Reviews
I received your CD in the mail last Friday and listened to it right away. I am on my 5th listen-through right now so I'm going to give you my thoughts on each track as I listen to them. First off though I want to say - WOW!!! Bravo!!! The music, lyrics etc are beautiful and heart-stirring and I think it's fantastic. I don't know useful my comments will be -- mostly I comment on how the song makes me feel, which is not very technical I know, but I hope it helps somewhat. I find myself singing along to some of the songs and adding more harmony to it ... I am kind of addicted to harmony; if a song doesn't already have it I'll add it, and if it's got 2-part harmony I'll make it 3-part! :)
Song Spell
The beautiful Spanish guitar style of the accompaniment is gorgeous - I love how the guitar is "singing along" with the verses, embellishing the lyrics. Beautiful lyrics ...
Ghost of Fish
The layering of the voices in the choruses is very nice - I would even say that more harmony would work really nicely here.
Elvis
I wish I was as sexy as Elvis - LOL. This song, on the surface, seems to be humorous - but when I listen to the lyrics closely it's quite melancholy.
Summer Clothes
I love the sardonic tone of these lyrics - someone has been wronged and finds solace in the fact that the man that was chosen is quite a sad little man. Very nice harmony in the choruses and the instrumentation in this song gives it a really rich sound.
Woman in the Moon
The sitar, the flute, and the tabla give this song such a middle-eastern feel and it works so well with the vocals.
High Notes for You
One of my favourite tunes on the CD. The lyrics and melody of this song are so simple and yet so full of meaning ... when I heard this the first time I thought "I wish I wrote this!".
There's a Star
I really loved the string arrangement for this track and how it was used between verses, sparingly, so that it really stands out when we hear it. There is such an uplifting hopefulness to the lyrics and the important message "just be kind" really spoke to me.
Northern Joke
The guitar melody line that plays between the verses stood out to me on the very first listen.
Shiny Silver
Again, what a wonderful use of the viola and cello in this song (I believe I hear both) - this is a magical song - it sounds otherworldly.
Distant Green Mountain
The time signature change from 4/4 to 3/4 within the verses is very effective and gives the song an interesting sound. I really enjoyed that.
All a Dream
This is one of my favourite tracks on the CD. Reminiscent of the music of Ottmar Leibert or Jesse Cook (and that is high praise!), it is a gorgeous arrangement - simply beautiful.
Those Were my Dreams
Another one of my favourite tracks - it is a "catchy" tune and makes me want to sing along to it - in harmony! Great song.
Overall, I think this is a wonderful debut CD you have made. I am so impressed with everything you've done - the lyrics, music, instrumental arrangements ... it's an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations to you and your band mates!!!
Can't wait for your 2nd! :) Francine