The third and, sadly, final CD release from this short-lived band from Northern Ireland is Whisper of a Secret, released in 1997.

There's little I can say about Deanta that I haven't said in two previous reviews. Mary Dillon's is a voice straight from the angels, and the band supporting her -- Deirdre Havlin, Rosie Mulholland, Eoghan O'Brien, Katie O'Brien and Clodagh Warnock -- is about as cracking as you can find in all of Ireland. Guest musicians add, among other things, cello, uilleann pipes and, yes, saxophone, showing the band beginning to stretch a bit beyond the norm in traditional Irish arrangements; there's nothing groundbreaking here, but it indicates a group willing to try new things and expand on their roots with new ideas.

Whisper of a Secret is not the best of Deanta's releases, but it's a fine album nonetheless -- and it's fair good enough to make many another band cry with shame and envy. Musicians as good as this are always a welcome find. Voices as good as Mary Dillon's are a true rarity. Deanta, we hardly knew ya. Where have you gone?