Loreena McKennitt’s debut recording and Quinlan Road’s inaugural release, Elemental, displays the artist’s first foray into the realm of Celtic music. Like all her subsequent recordings, this album was self-produced, and it was recorded one week in July, 1985 in a barn in Southern Ontario amongst a field of sunflowers.

 “Celtic history would become my creative springboard”, Loreena recalls of her growing fascination with the subject. “Musically, I came to learn of, and be inspired by, many groups and artists ranging from those who authentically recreate its traditional forms to those who, like Brittany’s Alan Stivell, seek to mould it into something new and innovative.” At the time of this recording, the composer’s involvement in film and theatre would play a substantial role in the eclecticism of the material presented here.

Elemental’s nine tracks showcase McKennitt’s talents as a singer and harpist with fresh and memorable arrangements of traditional favourites, and musical settings of poems by Yeats and Blake. Its featured guests include renowned actor and folk musician Cedric Smith and esteemed Shakespearean actor Douglas Campbell.