Celtic Crossroads - The Uncharted Path

Doug Cameron's Celtic Crossroads: The Uncharted Path takes his familiar adult contemporary violin-based instrumentals and gives them a Celtic spin. Interpreting several well-known modern Celtic classics ("My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, Enya's "Book of Days," Loreena McKennitt's "The Mummer's Dance," and a Lord of the Dance medley), he also takes on several lesser-known Irish and Scottish traditional songs and a few original compositions. The interpretations of the hits and soundtrack themes are done in a reverential, reserved manner, capturing the melody of these beloved songs, but the album's strengths lie in Cameron's open interpretations and original compositions, which allow the violinist to soar over the top of the rich orchestration or rock-based rhythms. Highlights in this vein are the pop-oriented "Runaway" and the Kennedy tribute "John Jr." For followers of straightforward, traditional Celtic music there is the rolling reel "Jig Set" and the album's last track, a loose traditional-based stomp called "Mason's Apron." Fans of Cameron's jazzy adult contemporary violin style may be put off by his hip-hop version of "Reel Around the Sun," but they may also be awakened to a whole world of traditional music that is just as rich and enjoyable.