Customer Reviews

Many Worlds Are Born Tonight

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4 star:		(3)
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I have all of Ms. Rhodes' albums (a not-too-insignificant feat considering how many are out of print) and have been a fan since 1993. My friend said it best when, after playing this album, he said, "All THAT's just one person?" Yep. She sings like an angel (and, sometimes, the devil as well) and produces songs that, not only tell a story, but sometimes create an entirely new world. Her 4 octave range has been much-talked-about, along with the inevitable comparisons to Kate Bush. I have all of Kate's albums, too...I just don't listen to 'em much anymore. I think that Happy is original, creative, and infinitely more interesting to listen to. Her voice soars and roars, whispers and seduces, and it's the most wonderful thing I've heard.

I realize I'm behind the times. Seven years ago "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight" was released and I've just discovered the wonder that is Happy Rhodes. First of all... how lucky am I?!?! I'd pass up all the riches in the world to be able to listen to this CD over and over again for the rest of eternity. Wow, you say? This guy's a nut, you say? Uh... give it one listen. That's all it takes!

I'm somewhat of a music aficionado (yeah, I had to spell check that). Over the years I've collected well over 1000 CDs. That is backed by a back breaking load of vinyl stacked in my basement.

I've listened to a lot of stuff. Lots of different stuff, but this CD (I've finally taught myself to write CD rather than album!) is... well, it's so good it's nearly beyond description!

On first listen, it immediately jumped into my desert island musts. Of all the music I own, it captured a top five spot. Not a top five spot in my all time favorite songs, but all time favorite CDs.

There's really no point in me going into depth, song by song. The bottom line is that anyone that loves music should very easily find themselves enveloped in the beauty of this CD.

Read the other reviews for more detail and take them seriously. They will guide you. If you've somehow been brought to reviews of Happy Rhodes music and you've never heard of her before.... BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ!!!

It quite seriously doesn't get much better than this.

I realize I'm providing no insight into the music. Fact is.. the CD is so overwhelmingly overwhelming, there are no words to describe how intense, haunting, unforgetable and NEED TO LISTENable this music is.

I am here only to provide one more voice begging those that find their way to this page to do everything they can to purchase this CD. Your life will be changed for the better.

Musically, New Yorker avant-garde has given to us many of the greatest talents. Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Lydia Lunch, DJ Spooky and the late band The Swans are examples of the musical quality that comes from New York. But a lot of artists still don't get the attention they deserve. This is the case of Happy Rhodes, an important but underrated exponent of New Yorker avant-garde.

Rhodes may be ignored by the mainstream. However, she has won a growing cult of fans that include Tori Amos and ex-Swan Michael Gira. She is the kind of artist that one cannot find in magazines such as, say, Rolling Stone or Spin or even listen to on commercial radio stations. Nonetheless, in many independent radio programs and publications her musical presence is truly compelling.

In August, 1998, Happy Rhodes released her first album in three years, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight, a collection of emotional landscapes, intimate poetry, and twisted fairy tales. In this album, Rhodes mixes David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tangerine Dream, Dead Can Dance, Bjork, David Sylvian and Portishead, sometimes in the same song. Many Worlds is probably her best and most experimental album to date.

The publication of Many Worlds, her first album with Samson Music, has raised a lot of expectations among her fans, expectations that seem to be satisfied. First, because it was her first studio album since her 1995 album Building the Colossus (not mentioning her 1995 compilation of live versions and rare cuts, The Keep). Second, because in Colossus, Happy took a lighter, more accessible direction. Finally , because after the breakup with Aural Gratification, her label until then, Rhodes announced that she was looking for a major label. With Many Worlds, Rhodes has reached a new peak of creativity, without loosing her artistic identity.

Many Worlds is certainly much darker and sometimes much harder to swallow than its two predecessors Equipoise and Building the Colossus. However, the music still keeps the enigmatic flavor and erudite lyrical style that always has characterized Happy's work. Some approximations to trip-hop (100 years), powerful songs a la David Bowie (Proof), and even ethereal but intense cuts (The Chariot, Winter) prove that this album is one of the most unique and intense masterpieces of 1998.

Happy Rhodes will continue to shine in her particular universe. The same universe she invites us to know about in her latest album Many Worlds Are Born Tonight.

I am sort of a quirky person in that sometimes i will listen to or buy a cd just because of it's cover. Even though i find alot of crap and cheezy 80's metal bands, surprisingly enough my world has been opened up to some amasing music this way. I found Many Worlds are Born Tonight at Cd world in the used section, and was mesmerized by the image on the cover. After all, artists are artists, therefore if a cd has a good cover it might give some hint to it's contents.

Anyway, it wasn't what i expected, but in a good way. Many times my finds are just alternative bands trying to be ARTSY (or like i said, metal) but Happy Rhodes work was something new for me entirely. It's like hippie goth folk electronic experimental Tori Amos Siouxie and The Banshees Madonna H.R. Geiger.....beautiful, mesmerising, disturbing, dark, quirky, painful, strong...all at the same time....

Definately worth the price....you'll be pleasantly surprised....

my favorite song on this album is "Tragic", which is a beautiful gothic love song ballad type thing, with an intense realization of shared suffering.

Yeah, at heart i am still a goth. So what? We are all just creatures of the world and of the heavens...a proper description of Happy Rhodes as well, ethereal, yet earthly.....an intertwining of angel and fae. I want to meet this woman in a little bookstore coffee shop that has neon celtic knotwork on the ceiling and old glass windows and chipping paint, to discuss philosophy and religion....

many worlds are born tonight ....many windows and doors were opened on the day i discovered happy rhodes and it's as if i were seeing light for the very first time. listening to her cds is a blinding experience and is definately the sound for sore ears. trust me, you won't be able to listen to anything else for days after playing this disc. happy has even gone so far as to provide a sun roof for that dark, dreary hotel room i've stayed in for periods at a time. needless to say, life might've been a lot different for me had i ran into ms.rhodes years ago. all the music gods throughout the universe beam and should feel quite fortunate to have happy within their avalon as she has certainly (and rightfully so) joined my pantheon of female singers/ songwriters right beside tori amos, kate bush, and the ever lovely but virtually unknown emily bezar. from the opening track 100 years to the closing track of serenading genius, you will surround yourself wtih the sound of atrue swan, graceful and beautiful. just imagine a pale swan amidst a lake of shimmering diamond-like waters and the sound of a harp playing in the background and you'll get the idea of what i feel each time i play this disc or any other happy rhodes cds. surprisngly, happy can accomodate your music needs or desires whether you like electronica, ethereal ballads, or just plain old folk rock and this is quite impressive. very few artists in the world can accomplish this and she even has a four-octave voice for goodness sake! sad to say, the world does not know happy and most are likely never to experience the true gift of music she has offered our planet. even sadder, most of her cds are either out of print or extremely hard to find...don't miss this artist. happy rhodes released this album in 1998 and that should have been very important year in her carreer and with regret i tell it wasn't. take a listen to this or any other happy rhodes cd and then tell me why this artist is not more popular or doesn't have a greater following than she does. if you love this cd, i recommend also trying her rhode songs, the keep, and equipose. happy listening everywhere to everyone!!!!!

Musically, New Yorker avant-garde has given to us many of the greatest talents. Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Lydia Lunch, DJ Spooky and the late band The Swans are examples of the musical quality that comes from New York. But a lot of artists still don't get the attention they deserve. This is the case of Happy Rhodes, an important but underrated exponent of New Yorker avant-garde. Rhodes may be ignored by the mainstream. However, she has won a growing cult of fans that includes Tori Amos and ex-Swan Michael Gira. Happy is the kind of artist that one cannot find in magazines such as, say, Rolling Stone or Spin or even listen in commercial radio stations. Nonetheless, in many independent radio programs ( such as Echoes) and publications (CMJ) her musical presence is truly compelling. Rhodes' talent not only resides in the fact that she is a true sound-alchemist nor in her dramatic, sometimes raw lyrics, but also in being owner of one of the most privileged and intense voices of our time; able to sing from the deepest range of PJ Harvey or Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier, to the highest of Kate Bush. In fact, Happy has been compared to Bush... And even to The Legendary Pink Dots! The truth is that Happy Rhodes belongs to a group of musicians that are able to take any kind of risks, and combine the results of their experimentation with a poetry full of drama, which explores a lot of topics, from personal bad experiences, to loneliness and hopelessness, to the typical mysticism of these days of spiritual renaissance. It does not matter if is in acoustic guitar or techno-sounds, Rhodes' melodies are able to reach the most intense and emotional landscapes in a way comparable to Bjork, Radiohead, Brian Eno, Laika, and the Venezuelan-American duo Dogon. Another interesting thing about her work is that each album seems to be "conceptual-without-intention". Happy Rhodes began her career in 1986, with three simultaneous records; Rhodes I and Rhodes II, which compile many of Happy's early songs, and Rearmament, which would be officially her first studio album. This three albums were three collections of beautiful, but really disturbing ballads. Ecto (1987), was a promising follow-up, musically more challenging and involving. With this album, Happy won a small cult of followers around her. Even though that, she did not release another album until 1991, but she kept active participating in intimate concerts in little theaters, and collaborating with Kevin Barlett, owner of the label that represented Happy, Aural Gratification. In 1991, Happy Rhodes makes a glorious discographic return with Warpaint. This was a more mature record than its predecessors, and her first in being massively distributed. Warpaint surprised for something else: the acoustic guitar, which characterized Rhodes' style in the 80's, didn't appeared at all. A lot of people was fascinated with this album, whose songs were definitely oriented to the so-called ambient genre, with lightness of art-rock. Then came Equipoise (1993), an album with a lighter sound than its predecessor, that abandoned the ambient influences to make more emphasis in the art-pop. Equipoise contained one of the most famous songs of Rhodes' work, Save Our Souls. In 1994, Rhodes releases a compilation of her best themes called Rhodesongs, based on the impact that had HR5, an for radio-promotion only that contained acoustic versions of four of her songs, plus a beautiful cover of her idolized David Bowie, Ashes to Ashes. After this release, came Rhodes' most accessible album to date, Building the Colossus (1995), and a compilation of rare cuts and live-in-radio presentations The Keep (1995). During the successive period, Happy Rhodes split with the label Aural Gratification. In August, 1998, Happy Rhodes released Many Worlds Are Born Tonight, a collection of emotional landscapes, intimate poetry, and twisted fairy tales. In this album, Rhodes mixes David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tangerine Dream, Dead Can Dance, Bjork and Portishead, sometimes in the same song. Many Worlds is probably her best and most experimental album to date. The publication of Many Worlds, her first album with Samson Music, has raised a lot of expectations among her fans. First, because it was her first studio album in three years. Then , because after the breakup with Aural Gratification, Rhodes announced that she was looking for a major label. With Many Worlds, Rhodes has reached a new peak of creativity, without loosing her artistic identity. Many Worlds is certainly much darker and sometimes much harder to swallow than its two studio predecessors. However, the music still keeps the enigmatic flavor and erudite lyrical style that always has characterized Happy's work. Some approximations to trip-hop (100 years), powerful songs a la David Bowie (Proof), and even ethereal but intense cuts ( The Chariot, Winter) prove that this album is one of the most unique and intense masterpieces of 1998. Is also noticeably Ra is a Busy God, with a Tangerine Dream-like intro. Happy Rhodes will continue to shine in her particular universe. The same universe which music sounds like the Middle Ages and the Space Era at the same time, and she invite us to know about in her last album Many Worlds Are Born Tonight. One of the best albums of 1998.

I have to say that I'm very impressed with this CD and Happy Rhodes in general. I'm a big Kate Bush and Annie Lennox fan and indeed, Happy does posses the vocal range of both of them (and can sound like either). If you love their type of music (also including Bel Canto and Evanescence), you will love this album. It's both dark and ambient, with some of my favorite songs including Ra is a busy god, Tragic and 100 years. This was my introduction to Happy and I've since purchased Equipoise and Building the Colossus. She's very much a underrated artist and deserves much more exposure than she has received over the years and that's a shame.

Happy Rhodes is a gem waiting to be discovered by the outside world. She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard dropping from masculine lows and soaring to angelic highs and then there's that baby voice she does in between. What's even more is she is not only a great singer, but an excellent musician as well, composing some of the most powerful and deep electronic music I've ever heard. In fact is some parts if one didn't know better would mistakenly think William Orbit had something to do with it.

This album lies somewhere between the genres of ambient, folk and electronica and I recommend it to all - this is what a real diva is ... someone who can actually sing, someone who can actually play and write their own songs, and someone whom you are likely to never see on MTV or hear on the local top 40 radio.

I am also sad to learn that her record label Samson Music recently dropped her after branching off into other fields of music they felt she didn't fit into. Here's hoping that another label out there will soon come across this rare talent and sign her immediately so she may release some more great music for me.

May I also suggest the album "Spirit" by Caroline Lavelle as well - another musical gem waiting to be discovered who's album *is* produced by William Orbit. Also deep and inspiring and sure to be enjoyed by fans of Happy.

Rhodes is a singer-songerwriter multiinstrumentalist with an awesome 5-octave range and powerful story-telling skills. On this cd--her first major label release--she brings to fruition her unique synthesis of electronic music and complex vocal harmonies. "100 Years", the opener, illustrates her technique perfectly: a tapestry of computerized blips and bleeps form the background for a texturized ambient piece; her voice leaps from a soprano, highly reminescient of Kate Bush to a deeper register: think Grace Jones or Annie Lennox. The lyrics are written from the point of view of a decaying computer. The song ends with wordless, classical-inflected swoops. The title track begans with a low, humming mantra, with synopated chirrups, over which her low, sensual range intones a hynpnotic melody. Most of the tracks of the album follow in a similar vein: lush, electronic soundscapes are crafted for her awesome instrument, with dark and philosophical lyrics. Her themes are primarily about various aspects of conciousness and the search for self. The percussion ranges from programmed drums, to "real" drums and clanking/clattering sound-effects. Her use of samples is impressive and nearly seamless. Highly recommended for fans of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, and Jane Siberry.

I'm happy because I'm always on the search for new stuff with substance and for someone that has the talent to try something different and pull it off. I also am a big Kate Bush fan and with her last release (that took years to produce), I felt a void that Happy fills and surpasses. The first time I listened to this cd I tried to pull out whether it was two or three women singing. Much to my surprise there is only her voice that she is mixing and harmonizing with range and pitch that is right on. Her lyrics are poetic and thought provoking. I've since acquired Rhodes 1 and will continue to pick up the rest of the catalog. Recommended.