Customer Reviews

Spirits of the World

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

 

 

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!

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.

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. AngŽlique Kidjo: What would happen if Adiemus decided to perform "Summertime" in African? I think it would go a little something like this.
5. YasuŽ: Japanese New Age more in the line of Jean-Michel Jarre than Kitaro, YasuŽ 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.

I like this CD a lot! Beside mainstream bringing you Dead can Dance, Ikarus and Govinda and also some pop/ethno stuff from Miriam Stockley(voice of Adiemus!). Have a listen!