Lost in a Moment

Shrift | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 7, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Six Degrees
• ASIN: B000A2H5LA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,926 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2006

...this blend of voice, electronic soundscapes, snappy percussion and acoustic instruments bends expectations of what experimental pop can be.

Product Description

The aptly titled Lost in a Moment is Shrift's first album, but it's hardly a debut for the group's two members, singer/songwriter Nina Miranda and multi-texturalist/producer Dennis Wheatley. Miranda is a charter member of the celebrated British group Smoke City, which has scored European hits with its unique blend of bossa nova, trip hop, jazz, reggae and funk. Miranda has lent her unique voice and words to projects by such world music luminaries as Bebel Gilberto, Nitin Sawhney, Daniel Jobim, Jah Wobble and Da Lata. She is equally comfortable singing in English, Portuguese or French, and she shifts between those languages several times during the course of Lost in a Moment.

Miranda was introduced to her musical partner Dennis Wheatley shortly after completing the second Smoke City album. Wheatley is best known for his work with Atlas, a British electro band with a history of taking existing elements (Brazilian singers, string quartets, Randy Newman's "Baltimore") and whipping them up into delectably, danceably new ethno-electro mixtures. Miranda was familiar with his work under the Atlas moniker and was drawn in by what she calls the "depth of atmosphere and quality of sound." She found his work "cinematic and otherworldly," and in short order the two were building songs together.

The mood on Lost in a Moment is, as the album’s title suggests, generally dreamy and soft, almost mystical at times, but with a worldly and modern edge. However, the project has plenty of upbeat, funky moments as well. Consider "To the Floor" a song that places Miranda’s cool and carefree vocals atop Wheatley’s funky breakbeats, big band and orchestral sounds, and handclaps before lapsing into a dubwise section that interweaves multiple vocal tracks and instrumental drama before ending with an impressionistic wash of aural colors.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius, March 17, 2006

By 

Sound Chaser (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost in a Moment (Audio CD)

I fear that the naysayers who seem to "not get" this record have been spoon fed bland, "chill-out" music for far too long. They should recognize genius when they hear it. This is quite simply the most beautiful CD I have heard in years. The Bebel Gilberto comparisons are silly as this is coming from a whole other sonic place. I love Bebel but Shrift really exist in their own musical world that has to be heard to be believed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nina Miranda & friend: nu-jazz Brazil lounge, September 4, 2005

By 

Pink Noodle (Duncanville, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost in a Moment (Audio CD)

A most gorgeous collaboration between Dennis Wheatley (Atlas) and famous contemporary nu-jazz Brazil vocalist Nina Miranda (who has sung with Smoke City, Arkestra One, ESL, Da Lata, Nitin Sawhney, Bebel Gilberto). Lush, ambient, downtempo / electronica / Brazilian. Highly recommended. On the Six Degrees label who issue lots of good stuff like this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good. But Where've I heard this before?, May 3, 2006

By 

bordersj2 (Boston) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lost in a Moment (Audio CD)

Won't get into the history - others did that. But I will give a bit of background of Nina Miranda. She has a near cult following, from her days back with Smoke City on up. She's also done work with the likes of Bebel Gilberto, Da Lata (with Patrick Forge and Christian Franck.. I think Franck is her husband or boyfriend), and Hajime Yoshizawa to name a few. It's a very close circle of musicians who you'll generally see working with one another at some time.

This isn't a bad CD. It's a very nice chillout disc with loops and some great effects. I love the instrumentation in the tunes and the orchestrated samples that build. The mood of the cd is very consistent - very spacey and airy. You get that feel from the opening track, "Lost in a Moment", with Nina's voice over a consistent sample. But it's also in that song that you have a grasp of what to expect in the album. "Sereia" (mermaid) was a neat song too in the bridges and gaps, filling in spaces with orchestration overlapped by Nina's spoken words. But the song truly captures an image. I also dug 'As Far as I can See', which had a folkish feel to it, and the playful "Snow Samba" was also a standout. "To The Floor" really takes you by surprise. After going through pretty mellow songs, this one seems downright snappy with a more traditional beat.

But this wasn't without fault. I can see why some of the other reviewers were lulled to sleep - cuts like "Hum" and "Yes I Love You" didn't grab me and at one point, it felt like some of the songs dragged. Also, I know where I've heard this before... this CD is a spitting image of Arkestra One's album. And another album similar to both is Troubleman's "Time out of Mind" cd from a few years ago too. They have a near identical approach. Still, I recommend this, and if you like this you must check out Arkestra One's and Troubleman's albums. You might also like Jazzanova & Resoul's "Secret Love" series. I'm convinced this missed the cutoff of cuts for it.