The Road Back Home (Loreena McKennitt album) explained

The Road Back Home
Type:	live
Artist:	Loreena McKennitt
Cover:	Loreena McKennitt - The Road Back Home.png
Recorded:	August 2023
Length:	42:39
Label:	Quinlan Road
Producer:	Loreena McKennitt
Prev Title:	Lost Souls
Prev Year:	2018

The Road Back Home is a live album by Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt. It was released on March 8, 2024, through Quinlan Road.

Background and recording

The Road Back Home was recorded live in summer 2023 during four festival performances in Ontario, Canada. It sees the singer returning to her Celtic roots. During the performances, McKennitt recalled the feeling when she first "fell in love with Celtic music" in the 1970s and decided to capture these moments, not knowing whether she "would be back this way again".^[1] The recordings were joined by local musicians, whom McKennitt had previously worked with for her Under a Winter's Moon (2022) sessions.^[2] The album is set to serve as a "homage to simpler times", trying to catch feelings of comfort and homecoming.^[3]

Personnel

Musicians

• Loreena McKennitt – vocals (tracks 1–4, 6, 8, 10), accordion (tracks 1, 4, 5, 8), harp (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10)
• Caroline Lavelle – cello (all tracks), vocals (track 1)
• Miriam Fischer – percussion (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6), accordion (2, 3, 7, 8, 9), piano (4, 5, 9), background vocals (8, 10)
• Romano DiNillo – bodhrán (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7–10)
• Pete Watson – guitar (tracks 2–10), background vocals (8, 10)
• Errol Fischer – violin (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10), mandolin (3), drums (4, 5, 8), banjo (4, 8, 9)
• Cait Watson – whistle (tracks 2–10), background vocals (8, 10)
• James Keelaghan – vocals (track 10)

Technical

• Loreena McKennitt – production (all tracks), arrangement (tracks 1–4, 6, 8, 10)
• Mark McCauley – production assistance
• Jeff Wolpert – mastering, mixing, engineering
• The Bookends – arrangement (tracks 5, 7, 9)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Loreena McKennitt Announces New Album The Road Back Home. Schube. Will. UDiscover Music. January 30, 2024. March 3, 2024.
2. Web site: Loreena McKennitt: Neues Album The Road Back Home + Tour 2024. Sonic Seducer. de. January 8, 2024. March 3, 2024.
3. Web site: Loreena McKennitt unveils traditional Celtic sound in new album The Road Back Home. Murphy. Saoirse. PureMzine. January 19, 2024. March 3, 2024.