On first listen, I was disappointed. I've been a Loreena McKennitt fan for two decades, starting as an impressionable teen who was captivated by the radio edit of "Mummer's Dance." Lost Souls didn't seem initially to have much new to offer. John Keats's magical poem "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" in musical form was muted, unmemorable and wholly lacking any of the fantastic drama of McKennitt's earlier interpretation of "The Highwayman." "Ages Past, Ages Hence" is one of the first McKennitt songs I found almost unlistenable. And while I enjoyed the bellydance vibes of "Sun, Moon & Stars," it and other tracks mostly reminded me of earlier songs. I wondered if I had finally (gasp!) outgrown Loreena McKennitt.

I kept the CD in my car player, however, and it has now played through several times. I'm beginning to appreciate it more -- the subtle threads of longing, aging, remembering and losing weave through Lost Souls and give it a distinctively autumnal air. Even though many of the songs have their roots much earlier in McKennitt's career, their treatment here is that of an older person looking back at her life and work. It's a surprisingly poignant retrospective, if somewhat less cohesive as a collection than previous albums.

The two instrumental tracks were actually the first tracks that stood out to me ("Manx Ayre" and "Sun, Moon & Stars"); "Lost Souls" was a close third. I don't love any of the tracks with the intensity I've loved earlier McKennitt songs, but now others are growing on me. I hope very much it's not her last album; wherever she ventures musically, I will happily continue to follow.