Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First Of A Five-Star Series, May 14, 2000
The CD starts out with the beautifully relaxing "Free Fall" from Mars Lasar, with expertly placed electronic harmony vocals which add a lovely touch. We then move on to Emer Kenny's "Heaven", which uses her lilting, subdued voice to evoke Celtic mysticism over a laid-back dance-pop beat. "Sure-As-Not", by Afro-Celt Sound System, is sonically similar but has more of an African/dance sound to it, and relies less heavily on vocals and more so on guitar. With the drums mixed down on the track, "Port Na bPucai" allows Norin Ni Riain's vocals to soar, and soar they do. This is a Celtic-flavored guitar-based track. "Massai Rain" by Miriam Stockley is a high-energy electronic-influenced African tribal-like song, with Stockley's gorgeous and powerful vocals multi-layered on top. Truly one of the highlights on the CD. Govinda's "Nomads" is a Mid-eastern flavored track with a very rhythmic drum beat. With Marcome's angelic voice, the next track, "Librarsi", is truly a gem to be noticed. A subdued but insitent rhythm and ethereal synthesizers transport you to a beautiful place inside your mind. David Arkenstone contributes "Trail Of Tears", which, even though it has a nice rhythm, tends to become overly repetitive. "Forever", by Nicholas Gunn, is similar to "Free Fall", but is much slower and dramatic, and more Celtic-influenced. "Circle Of Friendship" is a beautiful combination of Celtic and Native American influences by Joanne Shenandoah, and her sweet voice complements the mix. Stonecoat's "To All My Relations" is very simlar to "Circle" but contains less of the female vocal element and more chanting. Annebjorg Lien's "Prisme" is an enchanting mix of Celtic and Norwegian folk, and one of the more acoustic cuts on the CD. Christopher Franke's "Silence Of The Eclipse" sounds like it was lifted from the soundtrack of an 80s TV show. One to skip. The true winner on this compilation is F.R.E.U.D.'s "World Of Wonders", combining dance-pop and new age with Cora Donovan's soaring vocals and beautiful instrumentation. The disc ends with Harold Budd's "Niki D", a slow, jazzy number that is also one to skip--slow and uninteresting. With only two thin spots, this compilation ranks high.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First from a stunning series., December 2, 2001
I remember hearing something at a bookstore and loving the music. So I asked the clerk what it was and he showed me the cover of this album. So I bought this album even though I only heard one song off of it and what a buy. I was amazed at the aural beauty that was coming out of my boombox when I played the CD. Mars Lasar by Mars Lasar is a very haunting track that 11th Hour fans will love. It has beautiful keyboards and some Jazz guitar playing and some breezing at the beginnings and endings. This was the song that I heard at the bookstore that made me want to buy this CD. Heaven by Emer Kenny is a breathtaking Celtic Groove with stunning whispering vocals and a danceable beat. Sure-As-Not is a stunning piece from the Celtic masterminds Afro-Celt Sound System. It's a dark, Celtic almost wintery track with some ambience and plenty. The sound blips and the breathing sound effects at the beginning and ending are a perfect backdrop to this amazing song. Port Na Bpucai by Norin Ni Riain is a stunning Celtic New-Age pop song with stunning vocals and a wintery evening mood. Massai Rain by Miriam Stockley is the winner on this album. It's a techno dance song that contains African chants and some Jazz instruments. Usually I don't like world music mixing with techno but it worked here and this is my favorite song on this CD. Nomads by Govinda is a strongly Middle Eastern track with some acoustic guitars. I hate to say it but this song is a two and a half minute assault on my ears. Librarsi by Marcome is a beautiful song with vocals that easily resemble that of Enyas. Trail Of Tears by David Arkenstone is a somber track with a Native American feel and Native American flutes and a groovy drum loop. Forever by Nicholas Gunn is a breathtaking song that is like Mars Lasar but much slower, less jazzy and with a more Celtic feel and a stormy atmosphere. Circle Of Friendship by Joanne Shenandoa is a beautiful jaz-pop sounding track with some chanting vocals and beautiful piano playing towards the ending. To All My Relations by Stonecoat is a very new-age pop sounding groove with Native American chanting and flutes to create a stunning track. Prisme by Annbjorg Lien is a more Norwegian folk track with some Celtic feel to it. The flutes and the chanting towards the ending are breathtaking. Silence Of The Eclipse by Christopher Franke is a very haunting track with a very ambient sound. Definately a must hear. World Of Wonders by F.R.E.U.D. is a very romantic pop sounding with amazing vocals and an atmosphere that brings up images of two lovers running in the distance through large gardens in the hills. Nikki D by Harold Budd is a great closer to this CD. It's a jazzy ambient track with some bass playing and beauriful piano playing. This CD is wonderful and is a great first addition to this killer new age compilation series. Just this album alone has more power to grab your soul than all of the three Pure Moods CD put together. I strongly recommend getting this CD. It's worth buying just for Massai Rain. And get the the other Elevation CDs as well especially the fourth one. And get the Earthtone Collection CDs as well. They are absolutely brilliant.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful to the senses, July 15, 2000
By A Customer
The first and the best (in my opinion) of these wonderful compilation cd's, although Elevation 3 has some great stuff on it too. I just couldn't get into Elevation 2 for some reason. I HIGHLY recommend Elevation and Elevation 3 for fans of New Age, who like a little Celtic and Jazz mixed in for good measure. I can hardly wait for their next one! For additional compilations such as these, check out "The Best New Age" volumes (six in all, I believe), that feature EKO, CUSCO, NEAL SCHON (great! -who'd of thought?), and lots more. I have 3 of these, all great. They may be out of print, but I think you can still get them here on Amazon or Cdnow, or your local used cd trading store. Enjoy!
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~ Various Artists - Dance & DJ - Ambient
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is mainly New Age, quite Pop, with hints of Alternative”
