Customer Reviews

Dreamlife of Angels

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

 

 

ok. words to encompass 'the dreamlife of angels' for the sake of you who are teetering on the edge of purchasedom. it's an undertaking to word her and come close to what you wanted to say in the first place. but. i try for the sake of the music. and the spirit behind the music. the songs are the kind that make you want to love your family more, to notice more, to do whatever it is you love to do...more. sarah is quiet without being weak, strong without being too aggressive. sarah's songs on dreamlife float and speak hope. for those of you bored by the homogenous world of pop music, (ccm? britney?) welcome home! this cd is stripped of all possible pretense, and so you really get to hear sarah and the plethora of amazing musicians who play with her (as well as the perfect match of john jenning's careful production.)for fans of: good music, free of cliche. the folkish-music lovers (do you like the innocence mission? jane siberry? shawn colvin? etc?)will smile knowingly 15 seconds into their first listen. but. the rest of you out there who aren't sure whether to add this cd to your shopping cart will most definitely not be disappointed.

I agree with the people here - the album definitely is lacking for not having Charlie Peacock's involvement. I think he gives Sarah's music a really different edge, and combined with her vocal abilities and creativity, her previous albums have very interesting arrangements. The arrangement in this album is a tad plain.

I have had this album for a few months, but have only really started listening to it in the last few days. I am definitely enjoying it, as I particularly enjoy Sarah's lyrics and vocal style. It will be coming with me on my next drive to Auckland (tomorrow), so I'm looking forward to having a good listen.

Once again, with the delicate beauty of her voice, coupled with her gifted writing, Sarah Masen has blessed this community with a fine work. Dreamlife of Angels is a masterpiece. The songs beg to be heard over and over. "Girl on Fire" is this album's "All Fall Down." It's an upbeat tune with a catchy refrain. "Love Is Breathing" obviously inspired by the birth of her daughter is quite moving. "In the Valley" a cute country type of tune. All the songs are charming. For those who like tricks and such, there is an 11th song on the 10 song CD. It's a hidden track, and while I like this kind of treasure stuff, getting to the track is a bit of a pain. It's track 00, so to reach it, you need to start at track 01 and press and hold your rewind button until the counter reaches -3:30. The song is definitely worth listening to. Buy this.

I love this album! Her voice has a unique and haunting quality that really drives home the lyrics. For once this is a Christian album that is musically excellant as well as morally good etc. Out of interest I also bought her earlier album. Contrary to the views of some of the previous reveiwers I actually think this new album represents a real maturation of her talent and voice. In this case less is definitely more!

When are you coming to the UK Sarah...?!

I love this CD and I'm so glad Sarah Masen's gone back to her original scaled-down sound. While I loved her songs on the Carry Us Through CD, I found them to be overproduced--too heavily layered with sound that made her voice hard to hear and appreciate. I had seen Sarah play live and she played a very folky/scaled down show, and the songs from Carry Us Through sounded so much more real and vulnerable without all the frosting on top. So...I was most pleased when I heard the stripped down sound of Dreamlife. Sarah's voice and songs are excellent as always. It rates a 4 instead of a 5 because the little hooks that were evident in the self-titled CD aren't found here. But, it's still a really thoughtful CD.

There is so much calculated, soulless, marketing-obsessed musical "product" being put out today, that one could almost forget that music can actually be a wondrous thing: celebrating life, embracing mystery, breathing beauty.

Almost. If you think you're in danger of being given over to cynicism, than "The Dreamlife Of Angels" may be just the tonic you need.

On this, her fourth record, Sarah Masen gives us the most developed demonstration yet of her original artistic voice. Her vulnerability, inquisitiveness, playfulness, creativity, gentleness and insight are wrapped in humble confidence. She knows what she's doing, and she does it well.

Some records try to bowl you over. This one is more inclined to seep through your pores. Masen's expressive vocals, supple and subtle, are often barely above a whisper. The production, courtesy of John Jennings, is understated, restrained enough to let the songs shine through and just off-kilter enough to suit Masen's unique vision.

There is so much mystery and magic on this project that it's hard to single out particular moments. But I am especially moved by "Love Is Breathing", a celebration of the birth of her daughter. "Home", a lullaby, is astonishingly beautiful, drawing attention, as Masen often does, to the wonder of the everyday. And in "She Stumbles Through The Door" when Masen sings "she let go", the whole effect of the words, the voice, and the music makes almost tangible the blessed experience of falling into the arms of grace. This is music that aspires to and achieves a spiritual connection with its listeners. It encourages us to open our eyes to how much we share as humans, and to how much that is good and beautiful is possible if we open ourselves to each other and to the healing of heaven.

"The Dreamlife Of Angels" is a highly recommended work by a truly gifted artist.

This is a good work. I wouldn't call it "raw" as I see some have or "simple and beautiful." I think it's just a scaled down version of a soul that wants to just be and be close to God, too. I don't pretend to talk for Sarah. My mom got me this CD several years ago when it came out. I took the wrap off it a year later and I wouldn't say I was mezmerized but quietly taken. I just gave it to my best friend for her birthday, this year, 2008. It really grew on me over the years and now it's become a staple for me. Some projects are just a subtle and heartfelt work. I think that's okay. "Dreamlife of Angels" is what it is.

I liked Sarah Masen ever since she released the single "All Fall Down." (I liked the video as well.) She has a beautiful voice, and it is very well showcased in this project.

If one needs to pigeon hole this project, it would be as folk. The acoustic guitar is the prominent instrument. "Midnight" is the sole excursion into alternative music on this project.

Masen wrote eight of the songs on the project, and co-wrote a ninth, "Home" (the final song) with Julie Lee. Masen also has a cover of the Supertramp classic "Give A Little Bit." On one hand, I was disappointed with it, because I loved all the great acoustic guitar-work on the original, which is lacking on this remake. However, Masen's strengths are her singing and the words she's singing, which are clear.

My favorite tracks on the project are "We Are A Beginning", "Girl On Fire", "The Valley", "Hit And Run", and "Hope".

I would recommend this to both Sarah fans and to newcomers to Masen's music.

Hey...let me say first off... i've loved each Masen record... the last 2 being a bit more PoP... surely due to the Peacock influence... (and i'm a CPeacock fan!).... I saw Sarah live a couple years back... and she was incredible... on the guitar and the whimsy vocals... good stuff... i was quite shocked Charlie had never used her guitar work on the 2 re:think releases.... I think this new record is a bit more "Sarah"... it's definately a folk record rather than straight pop... (i listen quite a bit to folk legend David Wilcox)... and i was thrilled to hear such a great release from Sarah... she can write a songs.... and like most Folk music tends to do... it causes me to look into real-life normal happenings in a slightly different vain! grab this one!

Certainly one of the best records I've heard to date. Sarah Masen's lyrics are deep and powerful. They pull you in revealing more each listen. The instrumentation embraces the lyrics, delicately extending them.

You know that feeling you have when you finish a beautiful story and you just want it to go on forever? That's how I feel every time I reach the end of this cd.

Every song leads to the next - crafting a message that's greater than the sum of it's parts. By the end you've traveled somewhere with Sarah, and you're better for it.