Customer Reviews

Soularium

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great CD! I've been listening to Sister Soleil since Drown Me In You came out, and although I prefer her older stuff, this is a wonderful follow-up. If you're expecting a lot of her darker, more atmospheric style from Drown Me In You, you're in for a surprise. The opener, Feel My Love, hints at older songs like Lava Lamp. Although the excellent remakes of Red (cool addition of the scratching!!) and Chair (blows away the original) retain their older sound, about half of the CD is more optimistic than past efforts from the band. Hit Me is a standout track of the darker songs, with a great industrial beat. It should have been a single! After seeing the title of the song AOL, I expected dumb pop music, but it's a great song! Lots of attitude, like the track Lounge Lizard. Torch is a good song; I like the slow interlude halfway through the song. Strength is a good believe-in-yourself preaching pop song, although I don't think the chorus fits with the sound of the rest of the song. Liar is the only song on the album that I can't stand to listen to; the intro makes me cringe. The CD closes with Butterfly, a happy, pretty little song. As for the interludes between the songs, some of them work quite well, others are kind of give-or-take. Overall, a great major label debut from an awesome Chicago band.

Anyone remember that annoying "Kiss Kiss" by Stella Soleil from a couple of years ago? "Kiss Kiss" was one of those songs that exemplifies what an 'earworm' is. It is an annoyingly catchy song that just sticks in your head and won't go away for months on end. Thankfully that song didn't do anything for Stella's career. It was too poppy for my tastes. I greatly preferred her work with her old band Sister Soleil. "Soularium" was a far superior cd than "Dirty Little Secret". "Soularium" was a fusion of techno, industrial, and rock music. The techno/industrial beats vaguely reminded me of Collide and Garbage. Stella Soleil isn't your typical vocalist. She has that same high-pitched, delicate singing style that I hear in Sarah Brightman. It isn't obvious but I personally can hear a bit of Sarah in Stella's voice. Most of the songs are really good. I particularly enjoy "Feel My Love", "Butterfly", and "Chair" but "AOL" is my least favorite song on the cd. I found the chorus to be annoying. It is too bad that this band didn't last very long. They did possess a great amount of potential.

Okay. So there is some bias. Stella (and John, her brother) Katsoudas are old friends from Chicago. Picked the album up. Love the remakes of the songs which were already burned in my mind. The cd plays constantly at night. Feels like I'm home. There is nothing on the airwaves that compares to the sound of Stella's voice. Nothing. Finally, I have always thought, there is music worth listening to.

4.5 stars would probably be a better review for this album. This is because of all those interludes (there are five, I believe) and because of the really cheesy pop-ska song "Liar." Everything else on SOULARIUM is remarkable. There are so many good moments on this album it's hard to pick out where to start. "Red" is a reallt cool dancy piano ballad. "Torch" (You may have heard this one; it's like number 78 on the Modern Rock Charts) is like a great Chemical Brothers song with a female singer (that isn't Beth Orton). "AOL" is like some sort of Neo-Run DMC song that is actually really cool (except the refrain). "Hit Me", on the other hand, has the greatest refrain ever written (I want you dead/die). "Butterfly" is the final song on the album and probably the most upbeat. I hope Stella beats up Celine Dion, the Backstreet Boys, and all those other really bad pop stars. Buy this album.

I LOVE this CD, it's stuck in my CD player for life!
This CD features many different techno & pop sounds to
it. It features the hits "TORCH", "BLIND" & "BUTTERFLY".
It also features re-done versions of "RED" & "CHAIR"
from the debut EP "DROWN ME IN YOU". I would have
to say that this is my favorite band! Oh, I almost forgot,
Sister Soleil has released a new album under the name of
Stella Soleil, it's called "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" and it features the hits "KISS KISS" & "STAND UP"....

First heard SS on a local radio hour in Chicago, since then I have become forever addicted. This is my favorite CD of all time, and I can venture to say it always will be. The melodic combination of eclectic and invigorating beats is perfectly accented by the angelic voice of Stella. Buy this CD, you will not be dissapointed, no matter what your taste in mucis is.

I cannot believe this was not a major hit. All I can say is that this album is AMAZING!! If you love strong and edgy female rock/pop, than this album is above the rest. If you are thinking about buying it, don't think anymore. Believe me GET IT NOW!! You will not be disappointed.

... She has a great spirit about her and sings from inside. what an artist! ...

I hadn't gotten into Sister Soleil's music until I started listening to her newer cd, "Dirty Little Secret". I realized that the familiar older name Sister Soleil was the same person. I knew only one song from Soularium..."Torch". After I bought the cd and listened to all of the songs, I got addicted. It's my favorite cd now, and I love all the songs on it, although some ARE pretty bizarre.

im not even going to try to review this masterpiece, all i can say is that it is AMAZING. What i did want to point out though, is that Corey Taylor from Slipknot does backup vocals on "Liar", which shows a whole new side of his vocal talent to Slipknot fans. Check this out.