Album Of The Day: Journey Into The Morn by Iona

Released 30 years ago today in North America and a few months earlier in the UK, this is the fourth album by Celtic progressive rock band Iona. It's a beautiful, cinematic 78 minutes of music, including guitar, drums, pipes, and of course singer Joanne Hogg's heavenly vocals. Most of the songs on this album contain some vocals and are not just instrumentals, but certainly not all. Many of the song lyrics contain religious themes, but also contain references to places and life in Ireland. It's a beautiful album, though nor my favorite album of theirs, and runs the gamut from serene instrumentals and vocals to a bit more raucous guitars, keys and all-out rock, sometimes even a choir. There's definitely some Gaelic lyrics too. The album ends with a beautiful, 8-minute version of "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross", a classic English hymn. This is often the soundtrack to reading a book on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for me and I love this band's work. Included here is the original album art featuring a band photo and the newer artwork for the band's 2009 independent re-release.
Release Year: 1995
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