Mystic Harp, Vol. 2

Branches of Light
"...creates an atmosphere of peaceful pleasure which is evenly maintained...altogether, a very enjoyable experience"

Product Description
Derek Bell, harpist for the five-time Grammy award winning group The Chieftains, displays his legendary artistry in a follow-up to the best-selling The Mystic Harp. This heart-opening mystical music will uplift your soul with twenty captivating melodies, written in the Celtic tradition by Donald Walters. a treasure for lovers of Celtic and harp music

Mystic Harp, Vol. 2

Tracks:

Sailing The Blue Sea
Celtic Memories
Brave Were The People
Jenny Will Love Me
Johnnie's A Braw Dancer!
Awa' To The Hills
Dark Eyes
The Christ Child's Asleep
To Death I'm A Stranger
Home's Where The Heart Is
John Anderson, My Jo
Birds In The Spring
With Bobbie I'll Dance
Freedom? 'Tis A Gladsome Heart
Dare To Be Different!
We're Off To School!
Wedding Dance
Marchin' Off To Glory
It's God's Green Earth
Home Is A Green Hill

Album Description

The legend returns in this sequel to the bestselling album, The Mystic Harp. Derek Bell, harpist for the five-time Grammy award winning group The Chieftains, displays his unusual mastery in this critically acclaimed recording. This heart-opening mystical music will uplift your soul with twenty captivating melodies, written in the Celtic tradition by Donald Walters. A treasure for lovers of Celtic and harp music, Mystic Harp 2 is that rarity of sequels-one that is even better than the original.

Customer Reviews:

Better than the first!.......2000-10-25

Mystic Harp 2 is one of my favorite albums--maybe the best of the celtic/new age hybrid albums available.

Personally, although I really like the first one, I actually think that this one is better. Why? Largely because I think the melodies are actually a little stronger on this one than The Mystic Harp. Those were good. These are great. The composer, Donald Walters, really seems to have benefitted the second time around from having already "got one under his belt," so to speak. The melodies are very rich, textured--even profound. And Derek's playing, as always, is simply the best. You can really feel that these instrumental pieces mean something--both to Derek and the composer. They're not just Celtic "sound-alikes"--rather they sort of go beyond pure Celtic music and capture, as the title promises, a feeling or hint of something more mystical.

Watery Cream of wheat, over-cooked and strained........1999-12-31

This is not really a Derek Bell CD, but a Donald Waters CD. Bell is only the main performer. If you are looking for Celtic music do not buy this! If you are looking for the most mind-numbing, saccharine-laced New Age music you have found it. Now I like good New Age music, but that quality does not apply to this release. Bell is a fine performer, his Chieftans heritage ensures him a firm place in the annals of modern Celtic music. It is good that after so many years of doing traditional music that such artists branch out and do something a little different. Some of the finest Celtic music I have heard is played on the harp. Bell is an excellent musician and should feel ashamed for participating in this travesty. The cover describes this as 'Music in the Celtic Tradition,' but that applies in only the most broad sense of the term 'Celtic.' There is much talent here, Waters' as well as Bell's, but it is wasted. Soft music should be moving and stirring in a deep spiritual way, and should not create a false sense of peace by numbing the listener into a daze of metaphysical-musical boredom.