Exile

Pharoah's Daughter

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 2002)
• Original Release Date: July 2, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Knitting Factory
• ASIN: B000CAK4GS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #617,216 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 1/2 stars-- again, signs of things to come., July 9, 2007

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In many ways like their debut record, Basya Schecter's Pharaoh's Daughter's sophomore record, "Exile", has that feeling of home demo, except this time the band seems to have shed many of the folk leanings of their debut for a more pop (or maybe faux-electronica) meets Arab sound. Gone are the overt Jewish/Klezmer influences, so present on their "Daddy's Pockets" (and their later records).

This sonic change actually works pretty well-- Schecter's confident vocal and superb songwriting can carry the album well, but the track selection leads much to be desired, with no less than half a dozen midtempo numbers to open the album up, lending a blending feel of one cut ("Run") to another ("Man in my Head"), the notable standout being "Exile", which sounds like an electronica piece even though it lacks any of the typical electronica elements.

The second half of the record does significantly better, barring the odd spoken word "Paradise Hung" (which sounds like a good idea whose time hasn't quite arrived). "Statue" provides great swirling vocals interspersed with acoustic guitars, "Going Nowhere" picks up a bouncing energy and a seemingly endless array of oddball sounds and freak guitar skanks in the background, and even when it surrenders to midtempo ("Confession"), there's enough going on to maintain interest.

Like "Daddy's Pockets", "Exile" points the way for what's to come-- it's a bit unbalanced of a record and I think a bit less of a record than its predecessor. I rate it a bit low as a comparative measure to the superb records that follow. IF you've picked up an interest in the band, this one's worth checking out, otherwise start with "Out of the Reeds" or Schecter's superb solo record "Queen's Dominion".