Customer Reviews

The Rose

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

(With apologies to Byron.) The first time I ever saw a picture of the Mediaeval Baebes I thought some recording industry guru was attempting the folk/classical equivalent of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" video... i.e. take a dozen impossibly beautiful women and form a gimmick band to cash in on their looks. Fifteen seconds into the first track from their first album, Salva Nos, and all illusions had been shattered. These women were the real thing.

The Rose is yet another classic album from the Baebes, and features one of the most exquisite pieces of cover art I have ever seen. If you have never heard the band, I would respectfully suggest that you listen to tracks 3 and 4 for a sample of what they can do. Track 3, Slay Me Suddenly, is an example of classic Baebes, with the most beautifully sung intricate vocals overlaying a typically intriguing musical track. Track 4, The Snake, follows through strongly, with a vocal trio by that truly Divine Trinity, Rachel Van Asch, Katharine Blake and Audrey Evans.

The icing on the cake is the stunning six-minute closing number, Blow Northern Wind, which is quite simply one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Originally a 12-woman band, the Baebes are currently down to nine impossibly beautiful women, and the excellent booklet features a very classy full-page photo of each Baebe. Sigh.

I bought ROSE on a whim. I'd never heard of the Medieval Baebes before. The cd cover art and little snippets of sound Amazon provides gave me a small clue as to what I might expect. But covers and snippets can be misleading. Imagine my delight when I discovered the music is better than the samples.

If you are a fan of Medieval folk music, tunes by composers like Henry VIII, or Celtic tunes and chants you will probably love these songs. The music is joyful, sacred, exotic, haunting, lustful, and sometimes wickedly funny. For example, #11 Dringo Bell, a very old English tune, contains these lines -- "Hogyn cam to bower dore, He trilled upon the pin for love--Hum ha trill go bell" (translation "Hogyn came to the boudoir door, He rang the bell, hoping to score -- Hum, ha, trill go bell"). One of my favorites is #9 "Razreesh" by an anonymous English composer from long ago who appears to have had some familiarity with the music of the Orient.

Baebes sing Madrigal style, which I am told by a friend who is more musically literate than I, is a step above A'Cappella. According to my cd, the website address for this group is medievalbaebes.com if you want to know more about them. I like them so much I bought three more of their cds.

I am a relatively new fan of Mediaeval Baebes. I fell in love with the group's music with their 2000 release "Undrentide". I was intrigued by the cover on the album as well as the fact that the collaboration with my favorite group Delerium. Two years later, I recently discovered that they have a new album out. I was intrigued to see if there was any changes. Well, there was but not in a bad way either. On their last album, the group incorporated live instruments with the women's breathtaking vocals. Here on "The Rose", their voices are the focus with minimal instrumentse used to back them up. I thought it was just great that a lot of the lyrics were taken from various medieval literature like Chaucer's "Three Roundels of Love Unreturned" for "Slay Me Suddenly". I didn't think that it was possible for me to enjoy medieval music as I do with Mediaeval Baebes. I find it refreshing to listen to a group that focuses on the vocals and less on using instruments that would have otherwise taken away the magic of the women's vocals. Mediaeval Baebes released another winner with "The Rose".

I have been a fan of the Baebes since the release of their album "Salva Nos." I went so far as to purchase a copy of "Worldes Blysse" while in London in 1999 knowing it would not be released in America for another year. I was slightly disappointed in the directions taken on "Undrentide" under the production of John Cale (Velvet Underground) and was eager to see whether the group would return to form under the sole direction of bandleader Katharine Blake.

While "The Rose" contains all traditional instruments (no dance beats, no saxophones), it ranges further afield than previous efforts, including songs in 11th century Irish ("I Am Eve"), 13th century Spanish ("The Snake"), a song taken from the pages of Dante's "Inferno" ("The Circle of the Lustful"), Russian ("Razreesh"), and a 15th century Welsh poem -- banned for praising the female genitalia ("The Sour Grove").

Fans of the group will certainly not be disappointed by this diverse and lush album which brings many of the original singers back, including Blake, Theresa Casella, and the honorary crone baebe, Dorothy Carter, who takes the solo on "L'Amour de Moi." "The Rose" is a fascinating and beautiful tour of medieval music from around the world.

As a huge fan of the Baebes I absolutely loved this cd. Their voices are wonderful together despite losing three members who left to cocentrate on other things. All the songs are great with I Am Eve, Slay Me Suddenly, and L'Amour De Moi being my favorites. This cd uses no modern instruments as Undrentide did so fans wanting music in true Baebes form should enjoy this very much. I can't wait to hear more from these talented women.

I really REALLY love this CD. I've been listening to the Amazon.com music clips for weeks and finally bought it. It is a gem. The music is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

This is music (with the possible exception of DRINGO BELL) that you could let your grandma listen to and she'd think they were sacred songs.

But keep grandma away from the lyrics! My goodness--these sweet and innocent sounding women are singing some very sexually graphic words but they are cleverly disguised in foreign and medievel languages. THE SOUR GROVE is all about female genitalia and the first song they sing is I AM EVE--a fact which they seem to be quite proud.

I first got Undrentide about a year ago, because it featured "Aria" (with Delerium) on it, and I figured it HAD to be at least decent music. And I loved it...in fact, I never got around to buying another of their CDs because I loved Undrentide so much...I didn't think that it could get any better,

Ye gads, was I wrong.

I picked this up on a whim, attracted by the Bob Masse-esque cover art, and was promptly blown away by the hypnotic first track, "I Am Eve." "Glass Window" was enchanting, and "The Snake"...well, it's been days now since I got this CD, and I can't get "The Snake" out of my head. It's a toe-tapping marvel unlike anything I've ever heard before. Other (current) favorites are "Dringo Bell" and "The Sour Grove" (an innocent and sweet-sounding piece that I can no longer listen to with a straight face).

I would recommend this to any fans of Delerium's Karma or Poem, and to fans of Miranda Sex Garden's Madra. Dead Can Dance fans will probably enjoy this, too, epecially if they liked Aion.

Words cannot describe the harmony of the Baebes. Beautiful women, beautiful voices, beautiful songs. I play their music in my store and everyone always asks me who they are. I have brought a taste of Medieval magick to a lot of new fans. No other musical group can compare.

There are absolutely no words to describe how beautiful this CD is. It's beyond amazing in every way. Sure, the voices may not be good enough to stand alone - but as a group it comes together perfectly. The music is brilliantly arranged and in some places tries to keep very true to the original Medieval sound (something I appreciate as a history major and freak). It's perfect - hypnotic, beautiful and completely engrossing.
Needless to say, this group is extremely refreshing and deserves MUCH more attention that it gets.

I was introduced to the Baebes by some friends while we were on a road trip to a wedding. I'm not even sure now which CD it was they had in the car, but the music stayed with me and the name definitely caught my attention!

When my copy of The Rose arrived I cranked it up. It was as if angels had dropped by to sing my spirit into heaven. Their voices were distinctive and harmonious, polished, yet still individual.

My personal favorite cut is #7, "There Is No Rose of Swych Vertu". Maybe it was because I got The Rose around Thanksgiving, or maybe not. Somehow I just think this song would be a wonderful part of a Christmas church service. It's exactly the kind of music I would expect from an angelic host. Simply elegant and hauntingly beautiful.

Another positive aspect of this album is its variety. The cuts range in tempo and style from elegant to lively, providing a musical feast for the ears.

If you are not familiar with medieval music, this would be a wonderful introduction. And if you already enjoy music from centuries past, The Rose is definitely a blossom worth plucking!