Nights from the Alhambra chronicles ethereal Canadian Celtic/folk/worldbeat artist
Loreena McKennitt's 2006 tour in support of her
Ancient Muse album. Recorded in September in the Palace of Charles V at the Alhambra, a southern Spanish fortress on the eastern border of the city of Granada built by the Moors,
McKennitt employed a 12-piece band that included hurdy-gurdy, oud, uilleann pipes, kanoun, strings, and multiple percussion players. Though there is an emphasis on works from her most recent release, the singer/composer/harpist covers a wide breadth of material from 1985's
Elemental ("She Moved Through the Fair") to 1991's acclaimed
Visit ("All Souls Night," "Lady of Shalott") and beyond. As with all of her studio recordings, the sound quality is exquisite, making this -- her third live collection -- the best yet. [
Nights from the Alhambra is also available with an accompanying DVD, which was filmed in HDTV and captures the night's performance in its entirety.] ~ James Christopher Monger