"The Sound of Iona," the Washington-based quartet's new album, is in truth a weave of sounds -- a Celtic tapestry of ancient tongues and tunes produced with extraordinary craft. Its common threads -- instrumental prowess and vocal ingenuity -- render language barriers irrelevant and swiftly lead listeners to a world of timeless music and soulful refrains...

... The ensemble has developed a truly distinctive repertoire, first by drawing from a wide variety of traditional sources, then by arranging the material in a colorful and often unexpected fashion. The band's new album, for example, opens with a performance of Scottish "mouth music," a curious slice of Gaelic life punctuated by a delightful jig. Similar pleasures and twists pop up throughout the recording, with the band frequently bridging, juxtaposing or reharmonizing tunes. Though deeply interested in the cultural roots of the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Breton music it explores, Iona also has a passion for creating highly personalized interpretations. As a result, much of the band's music, including the medley here of "Bonnie Charlie," "Song of the Travelling Beggars," "Ma Mackenzie" and "Walking the Floor," allows both familiar and obscure tunes to shine in a new light...

... Save for the haunting ballad "Lark in the Morning, Wild Geese at Night," the album comprises traditional pieces, rendered with vitality and emotion by lead vocalist Barbara Tresidder Ryan, piper Robert Mitchell, harpist Mary Fitzgerald and flutist Bernard Argent. Two guests, cellist Abby Newton and vocalist Nolwenn Monjarret, further contribute to the music's multihued power and beauty...