Customer Reviews

Caravan of Light

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

 

 

I think this CD tries to do too much. Each piece seems to reflect a different type of musical influence, and the entirety is a bit uneasy. Mr Arkenstone is an excellent musician, but the fragmented styles of the pieces makes it difficult to listen to the entire CD at once. I've used individual tracks as part of radio programs in Alaska, and with other "thematic" type music, Arkenstone's work shows off the talents of the composer. I would recommend this CD as one to be played on a five-disc turntable set to "random". This would allow each track to be appreciated on its own, and would enhance the value of the entire work.

Each song makes your spirit come alive, like a gypsy caravan...beconing your soul to dance. David Arkenstone's one of my favorite artists. Each of his CD's transports your spirit to another place and time. "Inshallah" and "Under The Gypsy Moon" are two that bring out the "Gypsy" in my soul!

My first Arkenstone was "Valley in the Clouds", which, although somewhat dated and monochromatic, is still good. I loved "In the Wake of the Wind", and was intrigued to further expand my Arkenstone collection by "Visionary" (wonderful!), from which I picked "Caravan of Light" based on it's representation there.

While I'm tempted to join the reviewer who said: "Oops, should've listened before buying", I will not. It seems reviewers either laud or pan "Caravan...", and there's nobody in the middle. Sometimes that's a sign of something very good, but very experimental.

Not this time. While "Caravan..." contains some of Arkenstone's best stuff yet, the "Visionary" included tracks "Inshallah", "Dance in the Desert", and "Rendevous" come to mind, it also contains some very forgetable material. More forgetable than in his other efforts. Most of the vocals, for example, are completely forgetable, although "Under the Gypsy Moon" is okay.

It is also very disjointed, jumping from China to Africa without much of a thematic unity or story. The track "The Jade Mountain", while in and of itself a decent piece or work, seems to belong on a different album. It is out of place here. The chorus at the end of the track "Caravan of Light" is very trite and almost juvenile sounding, ruins an otherwise decent track, and almost ruins the entire effort.

But, I still give this three stars. If you can get it used buy it, and go ahead and enjoy the tracks I have mentioned above as some of his best, along with other decent work in "Jewels of the Night", "The Spice Road", and "Through the Marketplace".

Just don't expect "In the Wake of the Wind", or Hans Zimmer's "Millenium", or Lanz and Speer's "Bridge of Dreams" here. "Caravan of Light" promises much more (especially on the promotional "Visionary") than it delivers.

"Caravan of Light" was my first David Arkenstone album. I have since bought another and intend to look for more. I have nothing to judge this album by because it was my first, but I personally love it. The total differences of opinions on this album just show the diversity in taste. Call me stupid, but the broad spectrum of music was what appealed to me.

I first listened to this CD to put myself to sleep at night, as I found the orchestration relaxing, although dramatic. Although it worked well enough to put me asleep by track 3 (okay, I was pretty tired!), I wanted to hear the whole thing, having appreciated the track "skies of africa". The mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, like many jazz albums today, is becoming a good choice. "The Road to Zanzibar" shows his R&B-jazz fusion writing-efforts. Listen to "Under the Gypsy Skies" if you want a really killer love song, with both awesome instrumentation and melody. With its Spanish guitar sounds and strings, I was hooked by the first listen to this one, and Carlos Murguia does a nice vocal. There isn't one piece/song on here I don't like, although it took a few quite a few listens to absorb them all somewhat in my memory. David is a very gifted musician; He mixes acoustic and electric sounds very well. Whether you're on a long car-drive of boredom or nice scenery, or just home on the computer, typing info or browing the web, put "Caravan" in, and enjoy!

Caravan of Light is such a great CD. The CD gives you the feeling that you are actually riding on a camel on the desert. It is awesome.

CARAVAN OF LIGHT is one of the more unusually conceived albums he has made. This one is more contemporary in its arrangements and instrumentation. The addition of the horn section is probably the most noticeable diversion of Arkenstone's. I agree that the vocals add little to the CD, would have been better had they been kept instrumentals. However, I liked the Egyptian and eastern feel of most of the songs and the musicianship is as always par excellence. Arkenstone has been a visionary and rebel in the new age market, and this further asserts his originality and willingness to take risks and explore new horizons. Not a great collection, but still very good.

Arkenstone is a gleaming chameleon, well able to turn his talents to whatever he chooses; be it fantasy landscapes, Celtic romps, or this musical journey of adventure and sound. This album has a more modern, jazzy feel than some of his earlier work, and he tackles it with the unabashed enthusiasm that is pure Arkenstone.

I have been listening to David Arkenstone's music since "Valley in the Clouds" was released, and I have to say that the last couple of albums have shown a sharp downturn in the creativity and originality which once hallmarked David's music. "Caravan of Light" is the worst sort of "new age" music; the musical structure is trite and the borrowings from the musics of other cultures is, at best, pretentious. Gone is the sense of openness and wonder which characterised "Valley in the Clouds" and "Another Star in the Sky" and adventurousness of "In the Wake of the Wind" and "Quest of the Dream Warrior."

There is one small, beautiful gem, however. Track 3, "The Jade Mountain," is an understated and lovely performance. It gives one a glimpse of David's true creative depths, which are otherwise sublimated by the bland, generic offerings of "Caravan of Light." For an introduction to the REAL David Arkenstone, I recommend the other albums noted in this review.

The new age artist adds words to his music! Aside from this striking difference between this and previous works, Arkenstone also mixes Middle Eastern music with African music and a little Asian influence as well into his own unique brand of jazzy new age music. This is as hard as it sounds, so does he do it well? Absolutely. The whole album has a sound that reminds the listener of John Tesh, but is more of a musical accomplishment than Tesh's work.