With Long Black Veil, the Chieftains attempted a mainstream pop crossover by recording with rock and pop stars from the Rolling Stones and Sting to Van Morrison and Sinéad O'Connor. Instead of changing their sound to accommodate the talents of their guests, the band plays it straight. As always, their performance is superb; what is surprising is how well the pop stars sing Celtic material. None of the guest singers sound displaced or uncomfortable, which is largely due to the sympathetic performances of the Chieftains.

Loreena McKennitt's fourth release, and first for a major label, is a quietly majestic tapestry of worldbeat and Celtic pop that effortlessly weaves together traditional and contemporary songs into lush showcases for her fluid voice and harp. The multi-talented Canadian utilizes all of her strengths here, resulting in her most rewarding batch of tunes to date. With larger production values and more ambitious arrangements than the sparse Elemental and Parallel Dreams, her flair for the dramatic and the theatrical runs rampant throughout. Whether she's toasting the souls of the departed with Pagan glee on the delicious "All Souls Night," or reinterpreting King Henry VIII's "Greensleeves" through Tom Waits…

Parallel Dreams, the Canadian harpist/songwriter's quietly moving sophomore release, finds the mystical red-haired siren in true balladeer form. By far McKennitt's most romantic venture – the liner notes describe the project's central theme as a "yearning toward love, liberty and integration" – Dreams is more ambitious than her sparse, impeccably recorded debut, Elemental, tripling the amount of players and laying the groundwork for the immense scope she would go on to attain on future recordings. The heartbreaking trio of "Standing Stones," "Annachnie Gordon," and "Dickens' Dublin" – the latter features an effective radio-show sample of an unnamed Irish school child detailing the birth of Christ – stand among the artist's finest works…

Recorded in various halls and abbeys in Ireland, and completed in the Church of Our Lady in Guelph, Ontario, harpist/arranger/vocalist Loreena McKennitt's first foray into the crowded field of holiday music – she would go on to release an EP called Winter Garden in 1995 – is steeped in old-world atmosphere. To Drive the Cold Winter Away celebrates the winter solstice through eight traditional English, Scottish, and Irish carols and ballads and two Mckennitt originals. The artist's reverence for her source material is moving…

Loreena McKennitt recorded her 1985 debut on a farm in southern Ontario, a pastoral setting that infuses every note on Elemental with atmosphere and rustic simplicity. What's immediately striking is the Canadian harpist's fully realized voice. Most artists take years to hone their pipes, and that McKennitt brings a nearly finished version to the table on her first outing is not only notable, it's revelatory. McKennitt presents an evenly distributed mix of new age and contemporary Celtic that evokes the work of Enya, Clannad, and Capercaille, adapting the words of Yeats ("Stolen Child") and Blake ("Lullaby") as effortlessly as she rearranges traditional folk songs like "The Blacksmith" or "Banks of Claudy"…

Clanadonia are a Drums & Pipes band with a difference – their music, passion, culture, history, people, ancestral bloodlines – are all bonded within the music. They are Scotland’s hardest working tribal drums and pipe band and their members have been entertaining for over 20 years with countless credits in stage, screen, radio and TV. Their high energy blend of tribal rhythms, bagpipes and tartan clad mayhem has wowed audiences across the globe.

This recording features of variety of Irish and Scottish airs and dance tunes, some dating back to the 17th and 18th century harp repertoire as well as recent compositions, performed on harps, concertina, whistle and bouzouki.

Swiss folk metallers ELUVEITIE will release their next album, the long-awaited second part of their acoustic concept effort "Evocation", on August 18 via Nuclear Blast.

Macalla is a 1985 musical album by Irish folk group Clannad. It is their ninth album and became prominent with a collaboration between Clannad's singer Moya Brennan and U2 vocalist Bono on the duet "In a Lifetime". Furthermore, it featured some internationally renowned artists such as art rock saxophone player Mel Collins, an ex-King Crimson member and famous for his solo on The Rolling Stones' "Miss You", and Anton Corbijn's photography. The album's title is Irish for "echo". Two of its songs are sung entirely in Irish: "Caisleán Óir", which translates as "golden castle", and "Buachaill Ón Éirne", which means "boy from the Erne".

The smash success of Celtic Woman generated a lot of demand for more music from the talented performers, and The Water Is Wide is a rerelease of the first album of Orla Fallon, the harp-playing brunette. As the title suggests, the album is filled with traditional songs, including "The Water Is Wide," "She Moved Thro' the Fair," and "Down by the Sally Gardens," as well as traditional Irish songs such as "Aliliu Na Gamhna," "Carrickfergus," and "The Gartan Mother's Lullaby." Celtic Woman fans will enjoy hearing "Siuil a Run" again, and it also provides a different vibe to the rest of the album's steady flow of delicate loveliness. Most of the songs are Orla accompanying herself, but at only 37 minutes, The Water Is Wide doesn't overstay its welcome. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard chart of World Music albums in 2006.

Lisa Ann Kelly is a singer of both classical and Celtic music. Lisa is best known as the orignal lead female vocalist in Riverdance and her subsequent work as part of Celtic Woman. She has won many awards for singing and drama in Ireland, among them the Feis Ceoil R&R Cup, The Tomas Moore “Singer of the Year” and “Best Female Performer” in the Northern Ireland Musical Awards. 'Lisa' is her debut album from 2003 and features songs such as ‘Lift the Wings’ from ‘Riverdance’, and ‘The Deer’s Cry’ from ‘The Pilgrim’.

Raining Up is Máiréad Nesbitt's solo musical album, which was recorded and published in 2001 by Vertical Records, UK. This album illustrates Máiréad's versatility and reflects the many styles and influences that she has encountered throughout her endeavors. These extend beyond her background in traditional Irish music, her engagement with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and her work with many different artists and groups, to her role in the shows Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames.

A featured soloist with the Irish choral group Anuna, Meav garnered raves for her vocal contribution to the London and New York productions of Riverdance. A soprano with the surprising quality of a light and tightly focused pitch, the young vocalist steps out with her self-titled debut of Celtic traditional and classical pieces. Alternately accompanied by an Irish band or swelling orchestra, Meav's tones ring with bell-like clarity, and she seems to effortlessly unspool sound, moving from natural range to head voice with no shrill or heavy accents. Particularly lovely are renditions of the opening theme from the film Rob Roy, the Celtic traditional "She Moved Through the Fair," and "One I Love," a largely a cappella number that'll give you goose bumps.

Lynn Hilary's 'Take Me With You' is the debut, solo album from the vocalist also known for her work as part of Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Anúna. The album features 12 tracks including the beautifully haunting 'Erin Beo' and 'Sunset of Gold', a duet with Don Mescall. The arrangements are mostly piano-and guitar-driven with embellishment by strings, with some jazz influences here and there as well. … Lynn has an amazing voice.

Chloë is a traditional and classical Irish singer who is a former member of the Celtic music group Celtic Woman, she was also the group's youngest member. 'Chloë' was her debut album, released in 2002. This album features 11 songs including 'Ave Maria' and 'Danny Boy' as sung by Chloë's incredible voice.