrrgh, matey, what’s not to like about these sodding – or is that "sodden"? – lads?]

Live at the Olympia. Back to hardcore Celtic roots, with skirling pipes, leathery drums, and the glint of druids; blood of a Claymore’s edge. Gawd, I love this stuff!

Renaissance of the Celtic Harp [Stivell is to the bardic harp what Heifitz was to the fiddle: a virtuoso sans pariel. This, his first album, evokes the Celtic mystique better than anything except a handful of CLANNAD cuts and some of the early STEELEYE SPAN ballads. Okay, so the blended-in sound of waves lapping on the shore at the start verges on schmaltz, but when those poured-silver arpeggios come rippling in, the hair on your arms will stand at attention. His slightly husky baritone IS "bardic", hypnotizing, even when he sings in his native language, Breton. Just close your eyes and be transported to the world of Lord Dunsany…or Tolkein, for that matter. Unutterably beautiful]

Third International Tour album. [The master of the Celtic harp here ventures into Bob Dylan territory with songs that are mostly quiet, introspective…and sung in Breton. Not his most memorable work, but, even on an off-day, Stivell’s artistry still makes the angels smile and the wind blow sweetly through the heather.]

"TELYN CYMRU". VOL. 2 ‘’ "THE HARP OF WALES". The ‘COR GODRE’R ARAN’ Choir; w/ harpist Einion Eduards. [A beautiful compendium of "CERDD DENT" ballads, performed by a regionally famous ensemble. Cerdd Dent is a curious indigenous Welsh art form, in which the chorus intone the verses of well-known songs and the harpist improvises an accompaniment in whatever style he or she desires, except it must be another melody entirely. I’m not sure I hear all the subtleties of this yet – some exposure and ear-training must be requires – but I do hear a generously-timed album of gorgeous Welsh ballads and harpistry. I’m also reasonably certain of its authenticity, as the album notes are entirely in Welsh, except for a couple of paragraphs in English. If you’re into Celtic music, here’s a fascinating sub-genre of it, pure as a mountain stream. The lyrics are often somewhat unusual, too, as in this satirical ballad, contrasting a smitten swain’s description of his new heart-throb with an objective observer’s description of her charms:

I once loved a country lass