Customer Reviews

Orphans

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

 

 

A note about this record from one of the producers- This is the sound of 5 players playing live in a studio which was about 12' x 14' in size. This album was made as a reaction to the process of recording what was to be Hazeldine's major label debut here in the United States. With the amount of time and money spent on 'Digging you up', the only sure result was that Hazledine felt like they had lost themselves and their 'most charming' live sound in the process. 'Orphans' was recorded and mixed in 3 days. It features all live-to-tape (analog 2") performances- including live harmonies. Tonya and Shawn sound wonderful here. Their roots rock/country harmonies are in fullforce. The aesthetic under which the album was made was that there were to be no 'fixes' and all tracks were to be recorded as full band performances. Any mistakes were weighed against how (if at all) they affected the spontaneity of the live feel. If one players performance weakened a complete take, another take was done with full band. The closeness, intimacy and 'live feel' achieved on these 10 songs is stellar. The choice of material is inspirational. If Hazeldine don't play a venue near you soon, this CD represents their live experience as no other can and it was a pleasure to make!

I just passed by to see if something new is coming up from my favorite band Hazeldine and decided to tell y'all :) Go and get them !!! This cd contains wonderful folk and country coversongs and if you have the chance to get Hazeldine with their own compositions, go and get " How bees fly ", their first cd and " Digging you up " ( contains songs from the 1st cd ). I also saw them live once, in europe, and I' m really " hin und weg ", as we say in germany :) Btw. there might be a new cd in spring 2001 , yippee :) Check out morebarn.com, their label in the U.S.

This selection of eclectic covers is soulfully rendered by one of the Southwest's most talented exports. Call it alternative country, alternative folk, whatever - Hazeldine's high desert harmonies are brooding, introspective and sometimes (as on track three, Jeff Magnum's "April 8th") verge on eerie. Think Mazzy Star meets Emmylou Harris. There's the mystique of the long dark desert highway in all Hazeldine's music and this CD is no exception. They perform these covers with as much intensity and integrity as their original music. It was recorded during the same session that produced their Polydor European release "Digging You Up" (all original music). If you're looking for something new - a girl band with more soul than spunk, give this CD a try.

Hazeldine hail from Alberquerque, New Mexico. It's amazing to hear a band so well versed in traditional songs and still on the cutting edge of the alternative-country movement. These songs will set the mood for a journey down a lost and dusty desert highway. Just listen to "Mining Camp Blues" or "Whiskey in The Jar" and you'll become a fan. My favorite is "April 8th". A very seductive landscape of a song, with the great line "ankle strapped and...". Genesis' "Cuckoo Cocoon" is wild, what a great choice for a cover song. If you like this album, you should also get there last album, "How Bee's Fly". It's a perfect companion to "Orphans". It'll make you want to visit New Mexico!

I've been listening to it for 6 months and can't get enough of it. I buy new CD's almost daily and would rate this among the best I've bought this year. If you like alternate country and solid harmony singing I recommend this.

Hey it's Joni from Jacksonville, hoping vanity makes you read these reviews. Very happily just discovered your well deserved success. You are great! I'm currently living in Boise, Idaho, but am starting grad school at U.C. Berkeley in the fall. Would love to see you and your band in San Francisco. I'll be at this e-mail until fall, then you can find me at Berkeley.edu (people search). You make the music I always wished I could. I'm ordering the other 2 albums from Amazon.co.uk. Love you and have thought of you often through the years, (even though I never sent the long letter I wrote you from Miami). Salut!