Avalon: A Celtic Legend

This offering from elusive Celtic new age artist Enaid seems to be the work of David and Diane Arkenstone, the prolific contemporary instrumental duo. Their fingerprints are all over Avalon: A Celtic Legend: lush soundscapes, enjoyable melodies, and a certain cinematic sweep, but as is the case with many of their releases there is little to actually hold the listener's attention. That being said, the album is a perfectly fine collection of wispy, vaguely Celtic new age tunes, ideal for background music on a cold and rainy fall day. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide

It's nothing new for David and Diane Arkenstone, the core members of New Age quartet Enaid, to be inspired by mythology; the appropriately timed Music Inspired by Middle Earth is proof enough of that. Avalon is another collection in a similar vein, a compendium of instrumental pieces that take their titles from landmark events and concepts within the classic story. This CD is somewhat less driven by narrative, and occasionally, the music appears to refer to nothing in particular. The opening "Road to Camelot," a dance-appropriate piece with a medieval flavor, leads into "Enchantment," which features wordless vocals and a slower, more ethereal mood. While "The Spirit of Excalibur" and "The Round Table" put the listener on firmer ground, this collection has a less universal flair, tending rather toward personal interpretation. In that sense, it's vintage David Arkenstone; not, perhaps, a groundbreaking work, but diverting enough in its own right. --Genevieve Williams