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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best scores - and best Pat Metheny records - ever, December 6, 1999
Pat Metheny is a true musical poet. His score to Jane Hamilton's "A Map of the World" does something remarkable - it conjurs up not just the feeling and atmosphere of the book; it actually seems to address the central meaning and essense of forgiveness that makes this story one of the modern miracles of literature. As someone who has loved this book since it was released in the mid-90's, I was concerned when I heard that they were making a movie of it. I saw the movie the other night, and it is excellent. But the highlight of the film - and a major component of it's success is this hauntinly beautiful, truly deep music. Although there are comparisons to be made with Metheny's "Beyond the Missouri Sky", this music is far more substantial. There are several musical themes, especially the title theme melody, which appear regularly throughout this suite, that are some of Metheny's absolute best ballads. The harmonic ambiguity of the first piece on the record (you really cannot tell what key it is finally going to land in, it keeps modulating so much) sets EXACTLY the right tone for the protaganists (Alice Goodwin) mental state. And the basic sound Metheny is getting here out of his acoustic guitars is simply breathtaking - this man has the best touch of any acoustic guitarist in the world right now. But the most impressive aspect of this music is the excellent orchestral writing and overall scope of the music. The piece "Gone" has to be one of the most truly heartwrenching pieces of music writing since Mahler, or Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I always enjoyed the sections on Metheny's "Secret Story" where his guitar improvisations were mirrored by his orchestral conception - but here it seems to be more concentrated on a single aspect - that of a kind of very simple, but as mentioned before, ambiguous harmonically, kind of "Americana" that resonates as true to not only this story - but to the feeling of this time in American Life. If you are looking for the "virtuosic" Pat, he is actually here - there is no other guitarist I can think of who can render such detail harmonies out of a guitar and make it sound SO SIMPLE - which is the mark of true virtuosity. No, there are not a million notes a second, or those kind of catchy tunes that his regular group is known for. But for sheer beauty, originality, depth and soul, "A Map of the World" may contain Metheny's best work to date.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pat Metheny Has Written A New Map, November 28, 1999
If you're a fan of Pat Metheny's music, then this album is a must for the collection. Although not as free spirited as say "American Garage", and definately not as far out there as "Zero Tolerance For Silence", this newest release shows that Pat can do more than just play great guitar. This symphonic piece is soothing for the most part, and allows you to be introspective while listening to it. The titles alone say something about this album, with 28 cuts over 66+ minutes in length. The down side is that if you're looking for more of his percussive inspired music such as "First Circle" or even early works such as "Pat Metheny Group", this isn't going to be found here. The whole album is Pat on acoustic guitar backed by an orchestra (or in some instances an orchestra backed by Pat). The only member from PMG on this one is Steve Rodby on bass (even Lyle Mays is missing which I found a bit surprising). "A Map Of The World" is also not a one time listen through album. With the 28 songs on the project, it takes time to fathom the individual songs, and allow them to soak in. I've played this CD at least 6 times over the past 2 days, and I'm now finding that I'm going to continue listening to it. Once you've accomplished that, you'll find this CD in your frequent player catalog. Yes, Pat needs to come out with another PMG project like the old days (with songs like "Are You Going With Me" and "San Lorenzo"), but in the meantime this CD does help fill the void.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ignore Amazons Review, December 31, 1999
Even though Amazon gave it a 4 star review, it comes off at the end as if they don't care for this CD. If you are a Pat Metheny fan you will love this soundtrack. Its more than just background music. Comparing it to his previous work 'Secret Story" and "Missouri Sky' is valid, though its better than the latter (Metheny is a much better composer than Charlie Haden, and this CD is all Metheny), and the equal of "Secret Story". Though that CD is hard to top, its also closer to this one in its overall mood and sound. Buy "Map of the World" if your a fan. It will hold you over long enough till he comes out with his next Masterpiece.
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