Customer Reviews

Unparalleled: A Journey From the Roots of Telemark Skiing [VHS]

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

 

 

First of all the CD was difficult to find. Only able to hear it on the radio. The cut "Old Days Old Ways" would drive me out of my mind. I would change radio stations just looking for it. I have not heard anything so wonderful in a long time. Ronnie outdid himself. He mixes all music, leaves a message, plays dear to his heart and left me wanting more after the CD was done. I highly recommend this CD for all.

This is one of those CDs that tear your heart out; you know the kind -- the cut on the radio (Old Days)gets you excited, you purchase the disc and in the background, the record company is laughing because "you've been had"!! Simply put, this would have been a great CD if 1) the vocals were better (or, better yet, nonexistant), 2) Ronnie didn't try too hard to sound "urban", and 3) he could have resisted the urge to repeat the "hit" w/o vocals (will anyone really know the difference to choose?)

Word to the wise...if ya want Jazz, IT AIN"T HERE!!! Go get Ronnie's "Brotherhood" or the "Tribute to Eddie Harris" discs.

I purchased this on 4/25/03 and cannot seem to stop playing it. "old days, old ways" has that great EWF feel. This cd has a funk/jazz feel, but yet contemporary as well, I have been looking for this type of jazz for a while. This is cd is the reason why I love jazz. I look for jazz like this. The uptempo style will seriously get you into a groove. Reminds me of the late great GEORGE HOWARD style. I would give it 6 STARS. Great Jazz!!!

A film for every skier. If you freeheel or want to know what it's all about this is definitely one for your archives.

For anyone who wants to do the hardest thing on the mountain. They need to watch this!! Alpine, Snow skates, and Boarders can't hold a candle to the Skiers in this film. No mater who you are or what you do if you enjoy the snow or so called "extreem sports" you will enjoy this film.

It's just by chance that I'm even reviewing this. Been very much interested in Ronnie Laws music. At the same time listening to any music he recorded after 1990 simply didn't have any appeal to me. Yes partly it was that particular generational cycle in music perhaps. Just ran into this by accident at a local Goodwill (you'd be surprised at the grab bag of great music one can find places like that). For one thing,the album cover almost gave me doubts. Looking like it was made on a period laptop in about five minutes gave me the impression this was a budget compilation of some sort. But the nice portrait on the back and prodction credits by Motown's own Eddie Holland gave me to realize this was a real album. And perhaps a good one. And that perhaps I should give it a chance. It really wasn't a mistake.

With Larry Dunn actually still in play and Ronnie providing most of the rest of the music outside some help on guitar,bass and backround singers the album is one of his more instrumental excursions. And somewhat adventorous at that. While it's definitely produced urban music,somehow wouldn't quite call it smooth jazz,numbers such as the title song,"Wonderland" and "Another World" present layered synthesizer and sax improvizations with many quick turns. They definitely resemble what I call chilly,cloudy,rainey day late 80's jazz-funk if you get my drift. A lot of scaling into minor chords and such. The vocal numbers tend to be a bit experimental for Laws. On "Once Upon A Time" and "You Knew" he's expirimenting with rap,though in a more jazz poetry context. "DLT (Do Little Time)" is more prominant in the hip hop influence as Ronnie himself raps in bit on this reflective tale regarding the risks involved in a life of crime.

As with just about everything I've heard from Ronnie Laws after about 1983,it doesn't do anything too incredibly surprising. And again the songs sometimes take a little while to reveal their musical rewards. But there's something comforting about it all. Ronnie Laws seems to be one of these musicians who can make transitions from changing musical and production styles,from different eras,without surrendering himself to passing trends or coming out looking too embarrassing for anything. Often times,new ideas in sound and instrumentation often seem to have the result of in fact energizing and inspiring what he does. And considering he and most of his saxaphone contemporaries have the most imitated sounds among contemporary jazz sax players,Ronnie never seems to lose too much insight into how to musically progress realistically and enjoyably.

I lost my original copy of this cd and I am pleased to aquire it again. I like to think I have a nice extensive collection of music and this is an absolute must to have in any jazz genre.

The track Old Days/Old Ways is great, but this cd is not very impressive, and the vocals are just average. If you are looking for something unique, you might love this album, but many people that expect a "smooth jazz" sound will be left a little bit disappointed after hearing Dream a Little.