For that fan of fantasy who just can’t get enough. You’ve indulged in several three-hour-butt-numb-a-thons or perhaps even taken a vacation day like I did, to see ‘Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ not once but again and again and again. Now that the line parties filled with anxious patrons dressed in cloaks have passed, now that the initial hype has begun to die down just a tad – you want more. You’ve already calculated how long it will be until the DVD comes out but not wanting to lose the magical moment still fleeting about in your happy imagination you are searching for something else. Well, there are books to read, but it is likely you’ve already pulled out your old first edition or other unearthed arcana of a certain game involving both dungeons and dragons. That being the case you will need something to listen to whilst you and your friends hack orcs and munch potato chips until the wee hours.

If the preceding paragraph describes you (as it does me) or if you simply crave good Celtic chant and mouth music then Felicia Sorensen is a name you will remember for a long time to come. Composer Trammel Starks has put together the perfect blend of instrumentation and music for her voice in the just released CD ‘A Trilogy of Fantasy’. Starks is the founder and conductor of the Taliesin Orchestra. Some fans of Celtic chant may recall the Taliesin Orchestra performing on Enya’s best-known efforts including ‘Orinoco Flow - The Music of Enya’ and ‘Maiden of Mysteries’, both of which spent months on Billboard’s Classical Crossover charts. ‘Orinoco Flow’ stayed at number 1 on the crossover charts for 3 weeks.

What those fans may not know is that Felicia Sorensen’s ethereal voice was among those backing the Dore, County Donegal singer on those seminal recordings. Starks and Sorensen worked together to create the unique phrasings and lyrics, which permeate ‘A Trilogy of Fantasy’. The vocalizations are a combination of Sanskrit and Gaelic poetic chant. The unique combination of these two early Indo-European languages makes for a chant that is sweet, harmonious and a nice change of pace from the Latinate lyrics that are so ubiquitous in popular chant albums.

The premier radio single and first track ‘Exordium’ begins with layers of Felicia’s voice speaking dulcet couplings in this unique combination of words. ‘Exordium’s ethereal strings and bells combine with Felicia’s voice in a way that pleads the listener forward into one of the best hooks on the CD. The more percussive and melodic elements, which follow on in ‘Exordium’, are memorable and there is just enough bass and electric guitar to make it exiting. The fourth track ‘Secret Passage’ recalls favorably some of Enya’s earliest recordings after the Clannad years.

In fact many favorable comparisons can be made between the two artists, and fans hungry for a fresh exploration of Enya-styled themes will find much to satisfy. By far however, the great surprise on ‘A Trilogy of Fantasy’ comes from ‘Creative Regions’ with its dramatic vocals, which weave between classic chant, straightforward melody and Celtic mouth music. The research and attention, which went into the language of the CD, command respect. The high production values and attention to detail of composer and producer Trammel Starks command our attention. Ultimately it is the masterful voice of Felicia Sorensen, which commands devotion from our ears and our hearts. It is an irresistible voice that beckons us like the Queen of Fairies called to Thomas the Rhymer to leave Huntley Bank and follow her forever to the immortal land of the Elves.

'A Trilogy of Fantasy - Part 1' can be purchased from CD Now

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