The Phantom Tollbooth

Celtic Praise Volume 4: See and Touch and Hear
Artist: Sammy Horner
Label: ICC Records
Length: 17 tracks/50:23 minutes

While many have been jumping on the bandwagon and releasing worship albums in some semblance of a celtic idiom, few have been as committed to the roots of the music as Sammy Horner. His Celtic Praise series, of which this is the fourth installment, may not have always stuck to the letter of whatever definition the listener cares to place on Celtic music, but it always stay true to the simple, holistic, and people-based spirit of Celtic Christianity.

This latest release continues in that tradition. There are few of the epic, ethereal uillean pipe and low whistle sounds you'd find on an Iona album and none of their generic cousins which reared their heads on the Titanic soundtrack, but there is plenty of Irish and Scottish folk music, with instrumentation to match. The fiddle of Jean Pierre Rudolph will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's listened to enough of these recordings, and other familiar names, from various Electrics members to Adrian Thompson of Split Level to three bandmates of Vigilantes of Love, are all present.

The vocal contributions of Heather Heywood and Shona MacDonald are particularly striking. Both clear and poignant, their voices add a lustrous beauty to the tracks they are featured on. An interesting inclusion also comes in the form of a father-daughter duet between Sammy and Debbie Horner, showing that he's far from the only musical family member. The other vocal performances are also well chosen, although the sound of Sammy Horner singing Vigilantes of Love's "Double Cure" in place of Bill Mallonee does take some getting used to for those more familiar with the original recording.

The album sleeve bears a brief paragraph from the pen of Sammy Horner, introducing each track. They provide an interesting insight into the thought processes that led to the track listing. The tracks chosen reflect a broad range of ideas about the Christian life and the character of God. Many listeners may find the album a little too much for one sitting, as the album never settles into a steady flow but rather jumps around in both theme and tempo. But it keeps the listeners on their toes--often literally.

The celtic tradition is well represented in the lyrics, from "Will Ye Come":

 to "The Rath [fortified community home] of God": The songs embody Celtic culture, tradition, and spirituality, which gives this series a level of authenticity that many more stereotypically "Celtic" worship albums lack.There are a few arrangements which aren't as successful as they could be, and some questions could be raised about the way the track listing runs, but for a cross-section of authentic Celtic-folk worship; this would be a good choice.

James Stewart (5/16/99)