Reviewed by Pippa Rimmer

The much awaited live album from I lona arrived and was welcomed with open ears in the Rimmer household. Recorded in Leeds, Shepton Mallet and Birmingham last December, the awesome sixsome wowed the crowds with their magical blend of Celtic, rock and jazz. The result is this stunning live double album. Yes. it's double! It would be impossible to edit the hugeness of this album's contents onto a single CD. The sound is immense, galactic, roof-blowing, soul-wrenching. All the faves are there - "Treasure", "Irish Day", "Trilogy", "Chi Rho", etc - delivered with spine tingling perfection. Take six amazing individuals, put them together and you have a musical combination potent enough to blow up an entire city. 'Heaven's Bright Sun' is a dynamic blend of all their studio recordings performed live, with no overdubs! It's sheer, unadulterated musical heaven. Joanne Hogg's voice gets me every time - it's exquisite. beautifully captivating, haunting, mesmerising and her breathtaking, 14-minute version of "When I Survey" has me in tears every time I hear it and I get shivers from head to foot. It's all here - atmosphere. moody, cloudy Celtic vibes and the mystical dreaminess of ancient, mist-covered isles. This is a grade A platinum, creative musical expression par excellence. It has such spiritual depth that it feels as though the whole recording has been touched by the hand of Heaven.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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