Customer Reviews

The Colour Of Amber

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Since I review books and interview celebrity authors for Bookreporter and International Thriller Writers, I'm now trying my hand at interpretation of music, though I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

Canadian friends years ago introduced me to the maritime music of Anita Best and Pamela Morgan. Perfect harmony! Simple harmonic vocals lead into soft flute notes, as if the instrument is another voice.

Smooth transition from French to English lyrics is as fluid as the water that inspires these maritime ballads. The soft vocals are what songs used to be: words. Too often, now, amplified instrumentation blows away vocals instead of enhancing them. For those who don't understand French lyrics, compare them to words of an operatic aria. It's the music and harmony that soothe the soul.

Turn off the phone and noise in your mind. Relax with perfect harmony of two talented vocalists.

Suggestion: When dining with friends, give THE COLOUR OF AMBER instead of a bottle of wine. The intoxicating lyrics last far longer than the buzz of booze.

The Colour Of Amber
---Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy

Anita Best has recorded three albums so far: "The Color of Amber" (1997), "Crosshanded" (1997), and "Amber christmas" (1998). She received only one customer review so far.

Maybe she has not the punch of a Lucinda Williams nor the sensitivity of a Laura Veirs. But her charisma and her warm voice - you could listen for hours on end to "She's Like the Swallow", a quiet and melancholic ballad - deserve more success than she got so far.

This album is based for a large part on folk-songs from New-Foundland, ballads, and traditional. She sings them with that beautiful voice of hers and often in close-harmony with co-singer Pamela Morgan.
If you're a fan of "Alternative" music maybe Anita Best is not your cup of tea, otherwise go for it.