Description
Journey into the Morn is the fourth studio album by the British progressive rock/Celtic fusion band Iona, released in UK on Alliance Music in 1995, and as well in the US by ForeFront Records.
Mammoth in length and mammoth in sweep, this is undoubtedly lona’s most ambitious and visionary album. Inspired by the book The Eye Of The Eagle, British CCM’s most popular band have based several tracks round lines from the 8th century Irish hymn «Be Thou My Vision». The effect is at times stunning, as huge ethereal soundscapes – the foundation stone of which as always is Dave Bainbridge‘s haunting choice of keyboard washes – rise up from the hi fi speakers and Joanne Hogg is if possible even more spine-tingling than normal, her achingly tender voice gliding and soaring like a bird in flight. It’s almost impossible to name favourite tracks though both «Wisdom» and «Everything Changes» have already received repeated plays. Troy Donockley’s whistles and uilleann pipes are beautiful while Robert Fripp’s guitar synth on «Divine Presence» and «The Search» adds another eerily beautiful dimension. A beautiful album. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, October 1995]
First things first – lona is a great band. Not just great as in playing each note correctly (though they do); not just great as in writing intelligent songs (though they certainly do that); not even great in being able to sustain a complex theme through four albums. No, this six-piece band is great in a way which transcends normal definition; if the meaning wouldn’t be misconstrued, you might call it “magical.”
Iona plays what, 20 years ago, might have been called “progressive rock” (think Pink Floyd, Moody Blues or Yes, with some restraint.) Much of the band’s first three albums, and significant portions of ‘Journey’ , is based on figures and stories from the early Celtic church. These clerics, living on some of the most desolate islands of the United Kingdom, are believed to have influenced and hastened the spread of Christianity throughout Europe. It’s that sense of urgency, fortitude and vision with which Iona’s music is imbued.
In fact, «Be Thou My Vision» (also known as «Christ, Be My Leader»), a hymn familiar to many, bookends the album – though not in a style associated with your standard worship service. A cloud of majestic keyboards surrounds vocalist Joanne Hogg, as she sings the original eighth century Gaelic text. «Irish Day»follows immediately, almost jaunty in nature, thanks to Troy Donockley’s whistles. As Hogg sings again about one of the band’s chief inspirations, St. Columba, the rest of the extraordinary ensemble – guitarist Dave Bainbridge, drummer Terl Bryant, bassist Tim Harries and woodwind player Mike Haughton – joins in. But it’s Donockley’s uilleann pipes which give the song its special flair. «Wisdom» finds Iona adding a hit more heft to the arrangement, with intricate percussive backing and a customarily tasteful solo by Bainbridge. Also backing Hogg on vocals, as she does on several tracks, is Maire Brennan of Clannad, second perhaps only to U2 as Ireland’s best-known contemporary band. «Everything Changes», while rather somber in tone, is actually quite a pop-sounding number; pop, that is, in the way that Kate Bush and Tori Amos are pop. Still, its jazzy string bass and repetitive chorus (based on Hebrews 13) are quite memorable.
On «Inside My Heart», Bainbridge proves he’s equally adept on acoustic guitar, laying down a soft background, over which Hogg and Brennan harmonize; Peter Whitfield also contributes a low viola part for additional texture. Just when the track seems to be fading into the mist, Bainbridge switches to electric for the coda. Aggressive without overplaying, Bainbridge’s performances demonstrate the tension and release that is crucial to appreciating just how accomplished a band Iona is. Keeping with the theme of «Encircling», based on Celtic word “lorica” or “breastplate” (from Ephesians), Iona’s music surrounds the listener, seeming to have no beginning and no end.
It should be emphasized too that, although many of these lyrics are derived from ancient texts, this is not “Dungeons and Dragons” mumbo-jumbo. The words, when not taken directly from Scripture, are based on the diaries and teachings of a number of devout men and women who took seriously their mission to impart the Word of God to a largely illiterate world. It’s evident from the care which Iona has lavished upon this album that it also seeks to make real the spirit of a living God through its musical excellence. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, January 1996]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/journey-into-the-morn/724393696)
CD tracklist:
01. Bi-Se I Mo Shuil, Part 1 – 2:06
02. Irish Day – 5:14
03. Wisdom – 4:58
04. Everything Changes – 5:33
05. Inside My Heart – 6:09
06. Encircling – 11:38
07. Journey Into The Morn – 2:53
08. Lindisfarne – 6:30
09. No Heart Beats – 4:48
10. The Search – 2:42
11. Divine Presence – 5:28
12. Heaven’s Bright Sun – 7:26
13. Bi-Se I Mo Shuil, Part 2 – 4:33
14. When I Survey – 8:05
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Alliance Music. Re-issued on Open Sky Records in 2005.
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