Cusco - Inner Journeys (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Excellent music, few new ideas tho'

Dick K | Centreville, VA United States | 11/02/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a Cusco fan there will be no surprises here. That may be the good news or the bad depending on how you look at it. On the other hand if you're new to Cusco, this is fairly typical of the guys and very good.This CD is conceptually like Apurimac and even sounds a bit like it, in fact, some of the songs seem to have clips or ideas taken directly from there. But it's more sophisticated music -- lots of synths still here but (sampled or live?) there's also orchestral strings, piano, etc. Sound quality is great and the engineering is excellent.Having been a Cusco fan for lots of years, I personally can't quite decide how to rate this one. I like it, it fits right with Apurimac and Ancient Journeys, yet I find it less exciting and with fewer new ideas in the music. 3 1/2 stars would be about right.So bottom line? If you like Cusco and like the idea of a laid-back Apurimac then get this for sure. If you're looking to try the group, this is an okay place to start--but I'd recommend you get Apurimac or Mystic Island to see also the high-energy side of the group."

A pleasant change.

Dale Husband | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | 05/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Loving the music of CUSCO as much as I do, I bought this album immediately upon its release. And it clearly marks a new development in the careers of Micheal Holm and Kristian Schultz, the leaders of CUSCO. Exploring Greek mythology, CUSCO incorporates worldless female vocals in some of their songs, a trait they clearly picked up from both Adiemus and Mythos. But this seems to be a departure from the original basis of the group, which was to promote native American cultures. I would advise CUSCO to not copy others, but also to not abandon what they did in the past to make them great. I still think this is a good CD, but hardly the best that CUSCO can do! For that, you should get Apurimac III Nature Spirit Pride."

It Rounds Up To A Five

barry31502 | CHESTERFIELD, MISSOURI United States | 05/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a much anticipated release from Cusco, and I have to admit that my first impression was that it did not live up to my expectations for the group. However, after listening to it a few times, it has grown on me, and I now realize that the biggest problem here was that, since the guys had set the bar so high with their previous twenty CDs, they would eventually have to level off. Still, unmistakable Cusco rhythms abound in this journey through Greek and Roman Myths and Legends. The Adiemus-like female vocals on four of the cuts will probably put off some fans, but I have to give Schultze and Holm some credit for trying something new. They seemed out of place at first, but after a few listens, they seem to fit well in the overall theme of the CD. One of the most beautiful songs on the CD, Aphrodite, leans heavily on the melody of Africa-Afrika from Cusco 2000, but I can let that one pass. This isn't quite up to the standards of some of their previous albums, and I wanted to give it four and a half stars. But since Amazon.com will not let that happen, I'm rounding it up to 5, especially since some of the earlier reviews seemed a little hard on the group"

Another superb Cusco release!

Rick | NC | 05/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I only own one other Cusco disc, Apurimac II, and played that one a lot when I first bought it a few years back. It was some of the most repeat-friendly, and passionate New Age music I had heard, so I was recently in Borders and saw this in the New Release bin. Loved the cover art so I thought, "Hey, I need me a Cusco fix, haven't heard anything by these guys in a while" so I bought it on impulse. It only took me one listen to realize this group still has what it was that made me enjoy Apurimac II so much. They've added a couple of new elements since I last heard their work: namely, the female vocals on three tracks. Some listeners might find this annoying, but I don't - I think it's a nice touch to the arrangements and compliments the compositions. The female vocals are used sparingly on this album, only 3 tracks as I mentioned. Also, there's a couple of tracks where they have a distorted electric guitar sound and this sounds great in the context of the material; I hope they do more of this guitar work on future albums. It sounds somewhat similar to Mike Oldfield's electric guitar on Tubular Bells, to give you an idea. These songs do a great job of providing a soundtrack to a mental movie of ancient gods & heroes, Greek mythology. If this band hasn't scored a movie by now, they should hook up with a movie producer asap - I would LOVE to go to the theater and hear Cusco on a soundtrack. If you liked Apurimac II, you should definitely enjoy "Inner Journeys - Myths & Legends"."

This album is so great, that I really wish that this band wo

Christian Fan of Comedy | Deer Trail, CO USA | 04/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this album. It has many songs with nice rhythms and combinations of instruments. My favorite songs were "Orpheus and Eurydice", "Eros and Psyche", and "Poseidon", including "Oracle of Delphi". I like Cusco music that has the kind of beat that those songs do. The only songs I didn't approve of too well were "Odysseus & the Sirens", "Aphrodite", and "Pan and the Nymph." The song "Odysseus & the Sirens" was too unstable in what rhythms it changed, and I didn't really like the siren voices in it too well, either, and I really didn't like the voices too well on the song "Pan and the Nymph", either. I thought they were better the way that they more calmly voiced in "The Nine Muses", though. And about the song "Aphrodite", the only thing I didn't approve of too well was how melancholy some of it just tended to be. But all of the others were very admirable, and had a good rhythm or beat to. So yes, I would recommend this album to everyone. It is even interesting how it applies to all the myths that are mentioned in the song titles. I also really do wish that Cusco would make a brand new album soon with all new made-up songs. It's about time that they do."

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