Celtic Rose
Renaissance Records CD

Fans of familiar (and at times, overly familiar) New Age Celtic divas like Enya and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha will delight in the freshly ethereal soprano of Fiona Wight, longtime vocal soloist with Riverdance, the traditional Irish step musical that became an international hit. The soaringly inspirational “Sigma” is sung in Gaelic: “I search for the sign/ that will set my soul free/ My heart must be pure/ So that I can find peace.” The rest of Celtic Rose is in English, with some songs written by Wight herself, like the sprightly “Enchanted Garden”: “Sunrise you raise my spirit/ Warmest breeze you set me free.” Accompanying herself deftly on piano, Wight is surrounded by an intimate ensemble of Spanish guitar, percussion, violin, and viola for a deeply interiorized statement. All of the songs combine purity and sensuality, which is typical of Riverdance, as its creator Bill Whelan once explained to an interviewer: “The Irish have very often separated sex and spirituality as if they were unable to coexist in the one human. I am strongly of the view that spirituality without sexuality and sensuality is arid.” Listeners to Fiona Wight’s enticing vocals will feel like heartily seconding Whelan’s viewpoint.