Customer Reviews

Set Free - The Definitive Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love Constance Demby's music. She is fantastic. There are things she can do with her music and sounds she can conjure up that will evoke images and emotions like none other. This was the first album of hers that I was introduced to, and my personal favorite for sentimental reasons: It's so hard to pick a favorite out of hers because they are all so good! Be prepared to go from inner spce to outer space with this magnificent album. There are tracks on here where you can literally feel the longing... you WILL cry. It is impossible not to reflect back on your own life with this music. Rarely have I encountered such heart felt music that evokes so much feeling and imagination. This is an album that you will be tempted to listen to every day, and you have to be careful not to overdo it. It would be cliche for me to say this will change your life, and probably melodramatic, but I gurantee, it'll hit you right in the heart. This is the kind of thing you give to family and friends... what a treasure!

I'm a huge aficionado of contemorary instrumental music even though it seems there is so little of it that I feel really speaks to me. The music of SET FREE speaks to me, and in a very, very big way. Of all the 1000's of CD's I have listened to, this one ranks NUMBER ONE. Constance Demby is definitely one of the best of this genre, although I feel that most of her career has unfortunately been spent on music that is too...um...ambient for me.

This CD demonstrates the sheer virtuosity Demby is capable of performing if she ever chose to make her music just a little more mainstream. The CD ends with several of those "ambient" tracks that I was referring to, (which are terrific if you like that kind of music) but what I would otherwise say is to let the first seven or eight tracks stand on their own. This is the closest I've ever heard synthesizer music sounding so classical and timeless in style. This CD is a magical, spiritual masterpiece!

I listened to Set Free for the first time in complete darkness after midnight on a Friday night. When the C.D. was over, I could not physically move--I was pinned to the floor and my spirit seemed to be in communion with "All That Is."

Many of Constance Demby's CDs contain music having a common mood. Set Free offers a wide variey of sounds all of which are wonderful. This is definitely her best music.

This CD was my first exposure to Constance Demby's music. Since then, it has been THE standard by which I judge and compare all new age / symphonic music. She starts off with melodic, fast paced pieces and then slowly blends them deeper, slower... more mystical and mysterious. Set Free takes you on a journey into grand sonic vistas filled with depth, passion and joy. This CD is a MUST if you are a fan of either new age or symphonic music.

For all that I listen to a lot of music which is listed as new age, I have to confess that I have no clue what that really is. A great deal of bubblegum and elevator music masquerades itself under the new age label. Most of this quickly reveals its vapid side. And what I want when I listen to this genre is hardly vapid. The best generalization I can make is that New Age music can be recognized by a tendency to use pretentious titles. Otherwise, it is all over the map.

I tend to do make my own definitions here. Many instrumentalists fall unter the heading of light Jazz - perhaps a bit more melodic that standard jazz fare. At the other extreme is what I think of as 'space music.' Weird sounds drawn out over time that emulates the movement of stellar bodies - slow and stately. Some of the latter is not particularly easy to listen to, and some is quite accessible.

Constance Demby is a musician who has manages to straddle the two extremes without a blink of discomfort. While she made her name with Novus Magnificat, the album - Set Free - is more typical of her overall styles. The first set of cuts are highly listenable works, often bordering on song styling. Some of the works, like I Set Myself Free are every bit as good as any popular music of the time.

The last four pieces are developments from her more serious side - all are classifiable as space music, and the proceed from easy listening to several works (especially Mother of the World) that will take some effort on the part of the listener. I have remarked elsewhere that this isn't my favorite kind of music, but Demby, who has real compositional skills makes them interesting and unusual.

Demby displays not only compositional skill, but superb performance values as well. Pretentious titles aside, this is all worth listening to. Normally, I recommend Novus Magnificat to folks who are interested in this genre. But Set Free's overall accessibility makes it another possible taking off point.

This music is ethereal, repetitive and relaxing. It really does have a noticeable (good!) effect not just on your mood, but on your body. I like to listen to this when I am doing something intricate, like needlework, because it keeps me from getting too tensed up.

Overall some good tracks. I've started liking what I've been hearing from Constance Demby on XM Radio so I thought I'd take a chance on this CD as it read as its supposed to be a good collection to that time, of her music. I'll probably try a couple of others after I get some different song titles from XM of tracks I really like. But this CD was pretty good!

I obtained this album back in 1989, and I still find myself playing this CD more often than any other. It inspires all of my moods even when I am sad, happy, meditating or making love.

After listening to Walz of Joy, I bought this album hoping to find more good music.
I only found 2 or 3 ok tracks but very far from the quality of the first track.