Customer Reviews

Herethereafter

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow... Where did Miranda Lee Richards come from with this stunning debut album? This supposed former model (I confess I've never heard her name before) blows onto the music scene with an album that is polished and hauntingly beautiful. The CD is reminiscent of Sheryl Crow's debut album (think "Run, Baby, Run"-style).

From the opening notes of "The Beginner", Miranda Lee Richards takes us onto a journey of despair, love, hope, and life. Among the stand-out tracks are "Folkin' Hell", "I Know What It's Like" (With lyrics such as "I Know What It's Like/I've Been here Before/Please Believe Me/You Know It Breaks My Heart/The Way You Are So Untrusting") and "Seven Years". The album also contains a nice cover of the Stones' "Dandelion", quite appropriate given the overall dreamy atmosphere of the album, as well as "The Landscape", its lyrics based on the French poet Charles Baudelaire's poem of the same name.

In all respects, this is a fantastic album, and I don't know why it has not gathered more attention since its release in August. I suspect that if Sheryl Crow has heard this album, she did a touble-take and wondered how she herself can come up with something as good for her next release. By all means, BUY THIS.

This is one of the finest CD's I have purchased in years. Her voice, her melodies, her music is absolutely fantastic. An artist like Miranda Lee Richards is rare indeed. She has a beautiful style all her own.

To describe it would be difficult. Something a little like Joni Mitchell but then again, a little like Suzzane Vega. She is without question very unique and very lovely.

This is an outstanding debut album. In fact, I rate it as one of the best debut albums/CD by any artist, in years.

We will be hearing a lot of Miranda Lee Richards in the future.

Each song on the CD is better than the one you just heard. An amazing feat by anyone's standards. As the CD goes on you say to yourself "OK - the next song can't be better than the one I just heard - BUT IT IS!".

Buy it - Enjoy it. You will love it! You will love Miranda Lee Richards.

My wife brought home a sampler CD that had 'The Beginner' track on it and I was intrigued. Not enough to risk full price, so I bought this CD used. I was surprised both at the depth and at the range of this debut offering. Most of the songs are either written or co-written by Miranda Lee Richards. Two adapted from poetry. She plays instruments and does vocal tracks. Each track has its owns merits, and I am comfortable putting it on shuffle for long periods (something I don't do with many CDs I own). Her voice is expressive and yet does not come of as chic or falsetto. I don't quite know who or what to compare her to-- she defies comparison or categorization. For some reason, despite repeated attempts, my local progressive radio station refuses to take any interest in playing her. Their indifference is puzzling since they play many quite obscure and even local artists.

Overall, this CD is just very enjoyable listening. Not really what I expected-- much better, in fact.

...but slightly disappointing. This was one that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. I was intrigued by her past collaboration with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and I had heard lots of good things about Richards. Her voice is pretty much as billed, similar to Hope Sandoval's in that it has that same "breathy " quality, but with a bit of a country lilt. Very pleasant.
The songs are well written, particularly considering this is a debut, and a good portion of the material was penned by Richards herself. I also like when a new artist chooses an interesting song to cover-it gives you a better sense of where they are coming from musically. Richards does just that -the album includes a nifty redo of the Stones' 'Dandelion'(which I still don't understand why the hell was not on Satanic Majesties...swap it for 'Sing this all together' and I say that album's a bona fide classic-but I digress).
But despite these positives, and many listens, this album just hasn't grown on me. I think it's just a little too slickly produced for my liking-there are lots of studio bells and whistles going on, including some 'hip-hop' flavored drum machine beats, which I wasn't really expecting. I guess with the kind of indie pedigree that Richards had, I was expecting something more along the lines of Tara Jane Oneil or Chan Marshall, but this album sounds more like Sara McClachlan or Jewel.
All in all, this is not a bad album, just not my bag o' tricks. It just feels so....uh,... adult contemporary.

Miranda Lee Richards' The Herethereafter is hard to categorize, but the best I can do is my title above: spacey, dreamy alt-country.

I've listened to this CD off and on since its release, and after listening to it again today, I realized Richards' release is a really good one. One that others should know about.

Her sound is a bit alt-country (her singing style has a bit of that country twang and there's a definite although not completely apparent country influence) with some psychedelia/spacey pop mixed in. There are a lot of interesting sounds floating around each song, and one of my favorites that pretty much epitomizes why I love this release so much is "Ella." Richards' singing is light and delicate, and there's a lot of interesting studio work to the music and her vocals during the chorus. A very soothing track.

It's nice to see an artist who is not "boxing" herself into a certain sound and who isn't afraid to show off her influences (a bit Beatles, a bit Sheryl Crow, a bit Beth Orton). Great release, and I highly recommend it.

I love this CD. I'd never heard of Miranda Lee Richards until someone recommended I check out this CD, and it instantly became one of my favorite discs. It's been a LONG time since I liked a record this much. Miranda has a cool voice and is an excellent songwriter with an uncanny sense of harmony. The Herethereafter is a well-produced collection of compelling, memorable, beautiful songs that convey a full spectrum of emotions. I was lucky to stumble across it. Check it out; you won't be disappointed.

This is music I've been searching for all my adult life. I'm almost angry that I could have missed it- I was buying another CD online and this title popped up as a suggested selection. I read the reviews, tried a sample and bought the CD. It is one of the most satisfying albums I've heard in a very long time. The music has a great groove; reminiscent of '60s psychedelia, with string arrangements like early 'Stones but not exactly retro- more like Modern Psychedelic, if there is such a thing- with contemporary sensibilities. There is a maturity in Miranda's voice and style that is belied by her little-girl looks. Don't let the looks fool you, she seems fully developed as an artist. That's why I can't understand why she's as yet unknown. I love the arrangements. The remake of "Dandelion" was superb and well-positioned in the lineup. Miranda's own songwriting is even better, though. Her lyrics are appealing- worth remembering. If only she had some fame and notoriety already then this CD would be an easy call as a "classic", but since she's such a newbie on the scene, who would dare? Even so, just for my two cents I'm putting this one on par with the White Album and "Layla and Other Love Songs" for its outstanding satisfaction to my ears. That's crazy to say out loud about an unknown, but in Miranda's words:
"Are you findin' / What makes you satisfied?
"Is it hard to believe / That you got what you need
"When you're singin' / The rhymes of your fate?"

Count me in as a believer; I'm going to wear out this CD.

... I just picked it up by chance and adore it. I love the country aethetic while staying true to folk ROCK!

I caught a track from this on the college station on my way home from work one day, and decided to pick up the CD. This is great psychedelic folk from a neo hippie of our times. Laid back and great as background music, or you can savor its secrets up close with the headphones.

Well here is one that based on the cover alone I passed on several times thinking it was a generic former model girl with guitar flat liner. I then decided on an impulse to buy it here on Amazon after reading several of the reviews and I must say I am VERY surprised. This is an almost perfectly arranged and senquenced cd of intelligently written and sung folk pop. The only track that doesn't blend is the harder edged "Dandelion." There definitely seems to be a Hope Sandoval/Mazzy Star influence at work but much kinder and gentler. This is a solid effort.