The Gift Of Excalibur

by Johnny LoftusThe Gift of Excalibur bears a lot of weight before its music is played. Arriving as the second volume in Medwyn Goodall and Oreade Music's Arthurian Collection, and bearing the subtitle "Myths & Mysteries of the World," the album obviously wants very much to explore the shifting, misty border between new age and contemporary Celtic music. It does so with grace on the title track, where a synthesizer adopts the sound of the Uilleann pipes as it plays a stirring Celtic melody. But "Camelot" and "Lancelot du Lac" are closer to contemporary instrumental with their gentle rhythms and simple but effective lead melody, while "One Land One King" and "King Arthur" swirl with an atmosphere similar to soundtrack music. Gift of Excalibur, Vol. 2 could've used a stronger Celtic angle. But the prolific, ever-curious Goodall has still created an album worth hearing for contemporary Celtic and new age fans alike.