I guess I bought the wrong Clannad album, judging from the other reviews here. Maybe some of the earlier stuff would be more to my liking.

Soul
Many tracks including "Poison Glen" transport one into another more soulful world. What a fresh sound this band has...unlike any other. Vocals from the lead singer are the strength of the group.
I don't know Gaelic at all (actually I am an Asian from HK)
I borrow Banba from a fd of mine, I liked that (read the recommendation of that) and I run out to record store without hestitate, there are only 2 I found in the record store: Anam and The Magical Gathering, then I got both
once I played this, I am really blown away, I am really appreciated how good the sound in "The poison glen" and "Harry's game", they are really good
but the last 4 of the album are.....
You're the one and Dobhar should be consider as one, when I played these first time, I can't help myself...I cried
then I have no word to discribe how good this album be

Quite boring, in my opinion
Don't listen to the negative reviews on this album. Anam is a beautiful CD with a very jazzy twist but still has that Celtic sound.

Anam is Gaelic for 'Soul' and the album title was perfect because the music touches your soul.

Ri Na Cruinne opens this CD with a bang. It's a very haunting song with haunting vocals, ambient keyboards, and thundering beats. This is a song to play on a trip through the mountains on a cloudy evening. In A Lifetime features a duet with U2 frontman Bono. It's a very jazzy song that will make you feel good. IAL is also available on the 1985 album Macalla. One of my all-time favorite duets. The title track is very much like Ri Na Cruinne only more serene and dreamier. I played this song when walking through the colorful gardens on a cloudy evening and I was in total bliss because this song blossoms with beauty, soul, and magic. We head into much more upbeat territory with the Celtic/jazz fusion of In Fortunes Hand. This song is very upbeat with a bit of a pop/jazz/Celtic sound. The Poison Glen is more laid back with beautiful vocals and acoustic guitars with snares. This song is much more Celtic with an accordian. Wilderness is a pleasant acoustic guitar instrumental. Theme From Harrys Game is a very haunting song with a sort of Medieval twist. This song is beautiful but nothing like the next song. Why Worry made this a CD worth buying multiple times. It's a very warm, jazzy song with awesome keyboards, and beatiful chants. I love how the song becomes dark and misty towards the ending. Uirchill An Chreagin is ambient keyboards and gorgeous vocals to make a song to enjoy on a sunny or cloudy afternoon. Love And Affection is more rock oriented with a more upbeat yet moody sound. The song kind of breaks down towards the ending and ultimately fades into mostly ambience at the ending. You're The One is a more country oriented song with a sunny feel-good sound. Dobhar is a piano instrumental that closes this amazing CD.

This one is one of my favorite Clannad CDs in my collection. It's worth the price. I would say get this CD, it's an incredible piece of art. Well done Clannad.
The Brennan family and their band Clannad led the new Celtic music revolution for many years, with a string of solid acoustic albums that made them a must to hear. But with the success of Brennan diva Enya, and the popularity the band achieved as their "Harry's Game" made it into TV and movies, they have slowly turned a course toward a more popular sound, awash in layered voices, reverb, and synthesizers. Anam is the center ground between the two careers, with plenty of rootsy folk supplied by fiddle, bouzouki, guitars, and harp. And it's impossible not to like the singing of Marie and Ciaran Brennan. But the album also marks the beginning of that wash of sound that was to make them famous, so this is possibly the last truly "Irish" album they made and the first "new-Celtic" one. --Louis Gibson