Customer Reviews

Romantic Energy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The new 12 Girls Band CD is a fabulous addition to their already tremendous music catalogue. Romantic Energy is filled with beautiful music that fills me with happiness as I listen. Several of the faster rhythym songs such as Dunhuang, Romantic Energy and Carnival are truly uplifting and even the more gentle Flower has a very positive feeling to it. All of the songs on the CD are enjoyable and unique to this CD. The erhu, pipa and flute are emphasized which is fine, although I miss the characteristic twang of the Guqin/Duxianqin a little. Other than that, I think you will find this CD entirely enjoyable and worth every bit of the purchase price. If you are a fan of the Guqin/Duxianqin sound, their Shining Energy CD would also be a treat for your ears.

This is very new and very different and I found it a delightful experience.

This group is from The People's Republic of China and use traditional Chinese instrumentation to produce some very interesting interpretations of Western music as well as some very interesting Chinese compositions.

This is their second CD, and I understand it has been a very big success, as well as their sold out live performances across the United States.

I put this in the category of World, because their music runs from pop, to classical to New Age and then to Chinese. Yes, it all works very well on this CD, not clashing in any way or stretching the listener from one form to another.

The CD I have has 12 tracks, one of which is a live performance. The recording quality is excellent, even the live performance. There are some familiar pieces on this CD and there are some very new and wondrous compositions.

Note here that the CD that is offered for sale has a DVD, which I did not receive for review.

Overall, I am impressed with this group. This is a great first impression for the new listener to this kind of performance. The band is tight, knows how to please the listener as well as show off their excellent skills. The compositions are well chosen, and the CD is a good production piece.

If you enjoy upbeat music, and would like something with a slight Chinese twist, this is a lovely work to add to your collection. While it does run towards the "pop" side, it has elements that could be classified as "New Age". I will tell you, in my book the only way I classify it is "totally enjoyable"! mafoster

I own the imported version which has 17 songs, almost double of this release. Some of the best material is among the songs that were cut on this version. I'm not sure why they didn't just release the same product for the U.S. Even if it costs more it'll be worth it.

First off, let me just reiterate what some of the other reviewers have said: get the Japanese version! That's the one I got for Christmas, and I am very pleased with the songs and the sound quality. The DVD is cool, too. The cover of the Japanese version that I have shows the thirteen girls in green dresses flying in the air above the red desert landscape - thus, it's not the same as the CD cover pictured when you go to order. The CD is actually called "Dunhuang ~Romantic Energy~".

With a little help from Wikipedia and tons of help from Google Translate, this is the playlist I translated:

1.) Ruten

2.) Whispering Earth

3.) Dunhuang

4.) From the Beginning Until Now

5.) Flowers

6.) River Shule

7.) Mogao Caves

8.) Romantic Energy

9.) Goddess of Yardan

10.) Stranger

11.) Yangguan Road

12.) Carnival

13.) Crescent Lake

14.) El Condor Pasa

15.) Tang Court Ensemble

16.) Ten-Sided Ambush

17.) Lovers

The DVD includes a music video for "Dunhuang" and "El Condor Pasa". I just want to note that as I played the DVD on my laptop, the music videos went a little funny in parts; they slowed down immensely and sounded scratchy. I remedied this by pausing, playing, and rewinding, and sometimes had to do it several times for one part. The two other parts of the DVD, "Making in Dunhuang" and the Dunhuang tour video, did not have that same problem, thankfully. The music videos are set in Dunhuang and the surrounding desert regions. (If you've seen the movie "Hero" with Jet Li, that too had some scenes set in the deserts of Dunhuang.) Dunhuang is located in northwestern China and is rich with history and culture. The music videos are entertaining and amusing - I chuckled a bit to see the girls flying! The "Making in Dunhuang" shows how they filmed the flying scenes and other parts of the Dunhuang music video, all set to the song "Dunhuang". The only downside to the DVD is the tour part - all the subtitles and the narration is in Japanese (the girls, of course, speak in Mandarin). Still, I recommend you watch it - it shows a lot about the inspiration for many of the songs on the CD, and it's a fun look into the cultural, historical, and religious sites of Dunhuang.

Out of the three Twelve Girls Band CDs I have so far (Eastern Energy, Shanghai, Dunhuang/Romantic Energy), this is my favorite because the songs are so spirited and convey so many emotions and images. "Romantic Energy" is a very cheerful song that immediately makes me think of happy meetings and budding young love; similarly, "Lovers" is the perfect background music for a moment when a couple is quietly locked in an embrace. "Flowers" conjures a breathtaking field of wildflowers to mind, peacefully dancing in the breeze. The CD also personally appeals to me as as a geography enthusiast; I really liked how the CD and DVD focus on a historic city and its natural attractions.

12 GB is awesome and the Romantic Energy CD is a great authentic music product from China although there're couple Japanese, korean and even South America songs. Romantic Energy is the peak product of all 12 Gb music career.

But, you'd better get a copy of import version of this CD - either from Hong Kong or for the best quality - get the original Japan version (trust me, will worth the price). Both import version has 17 tracks instead of American cd only has 12 track. And the DVD of the import version has 2 music videos, the making of music videos and also a 30 min long Dun Huang city documentary with 12 Girls Band!

I have all versions - american dvd has very poor quality comparen the orginal Japan one. Even the videos are not fully screened when you played on TV.

I highly recomment all CDs and DVDs that the Twelve Girls Band product. They are an excellent band.

This album is delightful. Unlike most classical cross-over albums, the albums produced by this group are mostly new. As for the few familiar songs, they have fresh, oriental-flavored arrangements.