Customer Reviews

Anthem

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to stop listening to this CD...this is one of those musical collections that will not wear out easily.

This music is richly textured and beautifully melodic.

I had never heard of Hardiman's solo work, but hey, life brings on a pleasant musical surprise from time to time (but it seems rarely - one needs to buy a lot of CDs to get this good of a surprise in my experience).

Hardiman is definitely breaking through to new ground in creating beautiful and melodic, yet energetic and dynamic orchestrated pieces full with rich and skillful instrumentation combined with mystical sounding female vocals. Apparently Hardiman plays all the natural sounding and electronic instruments and percussion himself from his synth/keyboard set-up.

His compositions are melodic, not overtly complex and have clear pop and Celtic sensibilities. His use of base lines/synths and synth textures is grabbing. But the sum total much more than that.

Somebody could call this collection a fairly good stress reliever, but it's too dynamic just for that. More importantly, I think Hardiman's work on this album Anthem is uplifting, elevating and even inspiring (or should I say inspired). Sort of like a walk in a forest after the rain.

I have a quite a collection of new age and world music and my hat is off to Mr. Hardiman for climbing to the top of the stack.

I hope he will have a long and productive career.

If you have liked for example Yanni, Ademius, or Enya get ready for something magical...and fresh and new.

Out of five stars this should get six (a rare gem).

While this won't become my favorite CD, it is assured a long and dust-free home in my collection. Like its predecessor, Solas, Anthem is an upbeat mix of driving rhythms, soft vocals, and synthetic instrumentals. It's a bit repetitious, but MUCH more varied than Solas. This is a clearly more mature composition, and the progress it illustrates give me great optimism for future collections from this gifted composer. I've heard Hardiman's style described as a mix of Enya and Enigma, but I don't know if that is fair. It's neither as serious as Enya, nor as moody as Enigma, but it's fun, lighthearted, and should have a wide appeal. Pop this CD in and go for a drive--you'll relish every minute.

Yesterday I received my copy of Ronan Hardiman's new CD Anthem and I just have to write a review of it! What do I think of it? Its WONDERFUL! But anyone who has ever heard any of Ronan's music must already know it would be nothing less.

The album is very much similar in style to Solas , but with a few differences. First of all, the feeling it projects is very different. In general, the tracks on Solas seem designed for relaxation and meditation, and as such works very well... however, Anthem is not only very relaxing, but many of the songs create a very uplifting and joyful feeling that Solas didn't.

The opening track "Anthem" is a good example - this is typical Hardiman, with a good, steady beat, beautiful electric piano melody, and some wonderful female vocal work by Leslie Dowdall, with a very upbeat, joyful chant that makes me feel happy.

The next track "That place in your heart" is another departure from Solas - this is a real song with real lyrics (very thought provoking ones too) which is beautifully sung. This is followed by "Run Away" which has the distinct Solas sound with the usual piano and beat, with the lead vocals being very Enya-esque. Next is one of my personal favourites "Ready for Life", which isn't technically a song, but has some lyrics... there is something about the mood that this one creates that is hard to describe.... Maybe its just me, but this song makes me feel very happy for some reason, the lyrics, the piano melody...everything about it is just wonderful. This is real mood enhancing stuff!

To balance things, the next track "Salve" is a very brooding, powerful piece, which really stands out from the other tracks. This has a very symphonic sound, and features the male choir used for his Feet of Flames work. I have always been a great fan of what Ronan can do with the male choir (his work with them in Feet of Flames 2000 is fabulous - why cant we have this on CD, Ronan?) but he doesn't use them a great deal, which is a shame because they add a tremendous effect.

"Never" is a very Solas-ey track, in fact the vocals on it sound almost exactly like "Heaven" in places. Nonetheless, a very nice track. "Worlds Apart" is another great track, which also has the distinct Solas sound. Following this is "Ancient Lands", which is my personal favourite. There are no words to describe how brilliant this track is, its incredibly powerful, very well written, it really conjures up images of ancient lands in the East somewhere... this is also shown by his choice of instrumentation, sounding almost Egyptian in places. The male choir are used again on this in the second half, although I was a little disappointed because they don't seem to do much, their phonetic chanting is very limited, which is a shame because I have heard Ronan do wonderful things with them in the past. But the first part is without a doubt my favourite of all the tracks!

"Where are you now" has very good sound effects, conjuring up images of rainfall - this is a nice relaxing, sad piece, which turns into a fairly upbeat tune. The final track is a remix of "Heaven", but this time with full lyrics, and an almost gospel feel to it.

All in all a fabulous CD, if you loved Solas then you will love this. If you love good music you will love this. The only bad points are that there are only 10 tracks, which is a shame, because I feel they could have added his "Silver Swans" millennium piece, and maybe even "Dance of the Swans" from FOF2000, as that would fit in with the style quite well, I think!

So there's nothing left for me to say but BUY IT! You wont regret it! If you want your spiritis uplifting, this is just the music for you!

This music cannot be compared with anything I've ever heard. My only regret is that Ronan Hardiman has not brought out another CD of this type. I was blown away with it's depth and intriguing sounds. The mixture between soft background voices on a few songs and the rhythm of the entire CD was a real surprise and welcomed addition to my collection. I listen to this CD at least once a week and I've had it for over a year. We need more music like Ronan Hardiman's.

This CD sounds pretty much like Karl Jenikns Adiemus but it is softened and more relaxing. If you like Enigma or Enya you will see that they, made groundbreaking steps for music like this wich surpasses them in all dimensions. Simply this is what they were spelling from the horizon. But do not think that it is somtging revolutionary, it looks like folk music of 21 century.
Cerating the very same feeling gregorina chants do. Relaxing.

When I had first received Ronan Hardiman's previous solo work, Solas, I was amazed at the unique sound of it. For those who haven't heard it, it could be characterized as soothing Enya vocals meet Enigma synthesizers and percussion. A year later, Solas is still one of my favorites.

When I learned of Mr. Hardiman's new release, Anthem, I wasted no time in buying a copy. I am very pleased that I did! Anthem underscores what I liked about Solas and goes one step further. In general, Anthem has a faster tempo than Solas, but the songs are every bit as memorable. From the minute I heard "Run Away," I think I fell in love with the CD. "That Way to Your Heart" is also superbly done in a glory that is simultaneously haunting and enchanting. In all, though, there is not a bad cut here.

If you like the work of Enya and Enigma, you'll find that Ronan Hardiman's solo releases are a delightful synthesis of both. This CD is worthy of a place in your New Age collection.

I have waited for _Anthem_ to be released for nearly two years. I bought _Solas_ and was hooked. My wife introduced me to the collaborative work Mr. Hardiman did with Michael Flatley. That was enough to tide me over until I got my hot little hands on this CD. Overall, it's a wonderful piece and the songs stand up to inspection alone or as a whole. But ... it's not _Solas_. I love the more relaxed feel that _Anthem_ has, and the comparisons made in other reviews to Hardiman's work sounding like 'Enya' meets 'Enigma' is perfect. I suppose I'm just more of an 'uptempo' Hardiman fan. I do heartily recommend this album to anyone who likes the Celtic genre -- of *any* stripe. Ronan is a genius, and whether writing dance music or slow flowing scores, he has captured the essence of what it is to be Celt.

After hearing one of his songs on a local light jazz station, I got this CD as a birthday present. The music is a mix of new age, pop and neo classic influences that remind me the music of Adiemus, Enya, Bill Whelan and a touch of Cirque du Soleil. It's light, airy positive songs can lift one's spirits.

Ronan Hardiman is best-known as the composer and arranger of the music for Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" and "Feet of Flames". "Anthem" is his second solo album to date, and is a winner! Despite the heavy pop influences, this is no lightweight! Working in film, theater, and television, Hardiman is obviously comfortable with big sound and lavish-sounding production, and this album has those qualities with lots of thumping bass and drums as well as floating, ethereal vocals, gentle melodies, and catchy tunes. Celtic influences are strong, but I would not place "Anthem" in the Celtic bin. Actually, I don't know where I'd place it! There are so many things going on that it could be in any number of categories - undoubtedly a factor in what keeps it interesting throughout. The title track opens the album on a real upbeat with wordless vocals, a simple piano line, and an infectious rhythm. "Anthem" immediately reminded me of 2002. "That Place in Your Heart" is a very moving vocal piece with an angelic female voice (Leslie Dowdall) beseeching an enemy to work out their differences and reach an understanding - one of the strongest tracks on the album. The simplicity of the accompaniment to the vocals enhances the message of the lyrics - great stuff! "Run Away" starts out as almost a fluffy pop piece, and then the beat takes over along with a compelling melody that makes you want to get up and move. There isn't a lot of substance on this one, but it's great fun! "Salve" is another great track. I assume the lyrics are Gaelic or Irish, and this is a huge production piece. My only negative comment is that some of the synth chorus is pushed too high into the treble, and the effect is that the voices sound like a group of Munchkins.This happens on "Ready for Life" as well. "Worlds Apart" has a soundtrack quality - big, smooth, and very pleasant although the melody is dark. "Ancient Lands" is huge with a massive percussion opening and then deep strings (cello and string bass) with percussion. This one sounds almost militaristic, and could also go well on a soundtrack. A different version of "Heaven" was on Hardiman's first album, "Solas", and although the lyrics are bittersweet, this production is a bit of ear candy. Despite the various musical styles on this album, it works together as a very interesting and enjoyable whole. Very serious on some pieces, full of fun on others, this is a good choice for when you want to "rock a little".

Those who enjoyed Hardiman's first independent effort, Solas, will not be disappointed here. There is the same combination of Euro-synthpop, melodic piano progressions, and choral background that worked so well previously. Each track is distinctive, including a choral mass (Salve) and two true songs, one a vocal reprise of my favorite Solas track, Heaven. Highly recommended.