Customer Reviews

Morning Light

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

 

 

I judge a release by the consistency of its offerings -- is the music innovative? does the artist have something to say worth listening to? how is the quality of the production? are the songs well contructed, etc? On these bases I would say that Chris Brann's Anada Project has come out with a winner in Morning Light. A deliciously full meal, Morning Light contains many stand out tracks -- Big Boat, Rain Down, Tangerine, Suite Dreams, Kiss Kiss Kiss, The One, etc. -- all of which will no doubt be bumping remix projects as the rest of the year wears on. However it is really as a proper album -- one which you can listen to and be taken away by -- which is "Morning Light's" strong suit. Too often club/dance albums are filled with a lot of irrelevant navel gazing, undeveloped ideas and songs that are merely sketches -- it's a trap that many of clubland leading lights fall into when making proper albums because club music is primarily driven by single releases. These can then be mined of redundant ideas over and over again. On long players, club artists usually blow their wads mid-way through. In the case of this project, Chris Brann has exercised restraint, innovation and artistic taste in all the right places. Oh yeah -- it is also very soulful. While these tracks could be considered "up-to-the-minute" club grooves, attention has been paid to posterity and the hopes that listening pleasure will be derived years after the release. I feel that this has been achieved -- the tracks are not likely to date themselves anytime soon. All and all, Morning Light is one of the better releases of an outstanding year in music. Kudos Mr. Brann and I look forward to supporting your future projects.

If you are a lover of house music, and who isn't (whether they know it or not), this is an album not to be missed.

"Morning Light" is such a wonderful follow up to the indispensible "Release" album. I will never forget the first time I hear "Cascades of Colour" off of the "Release" album - what a fabulous song. All at once simple (no one would accuse of it of being lyrically dense) yet undeniable engaging. The vocals and the looping tempo combine to form a yummy, yummy confection for the ear.

This album delivers more of the same sexy, smooth, trippy sounds as "Release", but somehow manages to feel even more developed and complete. Every song is a worthy successor to "Cascades of Colour" but none are an obvious attempt to recreate its magic. Chris Brann has done something wonderful here and we are the lucky beneficiaries.

Sample "Kiss Kiss Kiss", "I Hear You Dreaming", or "Rain Down" and you'll get the picture.

I love all of the Ananda Project releases, and this CD is an excellent addition to my collection. I don't really know what genre to call this music. It's eclectic. It could be considered Dance music, but it has a great jazz feeling. I recommend it!

Morning Light by The Ananda Project is a very haunting CD. It is not "normal" house. It should almost be a category all it's own. Morning Light is a great CD. I almost felt transported to another world when I heard this CD. The two most haunting songs on there, I thought, were "Secrets" and "Can You Find the Heart?"
These songs make you stop and think. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" is also a very good song. Grab this CD if you can. It's a definite must.

A couple of years ago I heard about the Ananda project by listening to Everything But the Girl's Back to Mine CD. I loved "cascades of colour". That song was so unreal to me. The rest of the CD(Release) was okay with nothing really as special on it.
However, this CD is really busting out with several standouts like my favorite "secrets". That song is like listening to a smooth peaceful mellow composition because it is!!! Other songs like "big boat", "rain down", "icu" are very cool indeed. Then there's the great house track "kiss kiss kiss". That song is classic house all the way! There are moments where I could say that the vocalist sounds a bit "off", but the music definitely overshadows this minor flaw at some points in some of the songs. Don't get me wrong, the artists sound good, but in some points, they don't exactly catch the flow.... Then there's the song that sounds as if it never gets started called "justice, mercy". I swear I thought the whole song was nothing but the intro into the real song. Oh well, despite those minor flaws, which could be called nitpicking, this is an extremely well done CD. I would recommend it for all down tempo and house fans. It truly is great.

I happened upon Ananda Project by mistake . I was responding to an email from a friend on another website & he had it on his profile page so I decided to listen & was shocked by the pleasant sound of Push, Push . I never even realized that group existed which was a total surprise since I thought that I knew everything about music & artists ! I listen to it over & over again & it's now the #1 song on my play list .

Mildly disappointing second album from Chris Brann's Ananda Project. Where Release was deep and complex, Morning Light seems simplistic and not as noteworthy. The music is still smooth, but it's not quite as fulfilling -- sounds a little too much alike. Tracks like "Rain Down" give a much needed infusion of soul, and for some reason, I'm really drawn to the cheesiness of "Kiss Kiss Kiss." By the same token, I'm turned off by the cheesiness of "The One." I hope Mr. Brann isn't spreading himself too thin.

There aren't many music artists that so well exemplify the Miami-L.A.-NYC-San Francisco smooth electro house sound of stylish small lounge bars now captivating the VIP-accustomed young jet set and upscale eclectic older generation across the globe. Mix gorgeous sensual female vocals, smooth electro house pop melodies, and bongo rhythms for the Miami lounge affect, and it's hard to figure out which songs are best. Certainly "Cascades of Colour" and "Can You Find the Heart" are among the beautiful, stylish, groovy and emotionally moving songs, particularly if you listen to the lyrics (available online).

This album, like the others by Ananda Project, is well worth the money for decades of pleaure, and resides in a Class of its own... and I do mean Class with a capital "C".

My fellow Atlantan has done a nice job with this CD. The tracks blend together well, and he's scored some real hits with Rain Down, Tangerine, The One, and Suite Dreams. I'm actually surprised I never heard these in the club, but I guess they might be just a bit soft for it. This is nice music to get dressed to to go out, or perhaps to have some cocktails with friends.

Some of the tracks failed to grab me closely, such as the instrumental "ICU". The standout strange point on this album was "Big Boat", which as far as I can tell is about the Middle Passage, but is portrayed with easygoing, upbeat chords, and a great male singer gently crooning "They didn't know. . . about the big boat. . . " I think the effort was earnest and not meant to mock or deride, and I'm not one to take things too seriously, but I think the conversion of the Middle Passage story into a danceable, upbeat house track is just plain weird. That said, the song is musically great if you don't focus on the lyrics too much.

That said, the four aforementioned tracks alone are worth the price of admission, and the album is enjoyable if you are really into soulful, smooth house with great vocals. If you're a Naked Music fan, you'll probably enjoy this a great deal. I respect what Chris Brann is doing musically in all his incarnations, and the songs I like I really like, so I'll give this album 4 out of 5. I'd probably give it 3.75 if that were allowed.

I know to expect that a Chris Brann production is going to be tight and just right. This collection of course is no exception! I've detected some interesting twinges of 70's soul, 80's dance, and todays House sounds. Its all in the mix on this one. There are some fabulous dancey songs such as "tangerine" and "suite dreams" that evoke the best in nightclub splendor, and then there are some thoughtful and feeling music and lyrics included in "i hear you dreaming" and "justice,mercy". The whole collection still has the power to move you and captivate every emotion. All in all, another plush, lively set from the best of the best in deepness.
A must-buy for the serious fan!