Much of what is labeled ‘pagan’ music is of the meditative or ethereal variety, which is fine for what it is . . . but it gets a tad boring after awhile. Fortunately there are some alternatives out there, including Moonstruck.
They have good lyrics, and an upbeat rocking style that is fun to bop along with. That said, I have to say that Eury’s vocals leave a lot to be desired. She sounds a great deal like Nuit’s lead singer, which works for that groups’ musical style, but not here.* Eury does much better when singing along with Steve Collins (as on “Wheel of the Year” and Sinrise Psalm”). Some songs just don’t work (I’m thinking of “Home Song” and “We All Come from the Goddess”, the latter of which includes ocean sounds.)
I really wanted to like this album, and I think “Beltane Boogie” is wonderful in many ways, easily the best song on the album in terms of its dance-ability, as is “Firepit Drumming” (the song I heard that convinced me to buy the album).
In the end, I think we’ve come a long way, and there are a number of better albums out there. Witch of the Wildwoods is recommended, but with reservations.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Artist: Moonstruck
1999 Moonstruck/ Starcraft Distributors
http://moonstruckmusic.home.mindspring.com/moonstruck1.html
Please see our review of Nuit’s album, here.
