With both emotional piano solos or a vast array of synth sounds, Michael Gettel has managed to conjure images of nature photography and spiritual journeys. On previous albums, he used both musical approaches to convey the awesome beauty of Washington’s San Juan Islands and of the Southwest in general. On the Celtic-flavored The Journey North, Gettel traces his Scottish ancestry. At each stop along the way, he draws upon New Age, rock, pop, and classical influences to create pieces that shift easily from graceful piano reflections into more percussive, guitar-driven statements - often including the wailing cries of Jerry O’Sullivan’s uillean pipes. On "Hadrian’s Wall," Brian Theissen’s strumming acoustic guitar and Sandin Wilson’s fretless bass create a seductive bed atop which O’Sullivan echoes each of Gettel’s jumpy piano riffs. Gettel mast- erfully bridges the centuries on "Loch Ness (The Kelpie)," which juxtap- oses the happy-go-lucky piano melody with dense percussion and soaring pipes.
01 Ceud Míle Faílte (A Hundred Thousand Welcomes) (04:43) 02 The Journey North (5:38) 03 Hadrian’s Wall (06:11) 04 Cumbrian Autumn (Dove Cottage) (06:45) 05 Galloway (07:14) 06 The Memory Stone (06:16) 07 Loch Ness (The Kelpie) (05:02) 08 Celtic Knot (04:56) 09 Columcille’s Dream (07:15) 10 Reaching Iona (Breathe Of God) (Includes Hidden Track "She Moved Through The Fair") (12:51)