The Book of Secrets

"A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu's words are a good introduction to the third album in a trilogy of musical travel documents which began with 'The Visit'. Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in England, 'The Book of Secrets' was written and researched all over the world.

Since its release in late 1997, 'The Book of Secrets' has sold over three million copies worldwide! The album features a cast of over two dozen musical collaborators, and the eight songs contained therein, including North American hit single "The Mummers' Dance", leads the listener on unexpected journeys.

Follow the music from ancient Byzantium to a puppet-maker's theatre in Sicily, or from the rocky island of Skellig Michael once inhabited by Irish monks in the Dark Ages to Venice and the journeys of Marco Polo, or from the tragic narrative of "The Highwayman" to the thunder of hooves across the Caucasus and the echoes of Dante's words found, unexpectedly, in a train journey across Siberia.

McKennitt's recordings always have the quality of a spiritual sojourn; her songs are those of a seeker, whether she's setting Yeats, Scripture, or her own words to her compositions. It's this that attracts people to her music, and 'The Book of Secrets' is no exception, whether it's the lazy rhythms of "Marco Polo," the sober joy of "The Mummers' Dance," the poignancy of "Skellig" or "Dante's Prayer," or the drama of Alfred Noyes's "The Highwayman." This is music that can be enjoyed on many levels, from McKennitt's growing skill as a composer to the deeper questions posed by her lyrics.