First original album since 2006
STRATFORD, ON – Loreena McKennitt’s new album, Lost Souls – her first recording of original songs since the 2006 album An Ancient Muse – will be released internationally on Friday May 11, 2018.
Produced by the award-winning Canadian singer/composer herself, Lost Souls is an eclectic tapestry of songs drawn from a wide range of influences, including the Celtic and Middle Eastern with which she has long been identified.
“Life has been so full and demanding these past ten years, both personally and professionally,” says McKennitt, “and we’ve been touring at such a steady pace. It’s been immensely gratifying to finally get back to the creative part of the process.”
The nine-track album was recorded from May through October 2017 in Hamilton, Canada at Catherine North Studios and at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath, in South West England.
Several of the songs were initiated by McKennitt some time ago. Others have been progressively taking shape in the midst of more recent projects and journeys. A few draw on the poetry of John Keats and W.B. Yeats, while another evokes a distinct Middle Eastern flavour. In Lost Souls they all come together to create an artistically diverse and timely collection.
“With respect to the title track ‘Lost Souls,’ I was greatly inspired by a book of Ronald Wright’s entitled A Short History of Progress,” comments McKennitt. “He suggests that we as a species may have lost our moral compass with respect to ‘progress’ and that we have become ‘lost souls’.”
In keeping “with the times,” a few songs will appear as instant gratification tracks in advance of the formal release date. The first, “A Hundred Wishes,” will be available on March 9 on iTunes and all music services. A light, contemporary track harkening to earlier times, it features Loreena on piano, with long–time colleagues Caroline Lavelle on cello, Hugh Marsh on violin, Brian Hughes on guitar and Dudley Phillips on bass.
The album also features such specialty artists as Robert Brian and Tal Bergman (Drums), Hossam Ramsey, Graham Hargrove and Rick Lazar (Percussion), Nigel Eaton (Hurdy Gurdy), Panos Dimitrakopoulos (Kanoun), Sokratis Sinopoulos (Lyra), Haig Yazdjian (Oud), Ana Alcaide (Nyckelharpa), Daniel Casares (Flamenco Guitars) and Miguel Ortiz Ruvira (Flamenco Percussion)
Engineered by Yossi Shakked, Stuart Bruce and Jeff Wolpert, Lost Souls was mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios. The album package was designed by Jeri Heiden, of Smog Design, Inc.
Lost Souls will be available as a CD, 180-gram vinyl record, and through all music services, including iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify.
International touring plans for 2018/2019 will be announced in the coming months.
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
- 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.