Customer Reviews

Feather & Bone

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Music this beautiful defies categorization. Through the years Laurel Masse has made terrific music of many kinds but in this album she generates her own genre. Get this CD and don't waste a minute fretting over what to call it, just sit back and let yourself experience the soaring beauty of her voice and the power of her spirit. The first time I heard this album a friend and I wept our way clear through it, the way you weep when you see an athlete score a perfect game or happen on a spectacular bird in flight. Laurel has a voice of amazing range and purity which this mostly a cappella album demonstrates brilliantly but you never get the feeling that she is trying to show off. The intention here seems to be communication of spirit and it is done with such power that I think anyone willing to open themselves to it, will get it. The material ranges from the prayerful to the evocative to the most purely musical (as in the Bach Cello piece, with Ms. Masse as cello), ranges in time from the ancient to contemporary, but there is an overall feeling of timelessness to it. Do yourself a favor and don't miss this experience.

This CD is truly amazing. What a gift! Laurel Masse's willingness to expand her musical horizons has brought forth an astoundingly varied and beautiful piece of work. From the opening notes of the Quaker hymn "How Can I Keep From Singing?" to the closing track, "Lone Wild Bird/MacIntosh's Lament," this ia multi-layered, richly hued CD filled with intensity and heart. The range of selections alone defies classification, and the beauty with which she infuses these songs is thrilling. This is not "background music"--like all true art, "Feather and Bone" challenges your senses...and, eventually, opens your heart and mind. Thank you, Laurel, for following your own sacred heart as an artist, and taking your audience along on the journey.

What the world needs now is more of Laurel Masse! If you ever read this review, Laurel, I just want to Thank You for your kindness and generosity, in sharing the Music of your soul with the world. This CD is aesthetically gorgeous, heartfelt and truthful, technically masterful, conceptually miraculous. The pieces just fall together, to form a stunningly beautiful whole. Laurel Masse is one of those artists who possesses a connection to the eternal creative Source and this manifests in her Music. Do yourselves a favor, folks, and get this CD. You'll not only be glad that you did, you'll be grateful.

once again doe's laurel shine through . has alway's is she on top form . i love her version of ave maria, i never used to like this ballad but laurel has put my faith back into it. the songs on this collection are brilliantly done . i believe some of the material is new. well i have never heard it before. not until i opened the surprise cd. i think it differs from her other good albums. and it is by far her best. i have liked laurel since her manhattan transfer day's . the album puts in my mind the resemblence to clannad and enya. it has an arrange of celtic type ballads .a must for irish/roots folk. well done laurel a must for anyone to buy

WOW! What beautiful music. I have heard Laurel Massé doing everything from "Manhattan Transfer" stuff to big band songs, but this was a stunning surprise. What a voice. This girl can sing. Whether backed by bagpipes or drums or strings or just her pure and amazing voice this is music from the heavens. Laurel has the voice of an angel. I have given this CD as a gift and of course have my own copy. It is definitely music to transport you to a higher plane. Thank you, Miss Massé.

I loved the Manhattan Transfer, but now Laurel's doing her own thing, and yes, as one reviewer points out, it isn't jazz, but who cares what it is? It's fascinating, beautiful, haunting, unusual and far more interesting than the average album of standard tunes. Laurel does weird and amazing things with her flexible and expressive voice. On "Radiant Flame of God" she doesn't even sing, she just speaks very softly and very powerfully. The lyrics on this CD are poetic and in some cases, archaic. The accompaniments vary from bagpipes to crystal bowls to fiddle to God knows what. When an artist like Laurel Masse follows her own inner calling and expresses her true nature instead of pleasing the crowds and catering to the marketplace, she is far more interesting and compelling than when she is just singing middle-of-the-road Broadway show tunes (although she's quite good at that too).

I love this CD. Laurel Masse has a remarkable voice which she uses with great expertise on this collection of beautifully performed and arranged songs. Listening to this collection is a very special experience you won't want to miss.

I collect a great deal of music, and this album is superb. Mixing genuine spiritual intensity with unmatched musicality, this musical experience is beyond compare. There is not a weak moment, and it includes possibly the best recording of "Motherless Child" I've heard. A must have.

I collect a great deal of music, and this album is superb. Mixing genuine spiritual intensity with unmatched musicality, this musical experience is beyond compare. There is not a weak moment, and it includes possibly the best recording of "Motherless Child" I've heard. A must have.

Those of us who adore spiritual albums are very lucky that one of the founding members of the Manhattan Transfer has decided to turn her talents to a cause that interests us so!

In this album, Laurel Masse baptizes an old music hall with her GORGEOUS voice and spiritual impromptu songs that spill right from her beating heart.

Some of my favorite pieces on the album were "Radiant Flame of Gold", a very powerful safety/comfort chant embracing either "Saint Brigit" or "the Goddess, Brigit" depending on your religion. I also enjoyed "The Mountainy Singer" which is just a lively, spirited, catchy tune. And her improvisational pieces are absolutely divine.

I'm very into voices, and this is a STRONGLY voice-centered album, so let me try to describe her voice in case it's helpful to anyone. Her singing style is NOT opera on most pieces. It's a Streisand-like voice, very clear and powerful with only light vibrato. It'll draw you in on the very first song and make you wish you could sing like that!

I'm glad she made this album and I would recommend it to others who like very dignified spiritual music.