Solas

by Rodney BatdorfRonan Hardiman established himself as a composer through his score for Michael Flatley's dance extravagenza Lord of the Dance. The soundtrack to the production was a rousing success, giving Hardiman the opportunity to record his first solo album, Solas. Like Lord of the Dance, Solas has its foundation in Celtic music, but it sounds more like worldbeat-influenced new age artists like Enya and Enigma. In other words, it relies on sounds more than songs, but sometimes sounds are enough for a good album. That's not necessarily the case here, since the music meanders a bit, but the best moments on the album are as enchanting as those on Lord of the Dance.