Iona

Item: Open Sky
Author: James Stewart

Open Sky

(2000)

Reviewed by James Stewart

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Spotify

Label ForeFront RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2000

art rock celtic celtic rock progressive rock

Having delivered two live albums but no studio releases in the four years since the much lauded Journey Into the Morn, Iona's release of Open Sky was awaited with much anticipation among the initiated few. With the departure of Mike Haughton and Terl Bryant, the sound of Iona has certainly shifted although the signature remains almost the same.

The songs here show Iona leaning further on their progressive and Celtic inclinations, largely leaving behind the jazz background that first Dave Fitzgerald and later Mike Haughton brought to the mix. As with major influences Clannad, this occasionally sees the ethereal side of the mix floating a little too high, but the addition of new drummer Frank Van Essen's violin adds a plaintive touch which coupled with some delicate acoustic moments like the ending of "Hinba" provide some grounding.

Joanne Hogg's vocals soar as freely as ever and work well with the ever-bigger sounds that the writing partnership of Dave Bainbridge and Troy Donockley are exploring. Nowhere is the size of their vision more apparent than on the three-part "Song of the Ascent." Every Iona album has its epic piece but this time out they've excelled themselves with three tracks which together total 22 minutes, based on a sixth century prayer for St. Columba which presents the speaker as a vessel for God to fill. The range of moods and sounds encompassed in the piece is astounding and shows that the band can certainly marry their progressive rock and Celtic influences in a consistent and powerful way.

There isn't a weak release in the Iona canon, and this one certainly doesn't change that, but it doesn't have quite the variety or power of such earlier releases as Book of Kells. It's a strong album to be sure, but whether Iona have lost a little of the old package or have been caught during a time of transition this isn't quite the classic it perhaps might have been.