It might be somewhat difficult to find a niche for this CD at Rambles.NET, but for anyone who likes spiritual music with a Celtic tie, Harmony by The Priests is the perfect vehicle for transport into something truly magnificent.

The Priests, another musical gift to the world from Ireland, are indeed Roman Catholic priests with day-to-day parish duties in their native Northern Ireland. The trio includes brothers Martin and Eugene O'Hagan and their longtime friend David Delargy.

Their first effort -- The Priests, released in 2008 -- broke the Guinness record for the fastest-selling classical debut album ever. (Their special on PBS was undoubtedly a factor in shining a light on this new talent.) The title for the new CD -- Harmony -- is particularly apt: their voices blend into a heavenly sound that is perfectly suitable for enjoyable listening or quiet contemplation.

While all of the tracks are spiritual, the repertoire is indeed masterful. The selections include such modern hymns as "How Great Thou Art," "Amazing Grace," "Silent Night" "The Lord's Prayer" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." More classical pieces include "Te Deum," "Benedictus," "Laudamus Te" and "Ave Verum Corpus." Being Irish, the priests wanted to include "A Celtic Blessing" by composer John Rutter.

Released in late November 2010 and distributed by RCA Live, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment, The Priests are backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Oratory School Schola, Coro and the Irish Film Orchestra. To me a nice feature about this recording is the liner notes, which include a brief history of the piece and the artists' thoughts about why it was included in the recording.

A recording of Christmas music -- Noel -- was also released by The Priests in November 2010.

Whether you are religious or not, you will find this recording enjoyable. If spiritual, it is uplifting; if more secular is your taste you will find it enjoyable for the sheer beauty of the voices and the harmony.

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