Reviews

User tags: jazz pop fusion ccmixter

This is a mind-blowing album, if you let it in.

For the last 9 months it has been my most listened album, played literally hundreds of times, but that didn't come easily. Initially I couldn't cope with the dissonance (caused by my untrained ear) of the jazz vocal intonation on most tracks, but I kept listening because the album has a magic ingredient: Kristin Hersh, who delivers a powerful eclectic hook that refuses to fit into any category other than "must listen". That indeed kept me hooked, until my mental barriers broke down and Calendar Girl asserted her authority.

And what authority it is, asserted not with decibels but with precision and vocal conviction, and ably supported by five other vocalists each on their own tracks. All the vocalists are amazing, and it's hard to favour one more than another -- if Calendar Girl and Kristin Hersh stand out, that is partly track count, because they are all awesome.

Which brings me to what this album is really about. It's not about any of the above. It's about a stunningly amazing mix master called Amanyth. The vocal stems for this music are available at ccmixter.org, and it's only after you listen to them that you realize what an incredible musical production this is, weaving together perfect voices with new orchestration in a way that can only be described as a perfect whole.

I can fault nothing on this album. It reflects total mastery of musical composition and integration of vocal tracks used as instruments. I can't even name a favourite track as they all slot together so well into a complete production.

This is a masterpiece which you will adore if you can fit the odd genre and tones into your mental music shelf.

Wonderful work, Amanyth, just wonderful. :-)

Morgaine.