Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Let any one tell you what is and or isn't kool !, February 9, 2006
I have to confess something... as much as I love Mehdi, I don't actually own a single one of his albums. I'll have to correct that soon. Years ago, when I was in high school, my mother used to play Instrumental Dream all the time, and that was how I got hooked on him. I didn't want her to know how much I liked it, since that kind of music wasn't cool for young people, so when she was out I would play her collection over and over again, and then whip it out of the player as soon as she got home. By the time I got into college, I had largely outgrown things like worrying about what people thought of my musical preferences, so I listened to Mehdi anytime I went home. During the month I spent studying for the bar exam, I listened to this music almost obsessively... and I passed the exam on the first try, so maybe it helped! Since I moved out of her house and got my own place, I'd forgotten how much I loved Mehdi's music until I happened across it at the library the other day. I immediately checked it out, and it woke a craving in me to hear some of my favorite tunes again. So I convinced my mother to loan me her entire collection.
Mehdi's generally found in the New Age section, but don't you dare let that stop you from enjoying this magnificent, world class instrumental music. If you're not familiar with his work, and you like the sound of "Instrumentals" better than "new age," I guarantee you'll like what you hear. If you don't find it entirely enchanting, you could get tired of it before the album's over, although I personally can't get enough of this disc.
Go ahead, turn the volume way up and let it envelop you the way instrumental music was meant to, and I challenge you not to shiver or even tear up a little during your first listen of this fabulous collection.
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and filled with emotion, August 23, 2004
I found Mehdi via Amazon, looking for something similar to Loreena McKinnet's instrumentals. Never mind the one or two reviewers who label this as elevator music. A cheap rendition of Copa Cabana fills that category, and Mehdi is nowhere near that end of the spectrum. Any song from Mehdi's collection is in itself unique and colorful. The music flows softly, allowing you to use it for any occasion: reading, studying, writing, dinner parties, driving, etc. I've even used it for background music while on the computer. It is soothing, calming, and brings to mind your own images of what each note represents to you, personally. I describe it as a soundtrack for your life. Since I found several songs on each cd sample I liked, I went ahead and bought the gift set. It's worth every penny and all of them are unique. Once you hear these melodies, Mehdi will not fail to accompany your every adventure.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Beautiful ....., February 9, 2006
While Mehdi's pieces vary in mood, they have one thing in common-- they are so beautiful, and played with such passion, they will put you into an exalted state of bliss. I think very few people will be lukewarm to Mehdi's music; you'll probably find it either heart-wrenchingly lovely, or dull as all-git-out and sappy to boot. While some tracks are noticeably upbeat and uplifting, such as Millenium Dance, Images Of The Heart, Twinkling Star and Star Gazer, far more of them are meditative, introspective, even downright melancholy. Some of the orchestrated pieces have arrangements that give them a distinctly touchy-feely "new-agey" sound which some listeners may find a turn-off, but many others are classically inspired compositions. Most of my favorite pieces have a more classical and less new age sound to them. He tends to have a firm touch on the keyboard, playing the notes crisply in all but the most meditative works. But when a light touch is called for, he plays with an airy delicacy, as shown in Wedding Song.
My personal favorites include Grace & Forgiveness, which begins with a string tremelondo's, sparkling chorus punctuated by a melancholy feel on the piano, and then moves into a dramatic cello solo which reminds me of a haunting movie score! It's purely uplifting, inspirational, and wonderful.
This 7 Disc set is a great introduction to Mehdi and shows most of the range of his exceptional talent. I just can't get enough of some of my favorite tracks I listed above. It's great music any time you need to relax, wash the dishes, stroll on the beach, de-stress after a hectic day, romance your sweetheart, perform thoracic surgery, have a quiet dinner... or really pretty much anything other than going to the rodeo. I would say it makes good background music, but I find it far too lovely to push into the back of my mind. If it were playing at a cocktail party, I'd be sitting next to the speaker listening to it instead of mingling. If you don't want to spring for the set, I highly recommend Instrumental Imagery, which features some of his most soulful playing. Now get thee hence, listen, buy, Love!
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