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Rhiannon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhiannon
• ASIN: B000BCE95Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,884 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rhinannon-One of America's best kept Secrets and here's Why:, November 6, 2007

By 

Brian Whistler (Forestville, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: In My Prime (Audio CD)

Rhiannon-(no, not that latest flava of the month pop sensation!) If you've seen her live then you know- there is no other singer who puts their entire being so on the line, who is more able to project herself so completely into the Present., who is more willing to take chances, to fall flat on her musical face in order to reach the ineffable Truth of Spirit singing in flesh, naked before God and fellow humans... A Rhinannon concert is a rare and splendid thing. For spontaneity, she is hard to beat-for fearless improvisation she has few peers. So why isn't she a household word? Well, for one thing, unlike her compatriot, Bobby McFerrin there was no accidental hit, as in "Don't Worry be Happy". For another, she's a strong woman (and now a strong older woman), an archetype our nation is not particularly enamored with.

But there's more to it than that. I have pondered it and have only been able to come up with the following: For some strange reason, Rhiannon's spine chilling shamanic live performances do not come across on her recordings. I was excited to hear this particular recording because many of my favorite tunes from her live repetoire were represented on this disc. Yet despite the competent production, great players and sincerity of feeling evident here, the excitement of her legendary live performances is oddly absent. This isn't just true of this one disc, I have felt this way about almost all of her recorded output.

But, staying with this recording- whereas her live performances steam with spontaneous energy, this recording sounds as if she was trying too hard to get the intensity of emotion across- there is, in general, a forced quality to the vocals. Also, in her live performances, the musicians tend to stay out her way while she conjures her magical sounds out of the ethers, but here the arrangements are so thick they seem to fight for the same air she is breathing. The result is a cramped , overwrought record that should have been great but isn't.

I am still looking forward to the day when Rhiannon and her producer will get all the ingredients in proper proportions, the right songs, the right players, the right level of arrangement and production, the right vibe. When that day comes, the "Rhiannas" of the world better watch out. This 'strong older woman' is gonna blow that Grammy right out of your hands!

By the way, on reflection I decided to give this CD a higher rating, but I discovered that Amazon doesn't let me edit the star rating. At any rate, I'd give it three stars, just because its Rhiannon.