Customer Reviews

Belladonna (Dig)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is a huge relief for Lanois fans to find him active a mere 2 years after the superb 'Shine' album. The wait between that album and the previous solo effort 'For the Beauty of Wynona' was a long 10 years.

For those not familiar with Lanois' career, you can start your journey by knowing that he is a now legendary producer who brought his unmistakable signature to the likes of U2 (Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and more), Bob Dylan, The Neville Brothers, Peter Gabriel (So) - the list is enormous. He is a longtime collaborator of producer/musician Brian Eno, bringing an altogether more humanist, organic warmth to his productions - nothing sounds synthesised in Lanois' sonic world, everything is alive.

I must admit, I have always been chasing an album from Lanois that rivals his first solo outing 'Acadie', still equal to any album I've ever heard. If you don't know 'Acadie', I cannot urge you enough to seek it out.

If you had ever wished that Lanois would abandon lyrics and vocals and paint an album with melodies and textures, Brian Eno style, then 'Belladonna' will have you in raptures. It's a complex, rich, ethereal thing of beauty with enough detail to keep the most discerning listener happy for months.

At first you might miss the organic warmth of Lanois' voice and his sense of lyrical poetry, but his real contribution to music has always been his unique sound and this album allows us the freedom and pleasure of exploring musical journeys that are rich and beautiful, ranging from ambient soundscapes, soulful New Orleans style melodies, latin refrains and endlessly inventive instrumentation and production. Tellingly, Lanois' old collaborator Malcolm Burn is here, playing a variety of instruments and no doubt contributing ideas to the richly detailed, experimental production. Some tracks, 'Flametop Green' for example are just achingly beautiful, perfectly executed.

If you are familiar with the early works of Lanois and Eno (for example the 'Apollo atmospheres and soundtracks', you'll have some idea of what to expect from this cd, although I find, unlike Eno, Lanois always focuses his work melodically and spiritually. You often feel as if you are in a private church, so overwhelmingly spiritual is the movement of chords and instruments; the depth of sonic atmospheres created on this disc are just astonishing.

Lanois fans have been owed a suite of songs of this quality for some time, and it's been worth the wait. Absolutely essential listening.

If you were ever looking for a metaphor to describe the conundrum of dark beauty and spine-tingling warmth that is the music of Daniel Lanois, then "belladonna" is it: a beautiful poisonous flower revered for its power to heal. Eschewing lyrics as he did for several tracks on his previous album, Lanois gives listeners the chance to "make up their own scenarios" as he puts it. And you will: these songs are tremendously evocative of desert nights, broken hearts, contemplation, vulnerability and moments of human connection. You'll be writing your own Wim Wenders movie in your mind. Pedal steel and feedback are the stars here, but Lanois and his collaborators twist them via Latin and desert country influences to produce a suite of tracks that sound much bigger and richer than you might give the arrangements credit for. These are soundscapes you can disappear into. They're all given the unmistakable Lanois treatment in the mix which could be accurately described as Taoist: I have no idea how he does it, but he consistently conveys a sense of emptiness and overflowing immensity all at once. It's magical.

Ok...Daniel Lanois. Talented, successful, mysterious. Love everything he's done. Is Belladonna a perfect record? No. But it definitely grows on you. I'm big into Lanois' characteristic 'atmospheres' and his wonderfully sensual playing. This album gets a 4 because 1) I'm still listening and learning about it, 2) It's not what I expected- which is good and bad, 3) It's a bit self-indulgent, and there's really nothing new here. All of which is good and bad. Buy it, experience it, just don't expect it to blow you away, expect it to soak into as you sip tequilla and dream of a beautiful lover you have yet to meet.

If Brian Eno followed his ambient classic Music for Airports with Music for Westerns it would probably sound like this.On this album there is no singing by Daniel Lanois just a nice collection of beautiful western tinged ambient music.Very blissful and atmospheric.My only complaint is that it is also very short at under 40 minutes and I wish that it went on longer.If you're a fan of Brian Eno's non vocal work or of Harold Budd you will enjoy this dreamy album.

Definately worth getting. This is pure bliss. It's really relaxed and chill. Good for road trips or having on in the background while conversating with friends. Love this sort of ambience, I'm a big fan of Harold Budd and this is definately up there with his stuff. My favorite track is Frozen, but they're all really good. Check out the sound clips, that's what made me get this.

I would have given this 4.5 stars if the rating system had allowed it, only because I thirst for his voice! It is nowhere to be found on this otherwise very fine record. This could have been the soundtrack to an imaginary movie in the Sling Blade tradition--indeed, much reminds me of Lanois' brilliant soundtrack to that movie.

Signature density with simultaneous weightlessness, so difficult to achieve, infuses every track. Floating pedal steel mixes with eruptions of electric guitar distortion (mercifully held well back in the mix). Thick clouds of synthesizer underlie the opening and closing tracks. Mexican horn section! He seemingly has a bottomless bag of aural tricks.

Only a mild complaint about the sequencing. I'm an inveterate tinkerer, and I resequenced the tracks, and I would recommend that you try it also.

We can only hope that the next one will reunite him with the vocal inspiration of his first solo, Acadie.

In this album Mr. Daniel Lanois further explores the styles he established in his previous record "Shine". Mr. Lanois plays pedal steel guitar throughout the album to create different moods. The musical pieces are different in style yet united in their dreamy and eloquent expressiveness. While listening, you feel like you are floating and smiling at the same time. The cd is a musical feast. I have to admit that I was saddened not to have at least one track in which Mr. Lanois sings, because I enjoy his voice and his lyrics, but the pleasure of listening to these eloquent instrumental pieces is more than enough. A must have if you are a fan of Mr. Lanois' work, and definitely worth listening if you know nothing about the guy. Personal recommendation: listen to two other cd's of Mr. Lanois - "Acadie" and "For the Beauty of Wynona", both masterpieces.

I heard a couple of tracks on hearts of space. If you like ambient music, this is a good one to add to the collection.

so rich, so dense, daniel lanois brings together a great crew of musicians to create a many-textured masterpiece. all-instrumental, lanois' peddle steel playing is the force behind this subtle, flowing album. buy it.

"Belladonna" is Daniel Lanois' most coherent album to date. The focus is on that glorious pedal steel he plays like no one else and a dreamscape inspired by time in Mexico. This is another world that Lanois invites the listener to enter. If you surrender to this music, it will become the soundtrack of your dreams. It has a very powerful pull that will take you deeper than emotion to a place of unknowing filled with incredible beauty. This is the anthesis of most music being released today, whatever the genre. It is too personal to fit any handy label. It appears that Lanois is channeling some very profound personal experiences into music that he can share with the wider world. If only briefly, we can join him on an amazing journey to a place few know exists, let alone ever visit.