Lost Souls

Released in 2018, 'Lost Souls' marked Loreena McKennitt's first album of original material in twelve years, following 2006's 'An Ancient Muse'. The album serves as a sophisticated synthesis of her career-long interests, blending Celtic folk with Mediterranean influences and literary adaptations. Notably, it features a musical setting of John Keats's 'La Belle Dame sans merci' and W.B. Yeats's 'The Ballad of the Fox Hunter', continuing her tradition of elevating classic poetry through song. Recorded at her own Quinlan Road studios and the historic Real World Studios, the production is impeccably clean, emphasizing a wide dynamic range and natural instrument timbres. While her earlier work often leaned into a more 'New Age' etherealism, 'Lost Souls' feels more grounded in the 'Chamber Folk' tradition, with a heavier emphasis on piano and strings. It was received by critics as a masterful return to form, reaffirming her status as a premier architect of high-concept, culturally-literate folk music.