Before "Riverdance," before "Lord of the Dance," before "Titanic," there was Clannad. And many of the atmospheric Celtic sounds drifting through those big-budget, high visibility stage and screen productions trace back to the seminal Irish group, one of the pioneers in blending traditional elements with contemporary electronic devices.

Maire Brennan's performance at the El Rey Theatre on Saturday wasn't exactly a Clannad appearance, but it was close. A principal in Clannad for nearly three decades (along with her sister Enya, who, of course moved on to a solo career), she stamped much of her performance with the trademark lush-textured, vocal-oriented Clannad sound.

Leading a youthful eight-piece ensemble, Brennan balanced her program with Clannad numbers (including "Harry's Game" and the song "I'll Find You," from "The Last of the Mohicans") and selections from her new album "Perfect Time." The latter, especially the lovely title track, reflected Brennan's Celtic Christian beliefs, but without proselytizing--rather with a generic spirituality that merged perfectly with her soaring melodies.

Brennan has one of the most appealing voices in contemporary Celtic music, a dark-toned pliant instrument as effective with light-heartd songs as with the more melancholy material.


Copyright 1999, The Los Angeles Times.

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Official Web Links:

Atlantic Records' Official Clannad Web Site

Word Records' Official Máire Brennan Web Site

Unofficial Clannad Web Site

Ed Plekkenpol's Clannad Pages

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