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MAC KEOWN, SUSAN
----------------

"For those of you who are interested in the more trad. side of
Clannad's music, I caught an Irish singer, Susan McKeown, live in
concert recently in town. She sings many Irish trad. songs as well as
many original contemporary folk songs. Her style is very reminiscent
of Maire Brennan. In fact, she professed to be a big fan of Clannad,
the 'pre-Fuaim days' as she put it. She performed 'A Mhaire
Bhruinneall' in her set which appears in her album 'Bushes & Briars',
but was inspired from Clannad's recording of the song" [HS]

The most recent albums are 'Prophecy' (described as 'acoustic
rock songs'), 'Lowlands' (songs from Ireland and Scotland)
and 'A Winter Talisman'.

There is a web site at:
http://house-of-music.com/susan/


MADREDEUS
---------

"A Portuguese ensemble with heavenly vocals by the female lead-singer.
Especially their release 'O' Espirito da Paz' has some timeless music
on it. I love tracks like 'Amargura' and 'Os Senhores da Guerra'. Pure
beauty." [DA]

The latest album of Madredeus, entitled 'Movimento', has been released
recently.

There is a web page for Madredeus at:
http://madredeus.mind.pt/ingles/default.htm


MARCOME
-------

The debut album of this Canadian singer and composer is entitled
'Seven Seas'. It uses a combination of English lyrics and wordless
language 'onomatopoeia'.

"'Seven Seas' contains the gentle, soothing vocal styles that are very
reminiscent of Enya's. She has already been labelled the 'Canadian
Enya', and I think the label is aptly deserved." [JB]

Some audio samples are available on her web page:
http://sonicimages.com/marcome


MEAV
----

Originating from Dublin, Meav Ni Mhaolchatha worked with Anuna before
releasing two solo albums: 'Meav' and the recent 'Silver Sea'. Each
album offers a wide variety of songs, ranging from traditional Irish
to the more modern Kurt Weill's 'Youkali Tango' with his french lyrics.

The CD 'Meav' features a version of 'Marble Halls' which is quite
reminiscent of Enya's.

More information and soundclips may be found at her website:
http://www.meav.com


MINOGUE, AINE
-------------

Aine Minogue is a harpist and singer from County Tipperary, Ireland,
now living in the United States. She has released three albums. The
last one, 'Between the worlds', has been released recently. It has 12
tracks: 6 instrumentals, 5 English songs (including 'Across the
universe' by Lennon and McCartney), and a Gaelic song. The booklet
gives the complete lyrics (the Gaelic lyrics are given with their
English translation) and some explanations which place each piece in
the context of the celtic culture. The music evokes a combination of
traditional, classical and 'new-age' influences. The harp parts are
quite (perhaps too much) reminiscent of the Breton musician Alan
Stivell. The singer's voice is quite ethereal. It is not clear if it
is her natural voice or if she uses some kind of electronic treatment
as Enya does.

"Aine Minogue is a reknown Irish harpist who also happens to have a
very sweet and pure soprano, much in the same vein as Enya and Aoife.
Her songs also have that soothing 'Enyaesque' quality." [JB]

A web page is available at:
http://www.minogue.com/


NI FHEARRAIGH, AOIFE
--------------------

Aoife Ni Fhearraigh is an Irish singer from Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore),
the region of County Donegal from which Enya hails. She has studied
music with Maire Ui Bhraonain (Enya's mother). Her first recording,
entitled 'Loinneog Cheoil', was released as a cassette only and is
available only from the singer (see her website for details). It
featured 10 tracks, two of them being re-issued on her first CD 'Aoife'
which was co-produced by Maire Brennan. These two works were mainly
traditional songs in Irish Gaelic, but with more modern Clannad-like
arrangements. However, her second CD, 'The turning of the Tide', which
was issued recently, offers a covering of many popular English tunes,
while still keeping two tracks in Irish. The background vocals on some
tracks are quite Enya-like.

Aoife also performed the vocal parts on Phil Coulter's album
'Highland Cathedral'. A review of this album is available at:
http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/digest/indigest.htm#PCHC

"A beautiful combination of traditional and modern Celtic songs by
another Donegal county singer whose voice and style are quite
similar." [JB]

"The main difference between both recordings is that the first sounds
far more traditional than the second and would be more of the taste of
the purists of Irish music. The second album looks far more
professional and the production of Maire Brennan gives the work an
Enya-esque sound which some people would label as new age stuff
inappropriate for traditional music but I am sure it will be very much
of the taste of Enya fans." [CN]

Aoife's official web site is located at:
http://www.aoife.ie/


O'LEARY, CAITRIONA
------------------

Caitriona O'Leary is another Donegal singer who specialises in Irish
and Early music and has collaborated with bands such that Sequentia or
The Harp Consort. In 1998 she has created the band Dulra ('The Elements')
with which she has recently released a CD entitled 'Duil - Irish Songs of
Love and Nature'.

Official web site:
http://www.caitrionaoleary.com/


RANKIN FAMILY
-------------

This group, originating from Nova Scotia, sings in English and
Scottish Gaelic. A compilation entitled 'Collection' has been released
recently (Grapevine, GRACD 218). It is an enhanced CD which contains a
video presentation of the group.

"Some of their music sounds a bit country, but a lot of their music
has Celtic flavor and they have a love of harmony. Check out their
album 'North Country' and in particular, their song 'Rise Again' off
that album. Also, their album 'Fare Thee Well, Love' is worth checking
out."[JW]

There's a web site for the Rankin Family at:
http://www.islandviewcreations.com/rankins


RHOADS, ELIZABETH
-----------------

'Unspoken Touch' is the debut album of this singer from Sedona,
Arizona.

"Elizabeth's beautiful piano compositions and soft vocals are very
Enya-like. Ladyslipper Music has this CD. I recommend it highly." [JB]


RILEY, PHILIP
-------------

"Philip Riley is a New Zealand composer. The CD 'Visions and Voices'
contains female chants and vocals that are reminiscent of Adiemus,
Elizabeth Rhoads, and Enya." [JB]

"The current release [of Philip Riley and the singer Jayne Elleson],
'The Blessing Tree', is a mellifluous blend of Philip Riley's
beautiful melodies and Jayne Elleson's exquisite vocals, the subtle
folk influences of Irish pipes and whistles and Celtic style that
conjures a timeless place of legend and beauty. An album that sings
out from the heart." [GL]


ROBERTSON, KIM
--------------

Kim Robertson is a harpist from Wisconsin. Her repertoire includes
Celtic melodies, classical, Renaissance and medieval works, and
original compositions. Her work now encompasses 23 album projects
including the recently released 'The Spiral Gate'.

More information is available on the homepage:
http://www.eldalamberon.com/friends/kimrobertson.html

A discography with many soundclips is available at:
http://www.zendo.com/garden/harp3.html


RUA
---

Rua is comprised of two Irish artists: Liz Madden (vocals) and
Gloria Mulhall (Violin, piano, keyboards and timpani). Their first
album (self-titled) features 14 tracks, from which 4 are traditional
(including as the famous 'She moved through the fair' and 'Fill a
ruin o'). An excellent album whose style is quite reminiscent
of Enya's most nostalgic songs.

A new CD entitled 'Dream Teller' is scheduled for September.

Official website:
http://www.ruaworld.com


RUSSELL, HEATHER
----------------

Heather Russell is a singer, keyboardist and songwriter from North
Carolina. Her first album, entitled 'Just in Time', has been released
last year. It features 5 tracks, including a Shakespearian sonnet. Two
of them are also present as dance remixes. She uses a slight amount of
overdubbing, mainly for harmony. She declares that she would not have
the patience to use as many tracks as Enya.

She says: "I don't sound exactly like Enya, but I have a strong Celtic
influence in my music, and most of my listeners seem to be also big
fans of Enya".

Soundclips and more information are available on her homepage:
http://www.freecloud.com/heather


SECRET GARDEN
-------------

Secret Garden is a Norwegian band comprised of Rolf Lovland and
Fionnuala Sherry. They have released four albums: 'Songs from a
Secret Graden', White Stones', 'Dawn of a New Century' and 'Once
in a Red Moon'. 'Dawn of a New Century' features contributions by
Anuna and Karen Matheson (singer of the Scottish band Capercaillie).

"Secretgarden is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in
1995 with "Nocturne". The combination for Fionnuala Sherry's soft
violin and Rolf Lovland on the piano makes a beautiful dreamlike
music." [HM]

Official web site:
http://www.secretgarden.no/


SHAPPLIN, EMMA
--------------

Emma Shaplin is the pseudonym of the french singer Cristele Jolyton.
She has released two albums: 'Carmine meo' (in collaboration with
Jean-Patrick Capdevielle) and the recent 'Etterna'. Her music is a
mixture of 'pop' and classical themes, with lyrics in Italian.

"Emma's vocals are -- in a word -- terrific. She easily covers a vast
range of octaves and her vocal power is nothing short of incredible
Although it's a travesty to try to make a comparison, the closest to
her overall sound is Sarah Brightman in her most recent Timeless album.
Although there are elements reminiscent of Sarah Brightman's Fly album
in here, it's the similarity to Timeless that we're most comfortable
making at this time. However, Emma Shapplin is a better and stronger
vocalist than Sarah Brightman. The album style might also be compared
to Annie Haslam and Louis Clark's Still Life which put Bett Thatcher's
poems to well known classical pieces. Emma's album is more operatic,
not in English, and the musical themes are likely less well known to
the average listener." [RE]

Official web site:
http://www.emmashapplin.net/flash.html


STADLER, GARY
-------------

"He's put out two CDs, but his latest, 'Fairy Nightsongs' with Singh
Kaur is eerily reminiscent of Enya and Loreena McKennitt's works.
Singh Kaur (whose real name was Laura Hill) passed away shortly after
release of this CD. Her voice on such tracks as 'Fairy Ring' (a very
Loreena-like piece), 'Fly Away', 'Darkness' (extremely ethereal and
moving), 'Laura's Hill' (a combination of both English and Celtic
lyrics), and 'A Spark in the Night' are testiment to the absolute
clarity and beauty of her voice. This CD was voted among the 10 ten
new age CDs of 1998 by the Star Streams poll. It is incredible." [JB]

Soundclips, albums and More information available at:
http://www.heartmagic.com/index.html


STARK, WENDY
------------

"The CD 'Child of Transference' (New World Music NWCD 467) is an
extended choral type work. A blend of contemporary rhythms and
production. The structure of the songs are influenced by classical
music and thematic qualities.

The blurb on the cover says:

"Wendy's music is impossible to categorise. If you imagine the
ethereal sounds of Enigma, the haunting vocals of Enya, coupled with
superb, almost classical arrangements, then you will have something
close to the complexity of this superb debut album"

Like the text of the Adiemus vocals, the verses have been written
in phonetic manner, so that they have an almost instrumental sound
The idea being to remove the distraction of words and maximise the
feelings and emotions using vocal expression alone." [GL]

The record company has a website:
http://www.newworldmusic.com


TALIESIN ORCHESTRA
------------------

The Taliesin Orchestra is best known for his orchestral renditions
of Enya's music, which spans 3 albums: 'Orinoco Flow: The Music of
Enya', 'Maiden of Mysteries' and the recent 'Thread of Time'.

"[Orinoco Flow] contains eleven tracks with titles from all albums,
they are as follows; Orinoco Flow, Athair ar Neamh, The Memory of
Trees, No Holly for Miss Quinn, Lothlorien, From Where I am, Book of
Days, China Roses, Watermark, Bard Dance, and The Celts (the best
track on the album). I encourage everyone to go buy this CD, it is to
me like a new Enya album with all of our favorites played a little
differently." [CA]

"[Maiden of Mysteries] sounded in many ways, like they were trying to
duplicate Enya's songs using someone elses voice [...] I must say though
that it is a very creative album which explores many ways of presenting
Enya's music, there are some hits and some misses on this album in my
opinion, and in the end after listening to the album a few more times
and letting it "grow on me", I give it a 6.5 out of 10 rating. Their
first Enya crossover "Orinoco Flow: The Music of Enya" was much better
IMHO." [HB]

Official web site:
http://www.taliesinorchestra.com/index.html


WHITE, JENNIFER
---------------

Jennifer White is a harpist and storyteller from Ontario, Canada. Her
first CD, "Clarsach" (The celtic harp), was released in October 98. It
features original compositions, and original arrangements of popular
celtic tunes. Her forthcoming CD, "The Silver Branch" is due for
release in the autumn of 2001.

Soundclips, summaries of stories, and more information are available
on her homepage:
http://www.knockgrafton.com/contents.html


**********************************************************************

OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
-----------------------

Russ Elliot's musical discoveries:
http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/index.htm

Graham Lubin's celestial voices:
http://www.loobie.com/

See also the archives of the Enya mailing list:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/4050/enyalist.html

**********************************************************************

Compiled by Jean Debord


Contributors:

[CA] Chris Atwood 
[BB] Brian Baranoski 
[AB] Alden Bates 
[JB] John Blackburn 
[SB] Shahaf Borenstain 
[HB] Shawn Berry 
[CB] Cyril Buchet 
[RE] Russell Elliot 
[VL] Ville Laaksonen 
[DH] Dave Hardenbrook 
[GL] Graham Lubin 
[HM] Henrik Madsen 
[GM] Gustavo P. Mantovani 
[KM] Kevin Martin 
[JM] Jim May 
[MM] Mark Mulingbayan 
[CN] Carmen "Nil Fhios Agam" 
[PP] Peter Pehrson 
[FP] F. S. L. Poon 
[RS] Ram Samudrala 
[HS] Harry Sarkas 
[DS] David Smith 
[PS] Philip Strapp 
[JW] Jim Waters 

**********************************************************************

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