Search - Denise Marsa :: SELF

FANTASTIC! Great piece of work. This CD is a classic.

LIL1543@aol.com (Lance Ilford) | England | 04/08/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I honestly think that you'd be very, very hard pressed to find an album, independent or mainstream released in '99, that equals the qualities of SELF, in terms of production, arrangement, intelligent lyrics and well crafted melodies. I just bought this CD today while browsing through my local record store (sorry Amazon!), and searching the database I find it's available here also. This is all very weird because I actually worked with the director, Justin Bird, on the music video for Denise Marsa's first single off this album called "The Land Had A Dream". I discover the CD in two different places on the same day and now I actually get to talk about it. This is great! Today is the first time I've heard the entire CD. And I'm astounded, to put it mildly. The first notes off "Shed" really expose the rich texture of this girl's voice, which is just one of the distinguishing features of the album. I especially like "In A Matter Of Moments" with its eloquent expression in music and words. "In A Town Called Jesus" is a classic. Great arrangements, kind of a female Mellencamp, some folk/rock influence and raw string arrangements, I'm surprised this wasn't the first single. "The Land Had A Dream", what can I say? I must have heard the song about 50 times on the day we shot the video (I was the skinny guy next to the director at the monitor taking script notes, in case you read this Denise). Surprise, surprise I actually still enjoy the song. I can't think of another song that really cries out for the environment and captures the feelings and emotions of the subject, and still sounds as great as this. From "Hard Way" to "House Of Tears" is like a journey through beautiful and varied landscapes. The ups and downs, the subtle change in colors and tempo. What remains constant is the quality, which is topped only by "It's No Ordinary Day" the final song on the CD. This beautiful melody brings an appropriate close to the story of SELF. If you recently separated from a loved one expect some tears. I hear influences of Kate Bush, John Mellencamp, The Doors, Peter Gabriel when listening to this music. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the entire CD, what a great piece of work, a joy to listen to, and I highly recommend it."