• Perfect Time review by Cory C. Engel from CelticChristianTunes.com
• Perfect Time review by Dave Landsel from The Phantom Tollbooth
• Perfect Time review by James Stewart from The Phantom Tollbooth
• Whisper to the Wild Water review by James Stewart from The Phantom Tollbooth

In the late 1980's, God directed the spiritual path of Clannad's Maire Brennan into a personal relationship with Him. Perfect Time is the culmination of that journey to date.

Written along with Maire's husband, Perfect Time's title track is, in this reviewer's opinion, classic Brennan. Lyrically, it's a refreshing prayer for comfort from God, who at once sees all of eternity. Instrumentally, it brings reminders of 80's Clannad, especially Magical Ring.

"The Light On the Hill" recalls Ireland's missionary history in the early days of the faith on the island. The story's narrative style, as well as its haunting whistles, takes the listener back in time:

A sea journey takes him across
Takes our hero across
With the word in his heart
Lonely he prayed on the hill
Night and day a hundred times
A hundred times and more
And the voice he heard calling
To plant the Light of life
The Light on the hill...
...The voice and his message
Still lives a thousand years
A thousand years and more

"Na Paisli (The Children)": One of two pieces sung entirely in Gaelic, this lullaby retells Matthew 19:14-15:

He told us to be true like little children
For the Kindom of Heaven belongs to such as these

"Heal this Land" is a sincere prayer to settle the troubles of Brennan's homeland. While this tune will carry special meaning to Irish and Northern Irish Christians yearning for peace, I found myself relating to it also; no doubt this song will touch people from all lands in this fallen world.

"Song of David" is a most peaceful--almost lullaby-like--rendition of Psalm 67. This enthralling addition to Perfect Time is presented entirely in Gaelic.

"Doon Well" is a high point of this recording, in which Brennan's skill as a harpist shines. Clannad fans will recall with fondness the harp & whistle material in their previous recordings as they hear this one.

The CD closes with an instrumental version of its introductory track, "The Big Rock." Musically, this is a perfect opening--and closing--for this CD. Overall, this release is a refreshing addition to the body of Celtic Christian music, and especially the more specific genre of modern Celtic Christian music, which has been nearly dry until now (with the obvious exception of Iona and a precious few others). With a long and respected career in secular music, this recording will reach many previously unreached individuals who have already fallen in love with the sounds of Maire, Clannad, and Enya.

Maire says that this recording was released at the "perfect time." I say it wasn't a moment too soon.

Give Perfect Time a listen, either at your local music store's listening stations, or at Word Online.

--Cory C. Engel, CelticChristianTunes.com

While the platinum-sellers Clannad certainly cannot be called obscure, somehow the Irish pop/folk pioneers never came to enjoy the name recognition of Enya, whom everyone knows as a purveyor of those ethereal, spiritually flavored, Celtic pop treats which have found their way onto radio, into film soundtracks, commercials, and into the hearts of music-lovers world wide. The stuff of legends.

Maire Brennan, long time frontwoman of Clannad, and sister to the diva, has put quite some effort forth heretofore towards solo work, but only recently did she choose to focus on her (somewhat private) faith, with her Word Records release, Perfect Time. When asked what led her in this direction, Brennan speaks of her faith, and her long-term dilemma over Clannad's somewhat dubious title of "New Age." Never feeling particularly driven to record a Christian record, she pursued her career with the band, a career full of twists, turns and surprises. It was only recently that she was approached by her American manager about a gospel album. Perfect Time is the result of that meeting.

The album contains a lot of great traditional numbers, many sung entirely in Maire's native tongue, Gaelic. Curiously, naggingly so, many of them, such as the title track itself, seem a little "dumbed down," shall we say? What makes much of the music in the genre so appealing is the mystery of it all-- am I stretching critical limits in assuming that the folks over at Word felt they needed to slip a little of the Point of Grace (see track 5) vibe into the mix in order to sell records at a brisker pace? Perhaps they believed that an audience weaned on Cindy Morgan would be unable to fathom the mystery of a more in-depth project? Pity thus, because there's nothing better than an authentic piece of ethnic artistry, and what we seem to have here is a mix of American praise and worship, ethereal pop, and traditional Irish musicianship.

Whatever the case may be with that, there's much to love, such as the instrumental "Doon Well," a haunting, flowingly elegant number which recalls the greenery of the British Isles, and while a song on a Maire Brennan album titled "The Big Rock" seems as great a faux pas as introducing electric guitar into a Bach chorale, the catchy opener seems fresh, airy and full of life and hope. The closing instrumental is to be enjoyed as well. To sum it up, the album is enjoyable, however, here's hoping that if her career within the CCM field is to continue, she'll give us more of the creative music she's so good at, (such as tracks like "Whispered Words" on her solo album Misty Eyed Adventures) and a little less white fluff.

If you're unfamiliar with the particular genre, this could be a good introduction to the world of modern Celtic music. Brennan has taken her own folk heritage, prevalent in the music of Clannad, taken some of the ethereality of her sister's, and added some contemporary stylings to create an enjoyable, inspirational piece of work -- congratulations to the artist. However, if it's original creations, or just plain old traditional music you're looking for, you're better off picking through your Clannad collections.

--Review by Dave Landsel from The Phantom Tollbooth, republished with permission

There has been quite a bit of coverage of this album in the Christian press here in Britain. This is probably because Maire is the singer from Clannad as well as Enya's sister. This, her third solo album, is her first in the Christian marketplace and follows her appearance on Iona's Journey Into The Morn.

The vocals kick in immediately as the album opens, which I find disconcerting. Maire has a beautiful voice, but it seems as if the arrangements are too weak to make much of that voice. The instrumentation suffers from the same affliction; it's well-performed but lacks any real personality. Maire plays the harp and keyboards, while others take uileann pipes, low whistles, guitars, fiddle, and bodhran - a similar list of instruments to Iona, but without the interesting arrangements of that band.

This album is not awful, but really doesn't hold my attention for more than a couple of minutes, which is a shame as I really like Celtic music. It's good to see Maire acknowledging her Christian faith, but does that really mean the music has to be bland?

Rated 2.5 out of 5

--Review by James Stewart from The Phantom Tollbooth, republished with permission

Whisper to the Wild Water

More than a quarter century has passed since Clannad first opened the book of modern celtic-influenced music, but still Maire Brennan is in its pages. This, her fourth solo release and her second to be distributed into the Christian market, is a well conceived development on Perfect Time.

The music here still has the distinctive modern-Celtic sound which has been so popular over recent years. Brennan's vocals remain as ethereal as ever, drifting softly between English and Gaelic, but the drums are less artificial and the arrangements tighter than on this album's predecessor, leading to a more substantial offering.

Instrumentally everything is kept fairly simple, but contributes to a greater whole. Brennan plays keyboards and her familiar Irish harp, while a supporting cast contributes fiddles, guitars, bass, and all manner of other elements.

Five year-old Paul Jarvis (Brennan's son) intones in Gaelic over the song "Peacemaker," a factor which could easily have caused the song to become "cute," but thankfully that is averted and this element simply adds to the poignancy.

The lyrics are generally poetic and Christ-centered. The title track, "Whisper to the Wild Water," talks of the constancy of God's presence within a world that is constantly changing.

I heard your voice
Whisper to the wild water.
Step by step
Slowly enter

Change the words
Don't change the meaning
Change the hands
Don't change the healing

Musically this is perhaps the most up-tempo number, with a fairly driving note to the vocals. It is not the most succesful for it, seeming to lose direction a couple of times, but the delayed guitar blends well with the keyboards and vocals at the song's highpoints.

The album closes with a simple rendition of the hymn "Be Thou My Vision," sung in Gaelic using the same translation as Iona used on their Journey Into the Morn release. Since Iona recorded it, that song has appeared, usually in its English form, on so many recordings that it's in danger of overexposure. But Brennan keeps it simple, while investing a subtle power with her restrained emotion over the course of the song's two minutes. It is a fitting ending.

A definite improvement on its predecessor, this album should see Maire Brennan continue to develop her profile within Christian music circles, while still pleasing Clannad fans. It has its weak points, but the chapter this opens should be an interesting one in the ongoing story.

Rated 4 out of 5