Customer Reviews

Heart on Snow

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

 

 

One of the saddest aspects of Marc Almonds recent serious accident was the resulting press. They would have you believe that Marc Almonds career started and ended with Tainted Love. The truth could not be more astonishing. Ever since Soft Cell, he has consistently released extraordinary albums containing extraordinary songs. As albums they have not always been perfect but in all cases, they have contained perfect songs. Each album has been a collection of stories which have begged their audience to LISTEN in order to enjoy. You cant really put a Marc Almond album on as background easy listening. You have to listen to the lyric and and fall into the expression. With Heart On Snow, he has finally achieved perfection. All his other albums now feel like a long rehearsal to reach this point. With this album he has taken a culture and form of expression and made it his own. You do not have to be Russian to love this album. The stories are universal but use Russian culture and expression as a backdrop. A canvas on which to paint if you like. This is a collection of stories set to music and expressed individually but which also work collectively to create an amazing package. If you purchase this, after a few listens, you genuinely feel you have bought a little treasure box of golden nuggetts. I cant recommend this album high enough. Simon Cowell would probably hate it but if you want to lay on your couch, dim the lights, pour a large brandy & truly LISTEN to a masterpiece, this album will be for you. You probably wont get it until after a few listens but that is the sign of a great album in my book. This is among only a few collections that I know I will still be listening too in my 80's. Lets be thankful that his recent accident was not as serious as it certainly could have been. No one makes these kind of records anymore so we should be truly grateful. A genuine jewell of British cultured & shockingly underrated. If you purcahse this, ensure you read the sleeve insert that explains the background to each song. These were invaluable and helped me enjoy each song immediately purely because their histories were so fascinating.

I've been a casual fan of Marc Almond's for a long time. His work is almost always interesting, but I don't automatically rush out to buy his lastest release. I bought this CD on an impulse because it was on sale, but it's become one of my favorite CDs of the past year. I play it endlessly - in the car, sitting around in the evenings, all the time. It's both very complex and very accessible. If by some miracle eveyone got a chance to hear this CD, I think it would be a huge hit. If you're at this page, bothering to read this review, you should buy it now while it's still available.

I had no doubt that he could sing, but this CD is his best!

Absolutely brilliant! Takes some time to get used to a new twist in Marc Almond's repertoir. The melancholy and depth of the emotions of the Russian soul get a new form in his performance. This record is unique in the choice of the artists performing duets. Very unusual and subtle.

I don't speak or understand Russian but it was interesting to hear Marc Almond singing in Russian. He sang few songs in French and Spanish (pronunciation wasn't perfect....) in the past so I guess it's just that he's multi-cultural... Who knows what language he'll try next.
Anyway, I really like this album. I've been listening to it over and over in the car, at home and while exercising.

As they say, Marc bought an apartment in Moscow so he really could be in the very heart of Russia.

Unfortunately, that didn't help him - there is no grace in this album. It's much closer to trained performing bears and gypsies than to real spirit of russian music. In some songs Marc sings russian, but his accent is awful and he is dubbed by gypsy band members. Sometimes one russian guy sings very similar to Marc (making an impression he is Marc) but it's so plastic and fake I could barely stand it.

In my opinion, Guinness World Records person should be ashamed of making such steps on his way.