In New Zealand

Barbara Manning | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 13, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Communion Records
• ASIN: B000009OKX
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,729 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Everything Happens By Itself

2. Lover's Leap

3. Walking Stick

4. Your Pies

5. Patience Is Gone

6. Whatever I Do is Right/Wrong

7. Aramoana

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Stark Beauty From The Anti-Diva, November 23, 1999

By 

Pop Kulcher "Pop Kulcher" (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In New Zealand (Audio CD)

Pop Kulcher Review: I finally got around to picking up this EP, released last year, and all I could do was kick myself for waiting so long. Barbara Manning was (until recently) a San Francisco mainstay, playing a lot of local gigs in support of her favorite indie artists while releasing a handful of solo albums (as well as albums with a rotating band of supporting musicians, the SF Seals). While her work with the band can be pretty fun, upbeat pop, her solo work places her somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Sebadoh's Lou Barlow; pretty acoustic pieces with poetic and articulate lyricism. She's long professed a love for the wonderful alterna-pop from New Zealand's Flying Nun record label (she did a cover of the Bats' beautiful "Smoking Her Wings" awhile back), and last year visited New Zealand and recorded a handful of tunes with various members of their rock underground (including members of the Clean, Bats, Verlaines, and Chris Knox, among others). The result is moody, subtle, and quietly edgy -- not too far afield from her own early solo work, but with some of the more jagged edges of the New Zealand scene slipping in now and then. It's a short album (30 minutes, a good third of which is taken up by a beautiful but meandering instrumental piece); but of the 6 vocal tracks, 5 are all-out stunning and absolutely worth having (the Chris Knox collaboration, like Knox's own work, is a bit too off-putting for this collection). Another notch in the belt of one of the greatest but least known female performers of the nineties.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album!!! What's next Barbara?, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In New Zealand (Audio CD)

For me this album is really the standout in her catalog. If you are a fan you have to check this out and even if you're not still buy it. It definitely showcases a quieter side that works beautifully on the first two tracks. I love the piano accompaniment as well as the help from the guys from Giant Sand. I agree that it leaves you wanting more but everything here is great. I would like to add that to me this isn't really lo-fi and actually when I listen to Lover's Leap the recording has the feeling of being in a small Jazz club.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A new label for Ms. Manning..., January 18, 1999

By 

CC "Musica" (Sterling Hts., MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In New Zealand (Audio CD)

This CD is superb! Its brevity is its only drawback, which is why I gave it only 4 stars. My personal favorite on this disc is "Lover's Leap". It is hauntingly beautiful enough to be sneaked onto Top 40 (that's not meant as an insult). Word has it that additional material from these New Zealand sessions is also worthy of release. Will there be a "Part 2"? One can only hope...This is excellent lo-fi driving music which warrants repeat listening. I'd love to compare her or her music with someone, but it's impossible. She is herself, and is well worth checking out. Every track is a winner, and it's time that people give this CD a try!