Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best kept secrets of the early 90s, July 14, 2003
This is one of my most cherished CDs and perhaps one of the best albums ever recorded. Though brutally wiped out of most people's memories over the years, Breathe is one of those few bands out of the 80's that I still carry the torch for. If you remember and enjoyed Breathe's 1987 `All That Jazz', you will be blown away by their 1990 release `Peace of Mind', a terribly overlooked, but highly outstanding work of art. (Sadly their last album.)
Quite a shift from `All That Jazz', which consisted of jazzy fun-boy pop tunes and soulful ballads, `Peace of Mind' validated the band's maturity and is a superb demonstration of their strong musical potential. Yes, the boys are all grown up on this one. Gone are the songs about deceptive girls, monkeys, and hollywood stardom. If words can describe this second album, the music here is a smooth, jazzy, sophisticated, insightful, soulful, and impressive blues splendor. Ingenious lyrics and David Glasper's immaculate voice will take you on a journey through the good times and the bad, which in turn will leave you wanting to hear much more than the 12 tracks provided. It's really quite amazing how these guys were only in their early twenties when they came out with this stuff.
Though I thoroughly enjoy all of the songs on this CD, the following are my favorite tracks:
-I Hear You're Doing Fine
-Does She Love That Man?
-Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
-Got To Get By (Talk about ethereal!)
-A Perfect Love (This is where you go into a trance.)
The only complaint that I have is with the "Say a Prayer-Remix". It's actually one of the better remixes I've heard of that song, but a very LOUD one. This comes right after the calm and peacefulness of "A Perfect Love". Talk about a rude awakening!
All in all though, I would say this album deserves more than 5 stars. 'Peace of Mind' may have been terribly underrated, and unfortunately is now out of print, but though over 10 years old, it does not sound outdated. Help yourself to a copy via online auctions or Amazon Z-shops. You won't be disappointed. It will have a magical way of remaining glued onto your CD tray for a long time to come.
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peace of Mind is a masterpiece!, December 20, 2003
Right after the first two or three times of listening to this album, I was almost ready to weed it out of my collection. After seeing it on used cd racks for years and finally picking up a copy, I figured maybe this album was just a flop. For some reason, though, I kept listening to the cd. Over the past year, I've listened to Peace of Mind many more times than Breathe's brilliant debut All That Jazz. I'm not really sure how Peace of Mind became so habit-forming for me, but I will say this album was a very audacious effort by the group. They certainly took a risk, and it arguably paid off (at least from an artistic viewpoint). Except for "Does she love that man?", which was a lame attempt to have another smash hit power ballad", Peace of Mind is more cohesive and atmospheric than its predecessor. The only track that sounds discontinuous from the rest of the album is the remix of "Say a prayer". Personally, I like the remix better. Besides being almost danceable, the remix is also...... well, mixed better. Maybe it's just me, but I think the vocals could have been mixed better with the instrumentation on the original. Besides "Say a prayer", I think the album was mixed and produced well. Musically, the biggest difference was more bluesy lead guitar work, and less horns. That aspect first annoyed me, but the guitar work really enhances the songs. The biggest commonality with both Breathe albums is David Glasper's outstanding vocals. Glasper extends himself even more on Peace of Mind, singing each song with passion and conviction. Peace of Mind has some hidden classics, too, such as "Say hello" and "Without your love". "Woman" and "Where angels fear" are also very strong tracks. To anyone who hasn't heard this album or got rid of it without giving it a fair chance, I'd recommend buying a copy. Even though Peace of Mind is available used at low prices, it's still a brilliant album!
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pop soulful passion, July 2, 2003
After the pop perfection of All That Jazz Breathe members David, Ian and Marcus decided to pursue a different direction. Here they pursue a deeper perhaps more spiritual and introspective journey through joy, heartache and loss. There are more down tempo songs and less traditional pop tunes giving the listener more time to relax and ponder what's lies inside of them. The standout song for me is "Does she love that man?". It is down beat and heartfelt and truly beautiful, a song about love lost and regret. It conveys honesty rarely matched in modern music. Here as through the whole album David Glasper's voice shows nuance without being sappy and range without being extreme or harsh. The story told is part of the human condition that I think all of us can relate to. "Does she love that man" is one of my favorite Breathe songs. At first when I heard Peace of Mind I surprised that it wasn't all out like Breathes debut album All That Jazz. Initially I was disappointed but with each listen the album revealed itself to me and I was able to appreciate it for what it was. The song that took me the longest to warm up to was Mississippi Water. The lyrics at the beginning are to me the weakest Marcus and David have ever written. For over a year after I got Peace of Mind I couldn't listen to more then 30 seconds of the song. It just didn't work for me. One day I was working out to Peace of Mind and couldn't skip the song like I usually do and to my surprise the song takes an unexpected turn in the middle and that moment instantly became one of my favorite Breathe moments. I truly do miss Breathe. The colors they presented to the world are varied and unique. I pose the same question that all Breathe fans pose. Where are you David Glasper? Marcus is working in web development and Ian has passed on to the after life for some much deserved rest. As a musician I have been inspired by Breathe and even with the loss of two original members would love to be inspired again.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Breathe 
