Twelve years after their first album, simply called Clannad, the band released Macalla, which means echo.

Maire Ni Bhraonain, the original Gaelic name of Moya Brennan, and her brother Ciaran O'Braonain, as well as Padraig and Neel O'Dugain, invited some excellent guest musicians for the making of this album. Besides Mel Collins on sax, Anton Drennan on electric guitar, Danny Cummings on percussion and Steve Nye on keyboards, the duet with U2's Bono on "In a Lifetime" was the most attractive asset to their ninth album release. Maire later said in her autobiography, The Other Side of the Rainbow, of Bono's contribution: "It ('In a Lifetime') was the obvious single to launch the Macalla album and opened up a whole new audience for us. I'm sure many young people came to our concerts just in case Bono showed up to sing that track. We have never actually performed it live together -- as yet!"

While the first six albums, including the 1981 release Fuaim, featured mostly Irish titles, the band now used more and more the English language, probably due to their chart-breaking "Theme from Harry's Game" and their successful album Magical Ring (1983).

Macalla opens with the Gaelic song "Caislean Oir," written by Maire and Ciaran. It features a hauntingly beautiful Gaelic choir accompanied by keyboards and harp. The second Gaelic song, "Buachaill on Ernie," is a wonderful and sad traditional song. Another highlight certainly is the striking duet with Bono on "In a Lifetime."

The other seven tracks on the CD are a mixture of delightful, esoteric songs that make you dream and some pleasant Celtic pop songs, all enchanted by Maire's angelic singing and the guys' brilliant musicianship.

There are musicians and bands you better try to catch on stage. Unfortunately, I've neither heard the first CDs of Clannad nor seen them live, and the three CDs I own all were released after 1985. I admit they don't figure within those I regularly put in the CD player; the later CDs of Clannad seem to be adapted to a wider audience than the usual folk public. Nevertheless, it's still high quality music.

- Rambles
written by Adolf Goriup
published 12 February 2005