Customer Reviews

Songs of the Circling Spirit

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

 

 

When you plug your guitar through a handful of effects and monster amps, it becomes very easy to hide behind your music. Going acoustic changes all of that. It puts the musician on the spot and exposes his weaknesses. But, it also gives that musician the opportunity to explore their music more deeply. It also changes the music, giving it a different, new feeling. Just ask VH1 about the reason for creating the show "Unplugged".

Songs of a Circling Spirit is a wonderful example of a musician exploring the deeper workings of his music. Tom Cochrane takes twelve cuts from his solo and Red Rider days and covers them all acoustically. With Bill Bell helping out on guitars and mandolin, and Gregor Beresford on stripped down drums (playing African Drums and Djembe on many tracks) make this a complete change from the Cochrane/Red Rider music of norm.

You can hear the difference right away with "Lunatic Fringe". The acoustic flare adds power to the song bringing out the lyrics, and a mandolin solo. Tara MacLean provides her sweet twang of a voice to the backing vocals of "All the King's Men", one of my favorite songs from this album. Cochrane and Bell provide some great guitar work the track as well as "Brave and Crazy", "White Hot" and "Good Man, Feeling Bad".

This album has a much more intimate feeling than anything Cochrane has ever done before. Cochrane takes it a step further by making this an interactive disc. Providing an interview describing what his music means to him, especially in the acoustic style of this album. There are also video clips and a complete discography including sample tracks.

Taking a low road stray from his usually typical AOR rock, Tom Cochrane made a stripped down, pure and naked album. Two people have to be specially mentioned here. Tom Cochrane and His Guitar. They are a magic duo, and if they wasnt strong enough in a full band backed up, they are just as good alone.
Many of his best songs are here, the ever popular Lunatic Fringe in its almost unfamiliar form, to the dramatic and blue(and my favorite) Human Race, which has this HUGE feeling over it. It feels very much more like Blues Rock now, but I think it suits the song perfectly. Napoleon sheds his skin, White Hot, Boy inside a Man are all performed superb.

White Hot is maybe the best song on the album, it is awesome, sad and beautiful. Listen to the start.

I have nothing but praise for Tom Cochrane. Even unplugged he is as wonderful as always, and Songs of a Circling Spirit proves that he makes real, living music.

Never liked his music much, happened to see a live acoustic session on TV one night. Immediately went out and bought this album.

Really excellent musicianship on guitars and percussion, and the vocals are excellent.

This CD gives Americans access to Tom Cochrane. Often overlooked south of the border, Cochrane's lyrics have always been lost by American audiences in the steel guitar sound of Red Rider.

But Cochrane's writing evokes emtions felt by all human beings. This CD connects the lyrics to the audience with the music used as a canvas for this masterful collection.

From the desparate White Hot to the simplistic Dreamer's Dreams, Cochrane's words echoe clearly through his rugged voice. For the first time you really understand what Lunatic Fringe and Napolean Sheds His Skin are all about.

When I first began playing this CD in my office, my students and interns became enchanted with the music. I was besieged by requests to play the CD. They could not recognize the musician as Tom Cochrane, but that soon changed.

The CD is a great date CD.

It is ashame that the record companies lack the gumption to promote a singer/writer like Cochrane. He is Canada's best kept musical secret.

As an avid Tom Cochrane fan, thus having most of his CDs, I would rate this his best. The quality of the music and the dynamic range of the recording are superb. All songs are strong and flow nicely together. Tom's distinct voice clearly compliments the simple and pleasing arrangements.

This is an excellent easy listening album that still rocks! Superb versions of Paper Tigers and I Wish You Well.

When I picked this CD up I thought it was going to be pretty cool. I have always like Tom Cochrane and Red Rider. However after putting this CD in my player it quickly came out after a couple of listenings.

The first problem is Tom Cochrane is clearly a studio/electric musician because his voice on this CD was none too good. Most of the songs found on Songs of a Circling Spirit are not good unplugged covers...I may have liked only a couple, but hardly worth the effort to find them or struggle through the rest of the CD.

But his other 2 albums LONG before buying this one.