Breathtakingly joyful and romantic art pop!
10/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sally Oldfield, the kid sister of prog/pop guru Mike Oldfield, has never really received the acclaim that she deserves. Her early albums, including this one, are unrecognized classics of melodic, and artistically crafted pop/rock. Its kind of tough to provide comparisons, as Sally's voice and style are unique (at least on these earlier albums), but I suppose Kate Bush's _The Kick Inside_ and _Lionheart might be useful as points of reference. Sally's music on this album certainly shares the same lush, lilting melodious beauty, the same artistic-yet-unpretentious originality, and the same high level of emotional expressivity as those Kate albums.Lyrically and melodically, the music here is upbeat, with lots of major keys and (at the risk of sounding too 'touchy-feely') life-affirming lyrics-- as you might guess from song titles like "Love is Everywhere" and "Morning of my Life" (as well as from the album title itself). Even those songs which delve into what might normally be considered a darker, or more dangerous side of human sexuality like "Woman of the Night" (yes, it's about what you think) or "My Damsel Heart" (about a young gypsy seductress) are infused with a spirit that is warm, sensuous, romantic, and ultimately joyful and celebratory. There's nothing cynical, tawdry, embittered, or depressing about this album-- although, that said, I hasten to add that it's not saccharine-sweet bubble-gum either. It acknowledges pain and loss, and sorrow, and the troubles and complexity of life-- I think the lyrics from the danceable reggae-grooved title track perhaps sum it up best , reminding us, "Come on, come on, you're gonna die someday" but saying that the best attitude to adopt towards this is to "Wipe your tears away...... join in the celebration". One of the neat things about this album are the lush arrangements and instrumentation. Tuned percussion (chimes, vibraphone, etc.), played by Pierre Moerlen (of Gong fame!) is used amply here, especially on Mandala and the title track, and there is a good deal of acoustic guitar (played very romantically on "My Damsel Heart") and gentle keyboards. There's also some other percussion used for rhythm, but there's no actual drum kit on most (any?) songs, which gives a laid-back feel that makes a lot of tunes sound like mellow prog rather than pop. And of course, there's Sally's beautiful voice on all tracks. Beautiful stuff, all around, although I suppose it's not for everyone. Folks looking for unhappy, angry, aggressive music would do better looking elsewhere."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1