CD Music
Review
Clear
Star by Kwannon
GOG
members and attendees have enjoyed Jenne Micales ethereal voice
at rituals, the Pagan Picnic, at Crucible, and at other Pagan events.
Others may have heard her at the recent Psychotic Music Festival or know
her from Belladonna Bouquet. Were happy to have her as our new official
grove Bard. As Kwannon, Jenne treats us to 11 songs of rhythm and grace
and power.
All the music is original. The arrangements are unusual and sparse,
and this brings her voice out front. She plays all the instruments
herself, whether dulcimer, psaltery, valiha, berimbau, ectara, tinwhistle,
frame drum, deertoes, sistrum, chime or zils. Sometimes the music
reminds me of Dead Can Dance, at other times its a little like
Libana or The Moors but, always, its very much Jennes
own. Its tremendous for trance dancing, slow belly dancing,
or just trancing out. Its also satisfying just to put headphones
on and bliss out to.
The first song, I Have a Young Sister, is a good start, a good introduction
to Jennes operatic voice. Brahma (from Emersons poem) and
Sidus Clarum are both beautiful. Old Woman is a strong Goddess invocation
to a loping primeval rhythm. Cap and Bells is a wyrd and haunting arrangement
of the Yeats poem. Among Kwannons original lyrics, Steel Grey Sea
is my personal favorite, a shadowy meditation on death as a journey. Iza,
about ice, has sort of a King Crimson feel to it. Midnight Sun is a really
cool, and frequently comic, exploration of artic realms, both planetary
and personal. Complicity sounds like a medieval Lughnasadh dance. This
one was playing pleasantly in my head long after the CD finished. Of the
last two songs, Eight of Swords is a slow lament, and Lost Words a confessional
spoken under soaring vocals.
For information, e-mail Jenne at dulcimergoddess@hotmail.com,
or go to Kwannons website at http://www.geocities.com/royvis.geo/kwannon.html
(Next, we need to get Jenne to record some of the invocation songs shes
done for rituals!)
reviewed by edwin chapman