Customer Reviews

Map

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Folks - it doesn't get any better than this. If you think the recording is great - wait until you catch her live - Oh my Goddess - I can't wait to see her make it! I caught a performance recently at the Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling, NY and I have to say it was the very best concert I have ever seen - and I used to be a booking agent -I have seen a LOT of concerts in my days. If ANYONE deserves to make it - it is Dee. Musical & vocal talent, great originals with exquisite arrangements, and stage presence to boot. This woman makes you feel right at home with her on stage - you feel like you're in her living room! I cannot recommend an artist more highly...

I don't get it. I hear 15 seconds of one of her songs and I realize that this person is extremely talented and her music unquestionably thrilling, yet she remains largely unknown. I have no idea how she is not up at the "top" with Sarah M. Apparently the accepted excuse is her music is "difficult to categorize". Did it ever occur to anyone else that this might be a GOOD THING! In fact, I say that is the ultimate compliment-- she has her OWN CATEGORY! Tell me that "Savior" or "Be My Man" doesn't belong on a Top 40 station. Tell me "Holding Back An Ocean" or "That Boy Was Trouble" or "Hurricane" can't make it on Alternative formats. I am convinced that she just needs one break from someone, somewhere and the rest, as they say will be "history". You will not be disappointed by a single cut on this CD. I now have all three of her CD's (Beloved One is hard to find--someone should really re-release it-- it's fabulous, too.) Her voice will suck you and your emotions right out of your body! She truly is the best female artist you've never heard of!!

I think this and her first album are her best.

This album is fantastic from beginning to end. Every song is a winner. I don't know why she's not more well known and appreciated than she is.

She has a great voice and her songs can give you goose bumps.

I love this album!

this is the kind of music that doesn't fit the categories required by accountants searching for a certain demographic to sell something. thus, no airplay. however, it is one fine album. those unfamiliar with her previous effort will be well rewarded to seek it out. her version of elton john's "come down in time" should make he and bernie taupin proud indeed!

Dee Carstensen is an extremely talented singer and song writer. If only her music didn't defy categorization, she would be at the top of the charts. It's a beautiful blend of folk, jazz, and pop. She is destined for stardom.

I really love this one. I was so moved by it I sent it to someone I loved that I couldn't see anymore.

My recommendation is: Get this CD, you won't regret it. It will soothe and inspire you.

Her voice and musical sensitivity are awesome. She's held in high regard by NYC's musician community. As a musician myself, it's hard to contemplate her gifts and beauty without getting the chills. Her life companion is right up there too, played for Laura Nyro and Dire Straits, and with Michael Brecker and Steve Gadd, to name just a few.

Dee Carstensen is as gentle as she is explosive. A perfect paradox.

I'm not ready to grant Carstensen the accolades others have, but I will say she's less well-known than she should be and certainly far better than the used prices for this disc would indicate. Carstensen has a very nice voice, if not terribly distinctive (though I'm unsure where the Amazon crit is getting a comparison to Meredith Brooks...I don't hear that resemblance at ALL..Jonatha Brooke is much more apt.)

The tunes here are very much like the acoustic based pop you'd hear on NPR's "World Cafe".

HIGHLIGHTS:
"That Boy was Trouble" is probably as close to a conventional pop tune as Carstensen gets. It's an eloquent portrait of the appeal of the 'bad boy' to women. ("I met him in a bar, that was the first mistake...") Harp laden "The Last Time It Mattered" is also a winner. "Saviour" has a really catchy, if heterical, hook comparing Prince Charming to the man from Nazareth. It's got a distinctive Celtic pop feeling (not unlike the Corrs) thanks to some Uileann pipes and fiddle. "Come Down in Time" is a first-rate cover of an album track from Elton John's TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION that gets a smoky jazz feel from vibraphone. "Take a Chance" is the heart's cry of an aging single mother (though the chorus is too repetitious).

LOWS:
"Be My Man" is cliche-ridden and not especially catchy. I don't think she could have gotten the album off to a worse start.

BOTTOM LINE:
Recommended for fans of Jonatha Brooke, especially those who disliked the techno elements on BACK IN THE CIRCUS. Those who like the more well-known female singer-songwriters (Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin) and are looking to venture farther afield are also advised to give Carstensen a try. It's under a buck, after all.

I stumbled across Dee's music purely by accident, having heard "The Last Time It Mattered" on an "E-Town" radio performance. Her voice, lyrics and music blend together to create a deeply personal connection with anyone who hears it. I don't think I've ever heard someone's work for the first time and been so mesmerized by all 12 tracks!

Thank God I had the radio on that morning!

A New Fan!

After falling in love with Dee's evocative, unique first recording "Regarding the Soul", I found "The Map" to be trite, over-produced, and just plain uninteresting. There didn't seem to be the passion or the completely original presentation that so amazed me with the first CD. I actually gave "The Map" away to a friend after a few hearings (she, too, was disappointed). I hope that Dee returns to the exquisite, simple arrangements that so beautifully highlighted her voice and tender harp playing. Her first recording is by far the finest.