Search - Joanna :: Looking into Light (Celtic Hymns)

Unusual, satisfying, and moving

R. J. Tuggy | Georgia, USA | 01/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have listened to the group Iona for years and mightily enjoy their Celtic rock sound, and went out on a limb with this release by the band's lead singer.



"Celtic Hymns," it says - but don't let this lead to you lump it together with those compilations that take any old gospel song, add bagpipes and a bodhran, and expect you to appreciate it. This is real music, from a real Irish woman, and it does not fit a pre-existing mold.



Joanna Hogg takes twelve hymns - some better-known than others - and strings them in a sequence of complimentary and contrasting settings. Some of the tunes have been re-written - her tastefully exuberant "Brightest and Best" (sung with her three sisters) bears little resemblance to the stodgy march that most hymnals have, and "I Ask No Dream" is a new breath of life to the "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" that you may already know.



The signature "Be Thou My Vision" is left untouched, presented simply and freely; but while she retains the lovely original melody to "Oh, the Deep, Deep Love," she layers on tonally ambiguous vocals that make you shiver with the feel of cold salt air and unfathomable fog over ocean depths. "Be Still, My Soul," is an odd ending to the album - sung quietly, almost under her breath, accompanied by the sounds of traffic and busy people.



This has become one of my absolute favorite albums - one I would choose to take to a desert island with me. I highly recommend it."

Expected more but still like it

Aaron Breer | 09/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I believe this does fit a particular catagory of music, celtic new age and a couple of times progressive rock. At first I didn't like this and I thought I wasted money on a hard to find, out of print CD, but after listining to it maybe about seven times it started to grow on me. Now, I wouldn't consider this to be one of the CDs I would take to a desert island, but this is still good. Some of the music on here doesn't seem that deep. Often the instruments are just background sounds like electric guitar and strings playing the same note for a long time. For instruments this has a lot of different ones, but they don't always seem to go togeather well. Several of the songs are somewhat deep and beautiful like How sweet the name, I ask no dream, and Almight father who dost give. Much of this does seem like background music though, so if you're the kind of listener that wants something deeper to listen to you might not like this.



The singing is great, what I expect from Joanne Hogg. I originaly heard her voice in a videogame soundtrack and I thought it was beautiful so I looked into Iona(didn't like it much) and more recently this CD. There are better singers out there though like Lisa Kelly or Cloe Agnew from the celtic woman CDs.



Stiil, this is good music, there is certainly worse in this catagory."

Good album for meditation

G. Marshall | Hyattsville, MD, United States | 04/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this album because I wanted an album of hymns, and I wanted a celtic feel to said album. I knew nothing of Joanne Hogg before I purchased it.



This is one of the best CDs in my collection. I used to listen to it almost every Friday night when I was in college, and it still gets rotation in my player whenever I want a meditative quiet spiritual experience. The hymns are simple enough to be appreciated, yet musical enough to intrigue. You can listen, or let it just be background music. Highly recommended."