THREE MORE LIMITED EDITION VINYL REISSUES FROM LOREENA McKENNITT, SEPTEMBER 30
31 AUGUST 2016 – Recognizing the growing public appetite for the sound only vinyl can deliver, the independent, Juno-Award-winning Canadian artist Loreena McKennitt is rolling out three more albums from her catalogue as limited-edition, numbered vinyl records. On September 30, An Ancient Muse, The Mask and Mirror, and Parallel Dreams will be released on vinyl through McKennitt’s own label, Quinlan Road, via Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company. The 180-gram, audiophile-quality records were pressed at Record Industry in the Netherlands and will be available in numbered, limited editions.
“Each of these three recordings marks a special milestone in my journey exploring the history of the Celts,” says McKennitt. “In some ways, Parallel Dreams is where my musical travel writing really began. The Mask and Mirror started in the Galician region of Spain and ended in Morocco, exposing me to so much of the rich Arab influences in our own culture, while An Ancient Muse brought me to the Celts in Anatolia, Delphi, Mongolia and China. All of these journeys have been rich and inspirational.”
Parallel Dreams, McKennitt’s third album, will become the eighth in a series of collector releases. Featuring her own lyrical contributions, the 1989 album moves beyond the realm of traditional Celtic music. It marks the beginning of a rich and personal journey towards McKennitt’s inimitable ‘eclectic Celtic’ music which has been delighting audiences around the world for more than 25 years.
The Mask and Mirror, which won a Juno Award in 1995 for Best Roots/Traditional Album, will become McKennitt’s ninth vinyl release. With its exotic palette of Spanish, Celtic and Moroccan influences, the album is certified 4x Platinum in Canada and is approaching the Platinum designation in both the U.S. and Germany.
The tenth vinyl release, An Ancient Muse, was a 2007 Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary World Music Album. McKennitt’s travels to Mongolia, Northwest China, Turkey and Greece inform the music on this album, which explores our common human quests to love and be loved, and the need for liberty and spirituality.
The Visit, Loreena’s critically-acclaimed recording from 1991 which won a Juno Award for Best Traditional/Roots Album, was previously released on vinyl on June 24th.
The only studio recording from McKennitt’s catalogue yet to be released on vinyl is the best-selling The Book of Secrets, which includes the worldwide hit “The Mummers Dance”.
These latest vinyl releases come just months before McKennitt takes to the road again this fall with A Trio Performance tour which will take her to 25 select venues in the U.S. South & Midwest, as well as three dates in Ontario: Hamilton, Kitchener, and Toronto, November 8-10.
McKennitt’s eclectic Celtic blend of pop, folk and world music has sold over 14 million albums worldwide. Her recordings have achieved Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum status in 15 countries on four continents. She has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award and has won two Juno Awards, as well as a Billboard International Achievement Award. She has performed in some of the world’s most-respected and historic concert venues, from Carnegie Hall to the famous Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain and for dignitaries including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and numerous heads of state.
In addition to her musical career, McKennitt has been recognized for a number of noteworthy philanthropic initiatives, including: The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, Falstaff Family Centre, and she is an Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 2004, McKennitt was awarded the Order of Canada and in 2013 was appointed Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters of the Republic of France.