** Máire Brennan

WHISPER TO THE WILD WATER

(Word/Epic)

As lead singer of Clannad, Máire Brennan found her husky alto bathed in a soothing ambiance. That voice was an integral part of the gentle formula that made the Celtic band a new-age favorite. And it would have been easy for her to continue on in that tradition as a solo artist.

On Whisper to the Wild Water, she tries to resist that temptation, in part by working various African and Latin clubland rhythms into the mix; the result occasionally has a harder, more radio-friendly edge than Clannad would ever have been comfortable with. Unfortunately, Brennan got religion a few years back, and, like 1998's Perfect Time, this one suffers from the same case of the mystical blahs that marked much of Clannad's work. There are bright spots: "Whisper" could be an outtake from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and Brennan's harp and uilleann pipes give "Mary of the Gaels" an earthy, traditional feel. But for the most part, Whisper to the Wild Water finds Brennan following in the footsteps of her sister Enya, floating her perfectly enunciated vocals on lush synthesizer textures that won't disturb shoppers when this CD oozes out of the sound system at your local new-age bookstore.

-- J. Poet