RETURN TO OMMADAWN

Return to Ommadawn is really great. Honestly that's the best way I can put it. And I'm not trying to undersell it, it truly is really great! It is not quite the masterpiece it's "prequel" is, but the high moments on this record are very convincing. I love the classic sounding Oldfield guitar solo over some commanding acoustic guitar strumming around the 17 minute mark. The atmosphere on this record is a solid mix between Ommadawn and Hergest Ridge. It captures Mike's seemingly long lost spirit in a truly authentic way, not forced or tiresome.

This record does lack some of the fast pace and excitement found in the original Ommadawn. Most of the sections linger for longer and some of the transitions seem overdue. But the strengths in atmosphere and composition of each section mostly make up for this.

When I was a younger teenager, my family took a trip up the coast of California. I had been on many vacations before, to beautiful locations as well. Most of those places I had been visiting before I even knew where my real home was, so their sense of wonder was somewhat worn out. So this was sort of my first real vacation to an unknown frontier. My choice of soundtrack for most of the trip happened to be Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn. I found these albums to be perfect companions for this time of discovery and wonder, and they have been attached to those memories and the feeling of adventure and discovery ever since. Keeping this in mind while I listened to this for the first time, I couldn't fight back a few tears when I heard the return of the children singing "Hey and away we go!" from On Horseback. So even with imperfections this album captures every feeling from HR and Ommadawn I wanted to feel for the first time again, and that really is the most important thing for me. Thanks Mike!

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