Whaler

Sophie B. Hawkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 26, 1994)
• Original Release Date: July 26, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000028XW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,935 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1. Right Beside You 2. Did We Not Choose Each Other 3. Don't Don't Tell Me No 4. As I Lay Me Down 5. Swing From Limb To Limb (My Home Is In Your Jungle) 6. True Romance 7. Let Me Love You Up 8. The Ballad Of Sleeping Beauty 9 . I Need Nothing Else 10. Sometimes I See 11. Mr. Tugboat Hello

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars . . . like fine cognac in crystal., December 6, 1998

By 

Randolph Bradley "RBJ" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whaler (Audio CD)

Elle chante tres belle! And her writing is superb. Sophie may bring to mind Madonnaesque writing and singing until the maturity and lusciousness of songs such as "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)," "True Romance," and "As I Lay Me Down" establish art of breadth. Although the lyrics are slightly cryptic, anyone can relate to their plaintive declaration of classically romantic love. Whaler is the only Sophie album I've listened to; thus, there is no reference point to her other work. Nevertheless, I was skeptical in purchasing Whaler, having only heard the radio hit, "As I Lay Me Down." Oftentimes, radio hits are album highlights. On Whaler, "As I lay me Down" is the average. To me, "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty) and "True Romance" are better songs than "As I Lay Me Down." These songs are slow torch songs. "Right Beside You," (Song #1) is fast with a big synthesized sound; however, Sophie is best with slow torch songs.

Incredibly, Sophie's musical breadth encompasses Broadway (e.g., Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber): Tunes such as "Mr. Tugboat Hello" and "Let Me Love You Up" juxtapose "As I Lay Me Down," proving Whaler the profound work that it is. Sophie says, "J `ai un regrette et mes chansons," meaning that she is left with regret and her songs. (I've never experienced such writing in a female singer before that takes sorrow in life and transforms it into joy.) Might we all be better for suffering?

Whaler is a celebration of life for romantics that will overtake you with joy in a few listenings (or immediately). You have to take all of Whaler's parts as a whole, which flows like warm honey--the lyrics and melody from song #1 to song #11; this is very satisfying!

My favorite song is "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty). The childish title does not detract from the beauty and seriousness of this song. She, like me, believes in the unreal. For example, Belle loved the Beast in spite of his ugly face, because he REALLY needed her, and his ugly face could not eclipse his true love for her.

I look forward to more Sophie, who is a little Madonna, a little Natalie Merchant, a little Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a lot of Sophie B. Hawkins. . . .

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on Production, September 13, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Whaler (Audio CD)

I'm sure you've had the experience of finding an old tape or CD that you bought for one or two songs tucked away in a drawer somewhere. Unable to remember what song was the 'one' you pop it in the player and discover that the rest of the album was every bit as good.

'Whaler' seems to doomed to perpetual semi-obscurity, occasionally rediscovered, but most often forgotten. Which is a bit of a shame. There are more than a handful of excellent ballads here (Only Love - Did We Not Choose Each Other - As I Lay Me Down) and many others that are only slightly short of that level. Hawkins has an 'interesting' voice - whispery rather than whiskey, capable of sharpening to a pure tonal quality when needed. And the lyrics are far from simpleminded.

Perhaps it is the overpowering production values used. She gets more backup and studio work than many stars, and this occasionally rings a trifle false. But, after all, it was as a pop singer that she was trying to make a breakthrough, and I can't really fault her for putting everything she had into the effort.

I find that now, years after I bought it, the album repays listening with a sufficiently of performance. A bit more than easy listening and worth investigating.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As I lay me down, May 10, 2003

By 

Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whaler (Audio CD)

I have not listened to "Whaler" in years but I recently popped this cd into the stereo because I always come back to listen to the gorgeous ballad "As I Lay Me Down" so I felt compelled to listen to the cd in its entirety. "Whaler" is a gorgeous pop album which I always thought was highly overlooked back in 1998, let alone Sophie B. Hawkins as a vocalist. The album is filled with lush pop melodies. Very soothing and cathartic to listen to on a cold, rainy night, especially when the songs are sung by Sophie who has such a lovely ethereal voice. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed listening to mid-tempo track "Right Beside You". The same with "Don't Don't Tell Me No". Of course my two favorite songs on the cd has to be the singles "As I Lay Me Down" and "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)". "As I Lay Me Down" still sends chills down my spine even all these years when I have gone through various musical phases. That is one of the best ballads I have ever heard and Sophie pulls it off without making the song sound cheesy ala Celine Dion. Obviously I am not the only person who loves this song to pieces. "As I Lay Me Down" have been used countlessly in films and television series. I wished that the follow up single "Only Love" received as much as airplay as "As I Lay Me Down". "Only Love" is another personal favorite song. I liked the album mix over the radio mix I heard when it was released as a single, same with "As I Lay Me Down". The radio mixes for those two songs totally ruined the essence of the songs. I also adore the hopelessly romantic "Let Me Love You Up". The title sounds silly but the melodies are simply gorgeous. Sophie certainly had a knack for pop melodies and she certainly showcased her abilities on "Whaler". Kinda sad to see her career in limbo.