Spirits of the World

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 2, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earthtone
• ASIN: B00004SZW9
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,089 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lyra (Ta Muid) - Celtic Spirit

2. In My Deepest Dreams - Ikarus

3. Compassion - Govinda

4. Summertime - Angelique Kidjo

5. Turale - Yasue

6. Namah Shivaya - Krishna Das

7. Mon Amie La Rose - Natacha Atlas

8. Brave New World - Stanley/Stockley

9. Heart Of The Rainforest - Primal Instinct

10. Hope - Bryan Miller

11. The New World - Gaia

12. Lhasa Love - Suzanne Teng

13. Shivo'ham, Shivo'ham - Dave Stringer

14. Yulunga - Dead Can Dance

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is an admirable CD and bears a space in the collection of every fan of world and New Age music. Featuring a notable lineup of acclaimed artists such as Dead Can Dance, Miriam Stockley, Celtic Spirit, Krishna Das, Natacha Atlas, and Govinda, Spirits of the World is a sonorous mix of melody, harmony, and groove. The songs have been selected for their ability to work together as a whole, and indeed, Spirits of the World is that rare compilation CD where every track is a hit. An exceptional cut is Angelique Kidjo's steamy, ardent rendering of the Gershwin brothers' "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. You can almost smell the magnolia blossoms. Also featured is the classic "Namah Shivaya" by Krishna Das, rich with strong vocals and rhythms. Spirits of the World tops out with a favorite Dead Can Dance track, "Yulanga (Spirit Dance)," making this a truly worthwhile recording. Highly recommended. --Leslie Marini

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Travel The World!, June 12, 2000

By 

William A. Moses "moses_reviews" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirits of the World (Audio CD)

This truly is an assembly of a great sample of some of the world's best music! In its eclectic splendor, you are taken on a cross-culture journey to experience the sounds of indigenous instruments including a dumbek, shaker, slack guitar, pan flute, ocarinas, didgeridoo, nose harp, congas, and many ethnic voices. I especially like the second track "In My Deepest Dreams" by the fabulous "Ikarus." "Primal Instinct" and "Dead Can Dance" are of course additional favorites. The rest of the artists on this CD merit closer inspection as well. A well rounded and very enjoyable collection of music and sounds I'm sure you will enjoy again and again! Take this journey! You will not regret it! Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Having, August 20, 2000

By 

Gary Smith "Gary" (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirits of the World (Audio CD)

Another Earthtone CD to my collection--I have rarely gone wrong there. I really enjoyed this CD and it enabled me to find Yasue, a fantastic group. If you like a smooth foreign (sounds Japanese)feel that cuts through all ethnic barriers, this is for you. I highly recommend this album.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some great, some not so great, April 29, 2001

By 

Lavode (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirits of the World (Audio CD)

1. Celtic Spirit: Like a mix of Era and Mike Oldfield. If all their stuff is like this, I'm hooked!
2. Ikarus: Middle Eastern vocals with African rhythm. Surprisingly accessible.
3. Govinda: Ambient music with a middle eastern feel. Nice, but not remarkable.
4. Angˇlique Kidjo: What would happen if Adiemus decided to perform "Summertime" in African? I think it would go a little something like this.
5. Yasuˇ: Japanese New Age more in the line of Jean-Michel Jarre than Kitaro, Yasuˇ deserves a closer look.
6. Krishna Das: If Nick Cave sang Indian music, he might sound like this. Surprisingly tribal sounding in its arrangement, and not what one usually thinks of as Indian music. Great stuff, but goes a little long.
7. Natacha Atlas: OK, french lyrics, ambient music, middle eastern vocals. A real mishmash of styles, and all I can say about it is that its interesting.
8. Stanley/Stockley: The voice behind Adiemus singing with a different band. This is what I wish Adiemus would do, instead of doing the same thing all the time. Nice, but not terribly remarkable.
9. Primal Instinct: Reminiscent of the pan flute music you'd hear at The Cannery in San Francisco. Pleasant New Age music.
10. Bryan Miller: Nice, nondescript flute new age music.
11. Ga*a: Nice nondescript flute new age music.
12. Suzanne Teng: Nice, nondescripts flute new age music.
13. Dave Stringer: Wasn't expecting to have any patience for this after the last 3. Some sitar music with middle-eastern vocals. However, this is one of the best done songs with this style I have ever heard. Powerful vocals, and the sitar takes the back seat the whole way.
14. Dead Can Dance: More middle eastern music, this time fairly heavily arabic. Not one of this band's better tunes.
Why is it that a lot of world beat is heavily Indian or Middle Eastern? What about an album that only has ONE middle eastern song and ONE Indian song??? That would leave some room for Native American, and other folk styles. Were it not for this albums 3 boring flute pieces and the Dead Can Dance, this disc would be fantastic. As it is, it is good on the whole.