Customer Reviews

State of Grace II: Turning to Peace

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Inspired and based on two Latin texts: the Magnificat and the Stabat Mater, Paul Schwartz set out to create yet another masterpiece filled with unspeakable beauty. For some reason 'State Of Grace II' took a while to grow on me but I've come to love it dearly. I don't think it's as good as the first 'State Of Grace', and it doesn't live up to the standard of his other works either, but it was still remarkably done and you can't expect anything less than excellence from this brilliant, BRILLIANT man. There are many classical crossover acts nowadays but none have blown me away in quite the same way composer Paul Schwartz has.

Amidst the lush orchestrations and ambient rhythms, there's much more chamber-like choral singing than ever before but fear not for Lisbeth Scott's angelic vocal talent is present in almost every track, including my absolute favorite, "Turning To Peace". Every time I hear that song I get choked up at the passion evoked in her voice as the spirit rises within her. Another highlight is "Curacion (Sunlight On Water)", which is a rendition of the amazing "Miserere" from the last State Of Grace. It sounds very different from the original, though. It's an instrumental that features the mystical/legendary Santana on guitar.

By no means am I a fan of "church" music but he takes religious themes and creates some of the most gorgeous pieces I've ever had the pleasure of indulging in with modern compositions. There's just no denying his exceptional, God-given genius so why not give in and buy this already? You won't be disappointed.

Paul Schwartz has followed State of Grace with a sequel that is even better than his first effort. My favorite song on the first one was Miserere, because of the choir, and this cd has 4 songs that feature the choir. Lisbeth Scott sounds amazing, particularly on Stabat Mater, which is hauntingly beautiful.

By the way the reviewer below who complains about the presence of Ave Maria has misunderstood something. The Ave Maria is a text, not a song. This version that Mr. Schwartz has written is a brand new song, not a cover of a pre-existing song. There are probably thousands of settings of the Ave Maria words, although Schubert's is the most famous. Anyway, the version here is gorgeous.

I'm giving this cd out as a Christmas present. It's perfect!

you will love this album.... if you are a fan of classical/ pop/vocal ambient music. which i am happy to say i am one of those people. oh my gosh. this album is amazing. there are 3 songs that truly make this album a good buy. those tracks are turning to peace, stabat mater, and let me. my favorite has to be: turning to peace.... which is to beautiful to describe. lisbeth's vocals are truly amazing. carlos santana makes a guest appearance on the track curacion(sunlight on water) which is amazing. this album is very beautiful , and relaxing. the choirs are cool, and you really can feel the spiritness of it all. if this review doesn't seem helpful, i am sorry. it's hard to explain an album that is truly this good. .....truly this good. all in all, this is the perfect sequel to state of grace 1.

Paul Schwartz creates truly unique music that is complex and beautiful. State of Grace 2 is a recording of very high quality that will absolutely push your stereo to its sonic limits. The choral and orchestral arrangements are simply beautiful! Way to go, Paul! Can't wait for Aria 3 and SoG 3.

Brent

My first introduction to Paul Schwartz was a few years ago with "Aria". I didn't know at the time how big of a fan I would become of his music. Then a year or two ago, I bought "State of Grace". I was immediately enchanted with this breathtaking music. I was totally moved by his compositions and Lisbeth Scott's vocals. Later I bought "Earthbound" which was and still is quite good. I was pleased to hear earlier this year that he was putting out another State of Grace cd. I found a copy today in the used bins when I was out running some errands on my day off. I must admit that I wasn't completely moved by "State of Grace II" when I first listened to it. The music just didn't have the same emotional impact that the first cd had on me. Still I was pleased to hear Lisbeth Scott on songs like "Fear Not" (a moving ballad), "Turning to Peace", and of course "Ave Maria" (a standard for classical/pop artists to cover). Speaking of "Ave Maria", I just realize that this is probably one of the most covered song in the classical/pop category. Who hasn't sung this overplayed song? Opera Babes sung it as had Sarah Brightman, Charlotte Church, and I think Josh Groban too. I love "Ave Maria" but at the rate it is being covered, I am getting pretty close to being sick and tired of it. Enough already. I thought it was real interesting to hear Carlos Santana contribute to an album filled with enchanting classical/pop songs, with his song "Curacion (Sunlight on Water)". I guess my only beef with the song is that it feels out of place with the rest of the songs. Otherwise I do like the song. Honestly. As I am listening to "State of Grace II" again, the cd has started to settle in and I am beginning to really enjoy it more. For all its flaws, I am still glad to see Paul Schwartz had made another "State of Grace" cd. I just wished that he could have found a different song other than "Ave Maria" to put on the cd. Lovely song by all means but as I have stated earlier, it is starting to wear out its welcome with me whenever I buy a classical/pop album.

From the many positive reviews already here, it's clear that this is likely to be music most people looking at this webpage will like or love. I wish I'd not bought this CD, though, and am thinking that if I could come up with a way to predict that reaction for any others (if there are any who might share my taste) then it might be helpful.

I do very much like one of the tracks, the one for which the CD is named; if I were into downloading music instead of buying the whole CD, then I'd think that downloading that one track was a wonderful idea and would highly recommend it. And I don't actually strongly dislike a few other tracks, including the Santana track. But for the most part, I disliked most of the tracks enough to have trouble playing them all the way through a single time.

I don't much care for Kitaro, so if you don't either, even if you're not sure why, that might be a clue. The two artists aren't similar in anything other than what I think of as the overuse of dramatic orchestration, so that might be what turns me off. You might figure I don't like Beethoven's 9th, then? No, I very much like great classical music of all kinds; I'm there with the classical artists when they magically go where they go. And I have several albums of beautiful choir music, both acapella and supported by instruments, starting with Hildegard von Bingen, and I love beautiful voice; it's not the voice or voices that turn me off. I have a good bit of new age music too and like it all generally, including a good many from the old Windham Hill artists and also including Will Ackerman's "Hearing Voices". I also like Enya, Loreena McKennitt, and the wonderful Monica Hatch on her "Bright Seraphim". Go figure...

There's just something about the way this music is put together that causes me to focus on its construction to the point that it feels somehow phony; I don't get into most of the music. The orchestra at times swells with drama that seems out of place, expressing nothing so much as perhaps the liklihood it could be a soundtrack for a movie that would miss its mark with me. At other times the orchestra and voice together don't seem so much complementary as competitive.

I might be the only one like that, and the majority of those who are reading this probably ought to ignore my listening experience.

I did go back to listen to a few of the sample snippets from the tracks, though, and they still sound interesting to me, the same as they did when I decided to purchase the CD. The snippets are possibly not long enough to forecast a strong dislike for the longer tracks, if you are going to end up disliking them (or most of them).

To the artists, if you happen to see this: You just can't please every listener every time. Remember that I really do like one of the tracks! Just keep pleasing yourself doing what you enjoy doing, and you'll always have lots of grateful listeners.

I find this music expands my soul. After a tough day at work with all of the normal agrivations, listening to this music makes me feel whole again. It releases me from my troubles.

I am not, in general, a fan of 'this kind of music' - whatever that may mean - but somehow this CD is turning up with incredible regularity in my CD player - in rotation with (among other artists' work, of course) Paul Schwartz's State of Grace 1, Aria 2, and Earthbound.

This man's music is, outside of any categorization, simply very good. Complex, rich, beautiful, sensual, even hot. Spiritual only in as much as spirituality is also soul-ful, rooted deeply in the gut. Where it could be called ethereal, I would say ethereal with a deep and throbbing pulse at base.

It seems in fact a shame to relegate his work to a category, limiting the scope of his prospective audience. I urge anyone, no matter what your purported tastes in music, to give his work a listen. Or two or three.

I look forward to a live performance in the near future.

For those who need the track titles, here they are:

1 magnificat
2 turning to peace
3 curación (sunlight on water)
4 stabat mater
5 quia respexit
6 fear not
7 et misericordia
8 suscepit israel
9 ave maria
10 gloria
11 let me

easily obtained from paul's web site, http://www.paulschwartz.com which also has full bio, photos, tour dates, lyrics and audio snips.

I don't think I have heard a more beautifully uplifting CD ever. All tracks are wonderful but my favorite being "Magnificat". The Crouch End Festival Chorus can not be surpassed; truly an extremely talented group. Having loved the gone and mystical Latin mass, this reminds me of how very much we Catholics miss. Bravo to Paul Schwartz on this truly magnificent work.