There's Celtic music, and there's Celtoid music, an uneasy mix of traditional and new age (with or without electronics). While this disc sets foot in the former camp several times, its real lack of roots means that it really ends up in the latter. The musicianship can't be faulted, although some of the lyrics, as in
Loefke's own "Maplewood and Strawberries," are the kind of thing to induce retches in the strongest stomachs. It's polite, as drifting as any North Atlantic tide, and while the hearts of all those involved might be in the right place, the end result just doesn't cut it. ~ Chris Nickson