Customer Reviews

Shelter: The Best Of Contemporary Singer-Songwriters

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

 

 

This is a brilliant CD. Reviews often tell you more about the reviewer than the work. If you are looking for folk music in the American tradition of Peter, Paul and Mary or Simon and Garfunkel, you have hit a gold mine. If you know or like the Indigo Girls, Dar Willaims, Tori Amos or Ani Difranco, you want this. It is a fantastic mix of songs that is mind-blowing in the consistent quality, given the fact that you probably know few of the artists. The Sarah McLachlan song is actually one of the weakest on the two CDs. After listening to this collection, I have followed up buying cds by several of the artists, and am looking for the work of others. Dar Williams is great, and listening to Travellin' Again should be enough to get you to invest in her music. You won't be disappointed. Ellis Paul is brilliant. Carrie Newcomer, Joe Henry, Rex Fowler (of Aztec Two-step, which I didn't know about until I followed up his solo work here), Dougie MacLean, Cheryl Wheeler, John Gorka, Pat Alger are all phenomenal. These are names and songs that are probably new to you, but I can't tell you how great their songs are. This is a great investment is music discovery. Laura Love is unbelievably talented, and Putumayo has a fantastic collection of her "Afro-Celt" stuff. I see Shawn Colvin's "Another round of Blues" as the real anchor, even though the name is Shelter. At least 16 of the 28 songs are really great, and each is by a different artist. I have never seen a mix to compare. I love used CD shops, and have searched for compilations in many cities and stores. This is hands down the best. Some great mixes exist of hit songs, which I like, but the mixes of obscure are also great places to find special songs. But most of those mixes offer some special songs, but a lot of filler. This has virtually no filler. Personal tastes will differ, but if you really like any of the people named earlier in this review, you want this album. If you don't, sell it at half.com and I'll buy it. I have a standing order for all they get in. There are many people that I want to give it to, but new costs are pricy, and cdr's don't help the artists. I give this only five stars because that is as high as ratings go. But if you are looking for new names and music to widen your music, I know of no better place to start.

I dusted off this CD recently. WOW. I remember playing it to death when I first go it, then it got lost in some boxes during various apartment/house moves. This is a MUST HAVE for any fan of folk music, or someone who is just getting into folk music from the likes of Dar Williams, Nanci Griffith, Shawn Colvin, etc. It gives you a GREAT selection of artists who are not too well know in the "pop" music circle like : ELLIS PAUL, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler, Catie Curtis, Dana Robinson.
Again a must have !

There might have been one stand-out track on this two disc set. I'm a big fan of the genre and some of these artists. However, the music on this disc is totally subpar. Acoustic Cafe, American Folk, and Americana are all much more successful attempts at this genre by Putumayo.

had this album many moons ago and it gotten destroyed so ordered a new one so happy to hear the wonderful variety of music all great

This is a great CD!! The artists are wonderful singer/songwriters and if you have an interest in folk music you will love this. There are some superb artists. a worthy compilation. In fact I have listened disc one to death wondering where Disc 2 was. Then recently found it while visiting my mom and my son demanded she return it. truly a favorite.

Sometimes music wraps you up and cradles you like a baby in a blanket. That may be cheezy or cliche but that's how many of the songs of this album have made me feel. It made me appreciate folk in a way I hadn't before and would recommend it to anyone. Although a few tracks are not my particular favorites, it's worth it for every other song.

This collection is a major disappointment. The songs are uniformly bland and certainly not the best of these artists. Most feature a tuneless lyric sung to a gently strummed guitar with soporific keyboard decoration. For example, Nanci Griffith is represented by "Spin on a Red Brick Floor" and Sarah Mclachlan is represented by "Shelter." Never heard of these tunes? You're not alone. The one standout is "Orbiting Jupiter" by Cheryl Wheeler, but there's nothing else approaching it in quality. My guess is a bunch of crappy songs were chosen for licensing reasons. If you're interested in listening to a good collection of contemporary singer-songwriters, keep searching.

I bought this album and set out to actually listen to it all the way through. It was mildly interesting but, a couple of months later, I have lost interest. The only tunes I can remember are "Shelter" by Sarah McLachlan and "Spin On A Red Brick Floor" by Nanci Griffith. Considering the cost of this CD set, I don't think it's a good investment.

There are only a select few songs I enjoy. I thought may be he (Carlos) was just an extraneous factor...after buying the album, however, I definitely agree that it's not worth the investment. Putumayo is an excellent label, and has other selections that are awesome: Mediterranean Odyssey, Africa, and Romantica are among my favorites.