Reviewed by James Lewis

The last album I heard from Runrig was "Searchlight" which I have to admit did nothing for me, so when I heard this album I was most pleasantly surprised. The emphasis here is on stadium-sized Celtic rock. If bands with an epic sweep to their music make you want to run to your CD player and put on Tom Waits (or Nirvana) then steer clear, but I for one find this style capable of some very uplifting moments. The title track and lead-off single, "Wonderful", are prime examples of this. Elsewhere are several tracks in Gaelic and lyrics here are poetic in a Bruce Cockburn sort of way, Gaelic and English alike (when translated of course). However, this album does nothing really to dispel accusations of spiritual ambiguity - although "Wonderful" is fairly clear, other tracks are far more open to (mis)interpretation - "Streets Of Europe" talks of possibilities of a new Babel without really stating any kind of stance on the possibility. The first track is particularly worth a mention, "On The Edge", an instrumental with some beautifully fluid and expressive guitar playing.

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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