Iona Leigh … A voice of delicate power and beauty ...

Iona Leigh’s unique sound has been described as gorgeous vocals floating over a Celtic tinged musical backdrop, with an intermingled sense of both tradition and the contemporary. A music critic recently claimed; "Iona is one of those ‘magical’ folk that see the world with different eyes … Iona’s music mixes songs of myth and magic, love and longing. These are songs driven by Iona’s deep desire to touch the mystery she sees in the world around her – and she does it with consummate grace and feel."

Iona’s talent for song writing is clear from her poignant lyrics, which make reference to nature, ancient legends and myths. But it is her striking voice, drawing comparisons to such individual vocalists as Loreena McKennitt and Sheila Chandra that heralds her arrival as a significant new artist. FolkWords wrote; "As pure as crystal, Iona’s voice alternately soars and pours through a collection of self-penned, borrowed and embellished poems, lyrics and tunes. Here there are roots buried deep in tradition mingled with deft touches of the contemporary. This is music with magical depth."

The Daily Music Guide gave Iona four out of five stars and said: “Despite hailing from Sydney [Australia], Iona Leigh’s foremost years were spent in a remote [eco-village and spiritual] community. Being brought up in a household where television was discouraged and the predominant musical output was her mother’s alternative collection, she might just as well have lived two generations ago. This has moulded a distinctly authentic musical output that is nevertheless accessible to all.”

These alternative musical influences, are uniquely captured in her 2009 album Beside the Waves of Time, as Music Journalist Toxic Pete recently explained: “Iona Leigh's unique melding of 'now' folk tinged with many elements of the traditional form is as restful as it is refreshing. Leigh delivers her nu-folksy songs with effortless sincerity and graceful serenity … [she] borrows time signatures and inflections from earlier times but sits squarely, slap-bang in the middle of twenty-first century … [and] Iona sure makes it sound original and tantalising.”