The Celtic Circle: Legendary Music from a Mystic World
Here we go again with yet another compilation of soundtrack excerpts and vaporous ditties, to be filed under "Celtic" and pronounced, one assumes, with a soft "c." Some of the selections, such as those featuring old hands like Loreena McKennit, Sinead O'Connor, Clannad, the Corrs, and the Chieftains, actually merit the moniker. But how a pair of embarrassingly twee tunes by David Arkenstone and Vangelis (!) made the cut is anyone's guess. Other choices of dubious provenance include Annie Haslam and Steve Howe's cover of an already hoary Yes tune, a squirm-inducing bit of overkill called "Elysium" (by Elysia, whoever that may be,) and Ryan and Rachel O'Donnell's flaccid reworking of Enya's "May It Be" fromLord of the Rings. "Hedwig's Theme" from the OST toHarry Potteralso appears, courtesy of the City of Prague Philharmonic, even though the books never so much as hinted at the owl's nationality.--Christina Roden