"Hearing a beautiful song opens people's heart." It's the first thing Fionnuala Gill says when asked to describe Whispers of Love, her first solo album. If you choose to buy this CD, and I would advise you to do so, then you can prepare for open heart surgery in the process.

Like Clannad's Moya Brennan, Gill is blessed with an ethereal voice that effortlessly produces a range of emotions for the listener. The songs on Whispers of Love envelop you like warm fleece blankets, providing a soothing texture to the skin that permeates into the soul.

Producer Mark Armstrong, known for his work on Riverdance, achieves the impossible - he creates a lush sonic landscape with the sparsest arrangements.

"Prayer" is a gorgeous harp tune. On traditional tracks like "Mo Ghile Mear," the space between instruments proves just as emotive as the simple interplay between guitars, piano and fiddle.

An ethereal chanteuse, the singer sometimes sounds like an otherworldly ghost whose heart is still very much rooted in the here and now. Her breath is also an important component of the mood on tracks like "Prayer." In creating this arrangement, there is not one sound wasted.

Gill might be a new name for most of us, but we have been entertained by her gifts for many years. She was a founding member of the Irish choral group Anuna, and made her debut at Ireland's Dublin Opera House in 1993.

Producers of the show that would become Riverdance took in the performance, and they soon weaved Gill into the wildly popular production. When that ran its course a few years later, she was asked to lend her vocal and harp playing talents to the Norway group Secret Garden.

Whispers of Love seems poised to enjoy similar success. It has already caught the ear of Tim Janis, the celebrated American composer who has been the focus of a number of national public TV specials. Gill will be featured in his next PBS TV special, An Enchanting Evening with Tim Janis.

I spoke with Gill about her new album, her experiences with Anuna and the crowded market of ethereal Irish singers. Our conversation was punctuated with frequent, easy bouts of laughter, giving the interviewer insight into the joyous soul behind the music. Here's how it went:

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

It's a fusion of classical training and Irish heritage. I was classically trained and I am deeply in love with Ireland's amazing vocal heritage.

I started off as a classic musician, singing Mozart. When I was older I discovered the depth of Irish language singing. It's a vocal, expressive language full of vowels that makes it such a pleasure to sing. I think that is the reason I am drawn to it. I still love classical music, but it's not what I prefer to sing anymore.

I didn't detect a classical influence in your singing. It seemed more effortless.

I am so glad you said that! I know amazing Irish singers who don't have training on things like how to use your diaphragm; I do.

But at the same time, I almost have to unlearn the training I did in some ways because I want to sound natural. It's like a swan. You see this beautiful graceful thing gliding on the water, but underneath, the webbed feet are propelling the big bird. On the surface, you want to make it effortless.

How did you select the songs that went on your first solo album?

It was an incredibly long and complex process. I could write a book about how I chose. I want to take the listener on a journey. I find singing as an emotional journey that is touching, peaceful.

I worked with Mark Armstrong (Riverdance), who helped me choose that repertoire. We did a huge number of demos and threw a lot out. We did demos of 35-40 songs. We sat down and asked which ones my voice sound the easiest.

"Prayer" is a Secret Garden song and the response when I have sung it with them that has been phenomenal, so that was a no brainer. These songs needed to have a personal connection to me. You are telling a story as a singer. I put a lot of energy to get a certain atmosphere, which in this case was very soothing.

"She Moved through the Fair" is something I think I was able to instinctively bring classical training to to make it interesting, and I hope it worked.

The harp is not the easiest thing to play while singing. How did you pick that up?

I began playing in school and then it sat in my parents' basement. Secret Garden begged me to play it and the first time I chanced it, we were at the Sydney Opera House. It was pretty risky. It's an instrument in itself that tells the story. I am coming over to do an extensive tour in the States and I am going to bring it, so I am so excited.

Your sound seems to be fashionable lately. You've got Celtic Woman and a number of other acts out there that seem to be descendants of the Clannad and Enya genealogy.

That was a huge influence on me. I remember listening to Clannad as a teen and thinking Moya's voice was amazing. She gave me chills. She connected the ancient to the new and opened the door to have the world appreciate Irish music.

I think they set a template that is still being used, bringing traditional melodies into a modern sound was something that just wasn't done before them. They brought percussion that was not spoons and bodhran, which in and of itself was revolutionary. They have done a huge amount for the development of music. They come from the absolute roots of the best in Irish music, in Donegal.

Why do you think Irish language songs are so popular outside the Irish race?

It is very soulful music that is universal, plain and simple. I often have the experience of singing songs like "The Mermaid" in South Korea. I had people come up to me and say that that while they did not know the language I was singing in, they were moved by the music. I think that is the core of why people respond to it. The phrasing of the Irish music just produces sounds that move you.

What do you think of the Celtic Woman show and that crop of entertainment?

I have to be careful because these folks are my colleagues and friends in some cases. There is a lot of raw talent in these big productions.

That said, I think some of those shows need to stay close to the integrity of the music. A big show sometimes runs the risk of losing the soul of the music. Lots of big swelling sounds can sometimes sound over-produced or over-arranged. Heartfelt Irish love songs stand on their own. If you have a true artist, you don't need the other stuff around you.

When making this album, I was obsessed with keeping it simple and avoiding the over-production. I was in Dublin recently and passed by a grubby pub with a fiddle and flute, and there's nothing like that sound. If the music can keep that spirit, then I think you've succeeded as an artist.

Whispers of Love is available on iTunes and Amazon.com