Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs

The New Edge - Acoustic Alchemy

Acoustic Alchemy — 2009-11-21T23:20:38-05:00

Cynics might roll their eyes at the album's title -- there is nothing at all edgy about this duo's buffed-to-a-high-gloss music -- but The New Edge is actually one of Acoustic Alchemy's most entertaining releases. There's a playfulness to these tunes, like the puckish electronic drums on the flamenco-tinged and downright catchy "Notting Hill Two-Step" and the tongue-in-cheek boulevardier pretensions of the closing "Rive Gauche," that suggests a pair of sharp wits behind the well-packaged sheen of this music. The songs are a consistently memorable lot this time out, with a much higher than usual ratio of interesting melodies to snoozy new age mush, and the production, for once, is not so Velveeta-smooth that the record actually becomes hard to listen to. Indeed, songs like the genuinely lovely "Arc-En-Ciel" and "London Skyline" are among the duo's best ever. If you're only going to get one Acoustic Alchemy album, this is the one to get. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Vision The Music of Hildegard von Bingen - Richard Souther

Richard Souther — 2009-11-21T22:16:18-05:00

December Morning - Tim Janis

Tim Janis — 2009-11-21T22:14:35-05:00

December Morning matches the Ansel Adams cover photo in its depiction of a majestic, natural winter setting; composer Tim Janis creates an elegantly lovely soundscape that can be used for both inspiration and meditation. It's both lush and soothing, and Janis' melodies are their usual impressive selves. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Watermark - Enya

Enya — 2009-11-21T21:08:14-05:00

Thanks to its distinct, downright catchy single "Orinoco Flow," which amusingly referenced both her record-company boss Rob Dickins and co-producer Ross Cullum in the lyrics, Enya's second album Watermark established her as the unexpected queen of gentle, Celtic-tinged new age music. To be sure, her success was as much due to marketing a niche audience in later years equally in love with Yanni and Michael Flatley's Irish dancing, but Enya's rarely given a sense of pandering in her work. She does what she does, just as she did before her fame. (Admittedly, avoiding overblown concerts run constantly on PBS hasn't hurt.) Indeed, the subtlety that characterizes her work at her best dominates Watermark, with the lovely title track, her multi-tracked voice gently swooping among the lead piano, and strings like a softly haunting ghost, as fine an example as any. "Orinoco Flow" itself, for all its implicit dramatics, gently charges instead of piling things on, while the organ-led "On Your Shore" feels like a hushed church piece. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Enya lets in a darkness not overly present on The Celts, resulting in work even more appropriate for a moody soundtrack than that album. "Cursum Perficio," with her steady chanting-via-overdub of the title phrase, gets more sweeping and passionate as the song progresses, matched in slightly calmer results with the equally compelling "The Longships." "Storms in Africa," meanwhile, uses drums from Chris Hughes to add to the understated, evocative fire of the song, which certainly lives up to its name. Watermark ends with a fascinating piece, "Na Laetha Geal M'Oige," where fellow Irish modern/traditional fusion artist Davy Spillane adds a gripping, heartbreaking uilleann pipe solo to the otherwise calm synth-based performance. It's a perfect combination of timelessness and technology, an appropriate end to this fine album. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Avalon - John Tesh

John Tesh — 2009-11-21T20:41:35-05:00

Avalon was the first album John Tesh released since his blockbuster Live at Red Rocks, and its expertly paced and engaging music indicates that he learned something from the consistency of the live record. Although Avalon isn't its equal, it's nevertheless one of his very best works, featuring cool, measured performances from Tesh and a pleasingly trancy set of songs that will appeal to any fan of Red Rocks. ~ Rodney Batdorf, All Music Guide

The Hours Between Night Day - Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra

Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra — 2009-11-21T20:00:16-05:00

Fresh from opening up for Natalie Cole on her tour last year, Ottmar Liebert will begin his own tour with the spectacular new release The Hours Between Night and Day. Breaking new stylistic ground, Liebert combines the intimacy of acoustic guitar with electric musicianship mixed with light touches of computer-added harmonies. Spanish flamenco, the signature sound so strongly associated with Liebert and Luna Negra, is still easily heard on this new title, perhaps nowhere so apparent as on the Spanish language Marvin Gaye classic "Mercy Mercy Me...." ~ MusD, All Music Guide

The Cross of Changes - Enigma

Enigma — 2009-11-21T18:37:19-05:00

Cretu being no fool, he figured if it worked the first time, no need to change things much for the second. But he also knew not to simply go ahead and just rehash his debut for Cross of Changes, resulting in a just different enough effort along the same overall lines. The usual air of tasteful middle-of-the-road spirituality takes precedence, right down to the cover art and appropriately pantheistic quote from Persian mystic poet Rumi in the CD booklet. Needless to say, the music attempts to match the same throughout, and often succeeds. Things kick off with more of the synth-whale song noises and atmospherics from MCMXC, however there aren't any monks to be found this time around, but what sounds like the same whispering woman talking about "clearing the debts of many hundred years" and the like. From there, Cretu merrily takes the same plunge -- some of his sample choices this time around show he's got a decent record collection, including parts from Songs From the Victorious City, the striking fusion of Egyptian and Western musics from Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman. His work with beats and loops noticeably shows a more developed edge -- while hardly an innovator, there's a bit more grime and loud in his rhythms, which in combination with extra electric guitar make a reasonable contrast to the smoother elements. Consider the rampaging conclusion to "I Love You...I'll Kill You," which while sharing some cheese with the title itself still works surprisingly well, right down to a clever Robert Plant vocal sample at the end. "Return to Innocence" was the big single from this one, not quite up there with "Sadeness" in the popular culture in the U.S. but almost inescapable elsewhere. There's another Led Zeppelin sample (this time John Bonham) and a haunting male vocal providing oomph under the fuzzy-headed greeting card philosophy of the main lyrics. It's an impressive effort, showing Cretu had a definite something in his own way. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Dawn Until Dusk - Dawn Until Dusk

Dawn Until Dusk — 2009-11-21T17:46:52-05:00

Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield

Mike Oldfield — 2009-11-21T17:25:25-05:00

The Cross of Changes - Enigma

Enigma — 2009-11-21T15:58:16-05:00

The Cross of Changes - Enigma

Enigma — 2009-11-21T15:08:59-05:00

One World Music from Around the World - Various Artists

Various Artists — 2009-11-21T15:07:35-05:00

This collection is a must for world music collectors and fans. A select group of some of the world's best pop world culture performers are assembled for a single price of admission. Astor Piazzolla and the New Tango Quintet give you sex, drama, romance and accordions. They offer the improvisational daring of jazz and the heart of rock and roll. Mario Bauza is one of the originators of fusion, combining African, Cuban and jazz. He has collaborated with such music greats as Cab Calloway and Charlie Parker. Bauza knows jazz and Jaime Torres plays Argentinean folk music, performing on charango. He offers a deep, textural piece with a sense of melancholy. These are just scratching the surface of this world music must. ~ MusD, All Music Guide

Mark Isham - Mark Isham

Mark Isham — 2009-11-21T14:42:48-05:00

Isham continues his ensemble-style collaborations with guests Tanita Tikaram, Chick Corea, John Patitucci and John Novello, and the contributions of sidemen David Torn, Peter Maunu, and Peter Van Hooke. The pleasing group work provides a nice complement to the two vocal tracks. If you like these, try Isham's soundtrack recording for Trouble in Mind with Marianne Faithfull. ~ Scott Bultman, All Music Guide

Vapor Drawings - Mark Isham

Mark Isham — 2009-11-21T14:41:56-05:00

Vapor Drawings is Mark Isham's debut. He is a multi-instrumentalist and incorporates brass, reeds, percussion, acoustic piano, and synths into his sound design. The mix is the key to the success of this listening experience. Isham gives each instrument proper respect as they intertwine to create exotic atmospheres and simple soundscapes. There are ambient moments, but this album is firmly new age and contemporary instrumental. It is a pleasant experience that will appeal to fans of John Flomer, Jon Jenkins, Stephen Bacchus, and Jim Oliver. ~ Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide

Shepherd Moons - Enya

Enya — 2009-11-21T14:18:21-05:00

Calling Shepherd Moons a near carbon copy of Watermark puts it quite mildly. Like Watermark, Shepherd Moons opens with the title track, a calm instrumental, has another brief instrumental titled after a -Dora Saint book smack in the middle ("No Holly for Miss Quinn"), and concludes with a number incorporating a striking uilleann pipes solo, "Smaointe...." In general, Enya's own musical style and work remains the same, again assisted on production by Nicky Ryan and with lyrics by Roma Ryan. Shepherd Moons does have one key factor that's also carried over from Watermark -- it's quite good listening. Though the total continuity means that those who enjoy her work will again be pleased and those who dislike it won't change their minds, in terms of finding her own vision and sticking with it, Enya has increasingly polished and refined her work to a strong, elegant degree. "Caribbean Blue," the lead single, avoids repeating the successful formula of "Orinoco Flow" by means of its waltz time -- a subtle enough change, but one that colors and drives the overall composition and performance, the closest Enya might ever get to a dance number. Some songs call to mind traditional Irish music even more strongly than much of her earlier work, while two other tracks are haunting rearrangements of old, traditional numbers. With her trademark understated drama in full flow many other places, especially on the wonderful "Book of Days" (replaced on later pressings with an English language version done for the film Far and Away), Enya shows herself to still have it, to grand effect. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide