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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Another World' deserves everyone's attention!, April 4, 2003
An extremely strong effort by Rafferty that grows on you with each subsequent listen...His unique vocals and his incredible gift of melody have aged superbly; in fact, he has grown wiser and better over time. It's a complete shame that most of his work is out of print or unavailable in the U.S.- but I took a chance and ordered this CD from the UK and am delighted that I did. This effort has Rafferty reflecting back on his life, perhaps coming to terms with his successes, regrets, and his own mortality. The results are sublime. I can't do this work reasonable justice in only 1,000 words, but suffice it to say that Rafferty's tongue-in-cheek 'humor' shines even through songs with a hint of 'message' within ('In the Land of the Chosen Few', for example). Powerful melodies and enthralling hooks make 'Everytime That I Wake Up' and 'It's Better This Way' radio-ready, sing-along hits, and the gospel-tinged choirs and backdrops of the title tune, 'Xavier and Honor' and 'Children of the Sun' lend a maturity to Rafferty's work that's not ever been so strong. Go to whatever means you have to in order to get a hold of this one, you won't be sorry!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm amazed, August 22, 2003
I hadn't heard any music by Gerry Rafferty in several years until recently hearing a song he released in 1992, "I See Red". That song is what caused me to decide, "Hey, I need to check out this new album because the man's still making some great music after all these years". I'm really glad I did, too, because I'm very impressed by these new songs. Rafferty's voice sounds pretty much identical to the City To City days (he does take it to places beyond that on a few tracks here, he shows some soul influence on "Sweet Love") and his songwriting is as impressive as it ever was, if not more so. "All Souls" is a great album opener and sounds like it would be a perfect live show opener as well with the soulful background singers and rhythm. "Keep It To Yourself" is just such a COOL tune, you have to hear it to appreciate it. "Children of the Sun" (not the Billy Thorpe song) is a terrific song that, once it gets in your head, you'll want to hear it again and again. There's even a modern, hip-hoppish beat on a couple of tracks but it works well with the arrangements of these fine songs - it never sounds like he's trying to sell out for commerciality's sake, although one song that doesn't work that well for me is "Who's House Is It Anyway?" - it's a little too funky that sounds like Rafferty's stretching a bit too far out of his element. Special note: at the end of the last track on the disc, there's a long period of complete silence, like 3 or 4 minutes, but if you'll keep listening, you'll hear a short and humorous "hidden" track. In closing, let me say that I only expect to be more impressed by "Another World" with repeated plays. And if you ever loved "Baker Street", "Right Down The Line" and "Days Gone Down", you need to go out of your way or pay the import price to buy "Another World". There's very few pop or rock artists that have maintained the quality of their craft for decades - Gerry Rafferty is among those few.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still as strong as ever....., April 8, 2003
Good to see this on Amazon.com. I was able to buy
this last year overseas and Gerry has lost none of
his voice and melodies and this collection is
a must for those Gerry Rafferty 70's diehards and
anyone that loves great music, wonderful stuff.
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~ Gerry Rafferty
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by Gerry Rafferty 
