Customer Reviews

Gardens of Eden

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

 

 

I've had various world music cd's recommended to me, from music from Mali (not bad, but a bit repetitious) to Brasil, Bulgaria, you name it. All are interesting, not all are ones you'd listen to every day.

Gardens of Eden is one World Music CD that just knocked my socks off. Every cut is fantastic. The mix is varied, from Tibet to New Zealand to Brazil, yet the mix fits together. This is a very cleverly assembled montage of music and it is fast becoming one of my favorites.

To get a good idea of the songs, listen to the first cut, from Papua New Guinea, and then the Shweta Jhaveri. These are two of my favorites on the CD. The last song is the Tibetan one, no sample given here but it is wonderfully deep and interesting.

No matter what Garden of Eden you have in mind, this is the music to take you there.

We were traveling down Rt. 1 in California and stopped in Big Sur. At one of the local shops, I heard the ever familiar Putumayo music and fell into a conversation with the store owner over our mutual appreciation for the Putumayo label. She then brought to my attention that her group was featured on Gardens of Eden. Naturally, we bought it.

The next day, when traveling through the misted mountain road, we were entralled by the way the music somehow choregraphed the scenery - or was it the other way around? All I know is that I will forever remember driving in the convertible, rounding each bend to music that swept away all of our cares and concerns.

I highly recommend this disk.

I've listened to almost all of the Putumayo CDs and own more than a few. They've been instrumental in introducing me to all sorts of world artists. Unfortunately, with many of the CDs I end up really liking about 25% of the songs and wishing I could discard the rest. This was NOT the case with Gardens of Eden, though. The whole album is enjoyable and lulls you into a sense of well-being and peace. Recommended.

People associate New Age music with synth-heavy,repetitive tunes a la Yanni&Enya.Not so with this album. It's too bad that it's currently out of print and no longer in Putumayo's catalogue.It's also proof you CAN judge a CD by its cover.It has beautiful album art to match its beautiful music.

This is a soothing CD,perfect for meditation,yoga,relaxation.This is also one of Putumayo's best.

Highlights-
1)Midal-An unusual,hypnotic song from Papua New Guinea.Very primal and lovely.
2)Mais Filhos de Gandhi-A brilliant combination of Indian classical music with Brazilian bossa nova.It's from the great album "Bossa Nova Delhi."
3)Makola-A lovely song from Guinea.Very bluesy.
4)To a Beloved-Blends Western "smooth jazz" with Indian classical music.It's from the wonderful CD "Anahita."
5)Arica-A fun little instrumental.From Big Sur,of all places.
6)Tautai e-A beautiful chant from New Zealand.
7)Elepaio Slack Key-Elegant Hawaiian slack guitar from Keola Beamer.
8)Happiness is...-A song about true happiness from a wonderful Tibetan singer.

This album is 5 years old,and it's gotten better with age.If you're tired of John Tesh,Yanni and Enya,this is perfect for you!It's from paradises around the world.

What a wonderful cd. The music is terrific, and is a great introduction to artists that you would probably never hear of if not for Putamayo. Where else can you find such diverse songs like this album has. Songs from such countries as Papua New Guinea, Brazil, India, Tibet, and Hawaii to name a few. And the packaging is terrific too. In depth articles on each artist and the song they perform, as well as photos of the artists. I really recommend this album to anyone who would like to broaden their musical horizons a little.