Search - Genie :: Higher Than The Heavens

A truly beautiful listening experience

K. Loftis | the picturesque North Carolina mountains | 08/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Genie's album, Higher Than The Heavens, is a beautiful release filled with prayer like songs, which discuss Genie's love for God and God's love for the world. As on her Wildflowers album, all these songs are written by Genie, and are gentle, sincere and heart felt. Arranged with gentle piano, guitar and synthesizer accompaniment, they are all delivered in Genie's lovely voice, which is as sweet as birdsong, delicate as flower petals, and gentle as newly fallen snowflakes. All these selections are wonderful for bringing serenity, hope and delight to the listener. Though they all discuss God, one does not have to be Christian to enjoy these pieces, as all are lovely and peaceful.

"Higher Than The Heavens" is a melodic piece about God's boundless and eternal love, with gentle backing vocals and a wonderful chorus. "Shalom", (also included on her album Whisper), is a lovely ballad about peace, and the peace God gives to others. This version of "Shalom" is enhanced by Genie's beautiful piano.

"His Love Endures Forever" is another song about God's endless love, with a truly passionate vocal delivery. "For The Beauty of The Earth" praises nature and it's wonders, while "Salvation Came" discusses the birth of Jesus from Mary's perspective. The radio edit of the title track follows, and is simply a shorter version of "Higher Than the Heavens." "Lead Me" is a serene and lovely piece about giving one's life over to God. "God of Glory" is a graceful and reverent piece, and "Oh The Deep Deep Love" is like gently flowing ocean waves, and a beautiful listening experience. "We Dedicate" is another piece about surrendering one's needs to a higher power, while the closing song, "I Am So Small" has a definite pop vibe. A different version of this track is included on Genie's Whisper recording.

Higher Than The Heavens is a lovely, reverent and serene journey for the ears and the heart. Again, as with her Wildflowers album, Genie includes instrumental versions of all the tracks. Whereas on Wildflowers the instrumentals were all together in the second half of the album, these are all interspersed between vocal tracks. I prefer the way they are sequenced on Wildflowers, but they are still a lovely enhancement to the record, and perfect for calm and relaxation.

This is a wonderful album, and a beautiful listening experience. Highly recommended!"

This Is A Beautiful Album!

Mike Smith | 08/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even so, get the Genie 4 CD Box set instead of this. This title is one of the four in that set. Genie makes angelic and pristine music. It is very calming and spiritually satisfying. I highly recommend the 4 CD box set. Get that, and you will have a nice little Genie collection. It's a great deal."