Customer Reviews

Sura

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Chloe has gathered spiritual chants and songs from all religions and performs them really nicely. She has a very good voice and had taken the time to put together some nice arrangements, musically.

My favorite cut is the first, Om Shiva, a Hindu chant performed as leader/response. I chant along with the response as part of my spiritual practice and find it very satisfying. It's also nicer sounding than the rough, untrained chanters on other "chant" CDs, and since I'm a singer, I guess I prefer her more trained, sweeter voice.

The other cuts I like are Self Inside Self which everyone maybe ought to chant in front of the mirror each day. Very uplifting. And Remember Me, which is set to the aria music of "When I Am Laid..." by Henri Purcell (Dido and Aeneas). There is also a Hildegard de Bingen chant, an Eastern European lullaby chant, and a medieval chant. Whatever you want is here. Enjoy.

And yes, it is great as accompanyment to yoga and dance. I use it for these as well. In fact, my introduction to this CD was in a Movement Therapy Group.

In this beautiful follow-up to her previous CD ("Devi"), Goodchild delivers once again with her amazing and powerful voice artistry. The selection "Gayatri Mantra" alone is worth the price of this CD. I sincerely hope Goodchild is already working on her NEXT CD even as I write this! She's phenomenal.

My favorite of her albums so far, Sura adds addictive rhythms to Chloe Goodchild's spiritually evocative voice. The main theme of this album is Hinduism, though other relgious traditions are touched upon as well. Her voice is low, open and expansive. The lyrics are repetitive, addictive, and often (not always) in foreign language. The songs vary from exciting invocations of Hindu spiritual beings to gentler, sleepier, more haunting almost "lament-style" songs influenced by other parts of the world. The sound quality is strong and professional.

This is definitely "experiencial music" - music that makes you feel transported to a dessert with the hot winds whipping through your hair, and ancient temples crumbling in the sand. It's very powerful in that way. But it's definitely not for people who prefer "songs" - as in, clear lyrics and clear melodies.

I recommend it highly for people who like to be swept away in sound and spirit!

Having been alternately entranced and disappointed by Chloe's previous CD 'Devi' I was not prepare for the loveliness of every track on this recording. The strength of her voice is astounding, as is its purity. 'Om Shiva'is powerful, and the exquisite, indian-ornamented settings of Hildegarde are wonderful - how well Hildegarde's compositions stand up to a melismatic eastern treatment. In particular 'Alilo' is hauntingly beautiful, and defies pinning down to one mood, apart from a shifting ecstasy.

Particularly effective is the use of instrumentation - do I detect the influence of John Tavener in the handbell like tones of 'Alilo'? I originally bought this remarkable lady's CD because of her performance in Tavener's Mary of Egypt - in the time since then, her skills have sharpened (in the Tavener piece, she sounds exhausted by the end)but her voice is still as earthy and ethereal, as deep and as pure as ever.
Truly amazing.

When I first reviewed this CD, I was not fond of many of the tracks--the only one I like was Shiva Om. But now, as I go back to listen to the other tracks, I find myself more and more drawn to it. Self Inside Self is simple, but haunting. Gayatri Mantra is also an excellent song for meditation. I would highly recommend this CD for anyone getting into meditation...