RAPHAEL'S JOURNEY

As a founder member of Iona, Joanne needs not introduction as over the years her voice has been at the forefront of everything that they have achieved. But back in 2006 she was a new mother, and came to the conclusion (from persona experience) that adults were more in need of gentle music to go to sleep with than children ever were! So, she started working with producer and musician Frank Van Essen on a project to create and record music that would convey a sense of peace, beauty and comfort and enable listeners to rest, relax and wind down, and the drift away into a contented sleep. This was initially released as download only, with a different cover, and was credited solely to Joanne. However, in 2010 it was finally released as a physical product, at which time new artwork was provided and the crediting was changed to reflect the importance of Frank's contribution.

Needless to say, Joanne's bandmates weren't going to let her do this on her own and they all take part, as does Clannad vocalist Moya Brenna. The result is an album that is beautiful from start to finish. Deliberately designed to be played in the evening, this is something that suits the dark, with the vocals and instruments combining in an ethereal manner that for some reason makes me think of the mists around the Western Isles. It is not unusual for Iona and Joanne to be compared to Enya, but this is stripped down in comparison to that heavily structured style, and it isn't unusual for Joanne to be singing with just delicate piano for accompaniment along with some wonderful string arrangements.

This is a wonderful album, and really does deserve to be heard by a much wider audience. It can be purchased from Iona gigs or their website at www.iona.uk.com. Everyone involved also decided that this should be a charity record, and profits from this recording are donated to several organisations that seek to alleviate the suffering of children in extreme poverty.