Exile

Pharoah's Daughter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Knitting Factory
• ASIN: B000CAK4GS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,801 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Change Your Mind

2. Going Nowhere

3. Exile

4. Run

5. Man in My Head

6. Off and On

7. Break It Down

8. Statue

9. Paradise Hung

10. Confession

11. Scream

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid effort that draws you in, January 19, 2010

By 

Flurry (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exile (Audio CD)

I actually like this CD better than their future efforts. The lyrics aren't too amazing, but the album succeeds in creating a lush, mystical sound. It might be less slick or professional, but I find it kind of catchy in a less pretentious, unusual way. I especially like "Change Your Mind," "Off and On," "Run" and "Scream." I think there's plenty of music out there in Hebrew, and Jewishly-themed music in English just captures my attention more. This album is definitely worth more than one listen. After a few go-arounds, I found I had several of the songs stuck in my head.

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 1/2 stars-- again, signs of things to come., July 9, 2007

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exile (Audio CD)

In many ways like their debut record, Basya Schecter's Pharaoh's Daughter's sophomore record, "Exile", has that feeling of home demo, except this time the band seems to have shed many of the folk leanings of their debut for a more pop (or maybe faux-electronica) meets Arab sound. Gone are the overt Jewish/Klezmer influences, so present on their "Daddy's Pockets" (and their later records).

This sonic change actually works pretty well-- Schecter's confident vocal and superb songwriting can carry the album well, but the track selection leads much to be desired, with no less than half a dozen midtempo numbers to open the album up, lending a blending feel of one cut ("Run") to another ("Man in my Head"), the notable standout being "Exile", which sounds like an electronica piece even though it lacks any of the typical electronica elements.

The second half of the record does significantly better, barring the odd spoken word "Paradise Hung" (which sounds like a good idea whose time hasn't quite arrived). "Statue" provides great swirling vocals interspersed with acoustic guitars, "Going Nowhere" picks up a bouncing energy and a seemingly endless array of oddball sounds and freak guitar skanks in the background, and even when it surrenders to midtempo ("Confession"), there's enough going on to maintain interest.

Like "Daddy's Pockets", "Exile" points the way for what's to come-- it's a bit unbalanced of a record and I think a bit less of a record than its predecessor. I rate it a bit low as a comparative measure to the superb records that follow. IF you've picked up an interest in the band, this one's worth checking out, otherwise start with "Out of the Reeds" or Schecter's superb solo record "Queen's Dominion".