Customer Reviews

Breath From Another

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's a credit to Esthero's skills that her sultry debut is still remembered seven years after its release, and in the shadow of a warm, funky follow-up. Most albums of this type fade into obscurity.

But Canadian trip-hoppist Esthero, with the help of producer Doc, manages to create a unique musical experience in "Breath From Another": chilly trip-jazz, with sexy lyrics and some hip-hop flavourings. The songwriting can be hit-and-miss, but the music and Esthero's singing are wonderful.

It opens on a diverse note in the title track: slow trippy beats and waves, which rapidly rev up into a hip-hop sound. Esthero's voice starts off breathy, but after she launches into a throaty rap, her vocals gain substance and strength. "Don't compromise what's gold/For the soul you never sold," she croons over and over.

Several songs of the songs that follow could be classified as pop music, like the catchy "That Girl" and James-Bondian interlude "Flipher Overture." But Esthero never leaves behind trip-hop and hip-hop, both of which flicker up in various songs.

But other styles crop up over the course of the album: pure soft electronica, dancey jazz, trippy Latin, and others. The only unifying style here is trip-hop. As a result, a few songs simply don't fit in: "Country Livin' (The World I Know)" moves too slow and has too few beats thrown in, so it feels vaguely out of place.

Canadian Esthero herself sounds a lot like Icelandic pop star Emiliana Torrini, who also has made a career out of electic styles. Her voice can be throaty or sweet, depending on the song. Doc (with whom she has since parted ways) produced a beautiful array of songs for her to sing, with everything from electronica to harp.

And Esthero's sweet voice can bring a surprising sense of innocence to some very sexual songs. And some truly beautiful ones as well: "My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty/Heaven isn't on my side," she sings mournfully at one point. But the lyrics here are not quite as even as her later work; the second half has some songs that sound a bit silly. "Stay awhile longer sweet tongue of fur and feather/There is a white breast waiting for you here" -- what?

Esthero's trippy, jazzy debut is a mad melange of styles and sounds, and the sometimes-uneven lyrics can't bog down a very talented singer. Definitely worth checking out.

one listen of this cd and i knew it would immediately be one of my favorites. i've always appreciated original, creative, and truth in artists. what better example of this than esthero? her music is a unique blend of trip hop, jazz, soul, and sometimes even rock. much love and respect to doc for producing this masterpice and esthero for co-producing and writing all the songs.

-breath from another: a very sad song about despair and misdirection in life. yet there also seems to be a sense of understanding and hope. great trip hop beat with a catchy chorus and great rhymes from both shug and meesah. real hip hop sense.

-heaven sent: a lot of graphic sadness in this song. u can really sense the meaning and and emotion esthero put into this track, especially during the angry rock chorus.

-anywayz: very smooth jazz type song. easy to listen to with cool and smooth lyrics and a nice piano sound.

-that girl: resembles the previous track alot but with a much more catchy chorus and lyrics with a little bit deeper significance. nice guitar elements added.

-country livin (the world i know): my second favorite track on here. very lite and funky beat, nice acoustics, and very catchy and very nice lyrics..." just look at the stars, this night could be ours." an r&b love song with the unique esthero touch.

-flipher overture: a 30 second masterpiece. a unique blend of jazz, trip hop, and maybe even ska.

-half a world away: gives this cd a nice feeling of a global awareness and variety. nice spanish elements. smooth beat with cool lyrics and wonderful chorus.

-lounge: a cool, laid back song with a great jazz/soul vibe. chill lyrics with a simple yet so creative beat. all this goes on while a phone conversation plays in the background. extremely funny at the end.

-superheroes: a nice classic song with a bit of funk and very cool lyrics. simple beat and mellow vocals. well done.

-indigo boy: my 3rd favorite song. very deep and spritual. wonderful lyrics and very haunting beat and sound elements give it a big sense of despair and loneliness. "i am the last of the worshipers...indigo boy dont let them take it away from you..." an extremely touching song with a lot of sorrow.

-swallow me: my favorite on this cd. wonderful beat. the illest lyrics ever that hit exactly how esthero's music (and music in general) touches the deepest part of you. "the slowest melodies coated me, soothing rhythms stoked the fire in my belly, music was the lamb that made a lion out of me...recognize between the lines of what u feel and what you believe" and the one thing i will always quote from music from now until forever "long as i have my voice i dont need arms to hold me"

there is also an extra track on this cd once ten minutes have passed on "swallow me." it's all music and no words. very haunting and scary, the type of song that (if i listened to it enough) could cause me to get panic attacks again. still a great song if its able to invoke that part of me.

only once in awhile u'll find an artist truly worth supporting, and esthero is one of them. if u appreciate originality and prefer your music to have lyrics with meaning, then please get this cd.

I was working in a clothing retail store, when I first heard "Half A World Away." The lyrics, "Don't close your eyes/ a world away/ from something you feel inside...." had me mesmerized. Upon listening to the entire CD, I almost flipped. I now own TWO copies, one for the house and one for the car! The jazzy piano keys and stuttering drums of "Anyways" will make your soul feel like liquid. The haunting, anxiety-riddled guitars and violins of "Heaven Sent" will have you wailing along, "She didn't have to diiiiiiiee!!" The barely there vocals of "Superheroes" (which promise, "Just look at those stars/ Baby, we could be stars"), will indeed make you belive you can fly. This album left me wondering, "Who in the world is this girl, where did she come from, and why wasn't she here sooner?" One review describes her as a mix between Bjork, Erykah Badu, and Sade. Throw in a little Morcheeba and Supreme Beings of Leisure, and you're not too far from the mark. If you like trance, drum 'n' bass, garage, acid jazz, lounge, or just plain good music, "Breath from Another" will leave you BREATHLESS, and gasping for just that.

"BREATH FROM ANOTHER" IS A SHINING EXAMPLE OF MUSIC THAT CAN'T BE PIGEON-HOLED. ALL THE ELEMETS ARE HERE IN THIS TRULY ECLECTIC COLLECTION.BE AWARE AS STYLES MAY VARY FROM SONG TO SONG...BUT THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER PERFECTLY ON THIS ALBUM. FROM THE SADE-LIKE SUBDUED SEDUCTIVE TONE OF "SUPERHEROES",TO THE BEAUTIFULLY ORCHESTRATED "THE WORLD I KNOW"(NOTE THE ERYKAH BADU-ESQUE VOCALS),TO THE TRIP-HOP/ROCK LACED "HEAVEN SENT". ESTHERO'S VOICE IS UNIQUE,YET IT DISPLAYS DEMENSIONS OF VARIATION THAT DRAW COMPARISONS TO ARTISTS AS DIVERSE AS BJORK,SADE,AND MISS BADU AS I MENTIONED BEFORE. MUSICALLY THIS BODY OF WORK ENCOMPASSES ELEMENTS FROM ROCK,SOUL,&HIP-HOP,WHILE FILTERING THEM INTO THE WORLD OF ELECTRONICA BASED GENRES(DRUM N' BASS/TECHNO/TRIP-HOP) NO MATTER WHAT STYLE OF MUSIC U DIGG,BREATH FROM ANOTHER WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY. WHY R U STILL READING? PICK IT UP NOW!

I came across Esthero one day when a friend of mine was playing the "Go" Soundtrack in her car. I heard "Song for Holly" and after that I was hooked! I had to make my friend find the cd cover (so I could find out the name of the artist) and I bought the Esthero cd knowing nothing about it, except for the song off of the Go-Soundtrack. I knew I wouldn't regret the purchase. "Song for Holly" is not on this album but the entire CD is excellent! I knew it was going to be good, but I wasn't expecting to love EVERY SINGLE SONG! I have turned at least 5 of my friends onto this cd and they have all done the same as me when they first heard this woman's voice....rushed to the store and bought the cd for themselves! I love it more than my Morcheeba and Everything But The Girl! Esthero's voice is a blend between Bjork, Erykah Badu and Sade. VERY ENTRANCING! I hope to hear more of her in the future!

So I give this album to my conservative mother, who tries to "get" her odd little daughter. And I explain to her that Esthero is a voice like a throwback to the great jazz ladies of the early part of the century. And that that voice sits so well on top of modern musical tracks that don't sample and hook you. I tell her that these tracks soar and swell and ride and throb and drip on you instead. And she actually has something to SAY in the song, instead of being led around by what rhymes with the end of the last line.

Doc, her producer, who also did Res' debut is pretty much a genius.

And even though Esthero sings, "I'll try to understand when you're down on your knees in front of the man...I'll try to understand..." My mom loves the album too. It's one of those albums that you will play to death and then start looking for something as uniquely filling to plug the void (try Res) until the next album.

After hearing thieir first release on a college station, I knew I had to have this CD. I was a little hesitant at first upon actually hitting the 1-Click, but now I'm glad I took the plunge. Their music and vocals are surreal, and the lyrics make you think. Not every song has to be about lust and love and Esthero demonstrates this with their variety of topics. Thier style cannot be categorized--it's so unique! After seeing a brief performance of theirs on the Chris Rock Show, I can't wait to see them in concert some day and I anxiously await their second effort(since I've been listening to this one for over a year already). A must buy for the adventure seekers out there!

Esthero's "Breath from Another" is one of those CDs that defy categorization. It's Club, Techno, Jungle, 70's Disco and Jazz all at once. A CD like that only makes you wonder of the musical possibilities. I had to wonder myself when the title track kicks off the album with a sample line from the movie Deliverance. Better still, both "Country Livin'" and "Half a World Away" feature a soaring violin break one would hear in a love scene from a cheesy 70's TV movie. But hey, it works. Elsewhere on the CD, horns abound ("Lounge"), pianos twinkle ("Anywayz"), drum machines crank up to 1000rpms ("Breath from Another"), and scratching can be heard alongside classical string arrangements. But the the winner hands down is the hypnotic and sultry "Superheroes". The singer coos to her lover that "the electric blanket is warm", when all the while languid bass lines, harp licks and scratching are melded together so tenderly it could move a churl. "Breath from Another" listens like a Jazz band that's gone to the Rave one time too many. It's a potent concoction at once quirky and fierce, and definitely worth the $15 investment.

This is a very good album and the only reason it did not do well is because Esthero is not hot. Let's be honest. These days, a good female voice doesn't mean a thing unless it's got a pretty face attached to it. Esthero isn't hot so she didn't get any support for her album, and so she's been reduced to guest spots on numerous tracks in various genres, from hip-hop to house. Breath from Another is kind of like a cross between Bjork and Portishead - although not quite as good as either, but solid and original in its own way. It would be nice to see Esthero make a career for herself but since she's not a 19 year old slut, it doesn't look good. It's a shame the American music industry is in such a sorry state these days.

I am somewhat new to the Trip-Hop / DownTempo genre, but I must say I found a lot of new and interesting music here on Amazon. Esthero is one of my newest finds, and one of my favorites along with Baxter, Spicehouse, Mandalay and Frau Frau. Every song is perfect. Esthero's vocals sound better and better with each listen. It's sexy, jazzy, airy and emotive, Esthero's going places that most won't get to. She's got a beautiful voice, the lyrics are so original, the production is great and the music is very unique. Highly recommend to anyone seeking something unique and good.