Colleen is 1/3 of the celtic trio "The Ecclestons". In Essence is a collection of Colleen Eccleston songs to provide listeners with a representative cross-section of Colleen's work, which had been either unreleased or in limited production, up to 1997. Recorded and mixed primarily in-house by musician/producer/ husband Hugh McMillan, the styles range from almost prog-rock through to nearly country and on to acoustic folk, and features guest appearances by James Keelaghan (harmony vocal), Oscar Lopez (nylonstring guitar), Vince Ditrich (drums and percussion), Brent Gubbells (acoustic bass), Eugene Oschadsky ('cello and arrangement), and Louise Rose (piano).