music to love

Sensual Paradise, January 18, 2011

"The Kiss" is really a masterpiece. This album has some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. There are many powerful melodies that elicit an emotional response. "Beneath The Lights" brings on wave after wave of heady anticipation and yet it is completely sublime. "Nova" has smooth sexy beats and is totally intoxicating. It left me stunned by its sheer creativity.

"Unspoken" begins with excellent feelings of longing and turns into a subtle ecstasy. "Adrift Not Lost" has sweet violin with piano that turns into musical rapture. It is stunning in its crystalline beauty. "With You Now" is especially warm and lush. It is more fast-paced like the beat of your heart when you are close to the person you love. There is a sense of breathless wonder.

"Wake The Stars" is captivating and like a ethereal journey. Sounds swirl around in your head and then it is gone - a moment captured in time. "The Kiss" is magical and draws out the most exquisite emotions. It is ecstatic and peaceful.

"The Rains" has echoes of long forgotten worlds newly discovered. It is brilliantly sexy and here the mixing reaches a new level of perfection. It is totally mesmerizing and haunting. "Endless" is dreamy piano that is innocent and pure - a great contrast to some of the more passionate interludes. "We Are Free" is gorgeous with guitar and piano intimately intertwined with a sense of elation.

"Pulled In Your Gravity" is a slow seduction of sensuous intricacy. The mixing is stunning! "There Is Forever" is filled with haunting strings that stir up feelings of ecstasy and longing. It literally envelops your soul in a warm beauty. "Weightless" is a soft touch that leaves you breathless. "Pendant" embraces the exotic all while staying centered.

"Every Second" is composed of smooth sexy guitar which leaves the entire song with a timeless quality. It fades away so quickly you are left wishing for more. "Before Tonight Ends" is one of the most beautiful melodies. "See The Sun" is a slow awakening overlaid with a warm caress of sound so deeply sensuous it is amazing. "What Love Reveals" is alluring and dangerous. The perfect end to an album that exceeded my expectations.

Listening to this album in the dark with only a candle left all my senses heightened, it was like falling in love. If you are looking for an escape this is a sensual paradise.

~The Rebecca Review

Autumn Continent - Between Interval

Isolated Ambience , February 6, 2007

Sublime, relaxing layers of sound sweep over you like the last warm breezes at the end of summer, rustling a few leaves. Spacious worlds warm into a delicate isolated ambience. This is an album to listen to when you are spending the night in a contemplative mood. Within the approaching silence there is a crisp hint of ice in the air.

At times "Hidden Wastelands" seems to almost disappear and then it emerges in a silky tribal infusion that leads to a sensuous warm soothing trance trajectory.

"The Tides of Time" draws you deeply into this album, saturating your consciousness with a deep sigh of peace. "Passageway" shimmers with long forgotten dreams and then awakens into new discoveries with a dark ambient wave and hints of falling stars.

The subtle pulsing energies in "Early Life Remainings" has a delicate hint of passion that breaks free into rhythmically sensual mood. The next three tracks follow this lead but mellow into warm rapturous infusions of intoxicating dreams. "Atrium" is a moody haze while "Autumn Continent 2" seems to embody a wistful longing. The mood is one of being completely alone and completely connected, as if your soul is wandering far away and has found peace.

"Between Interval" is the type of music you listen to deep into the night or while sinking into warm water or as you fall into dreams. This is relaxing music that still holds within its power an exciting revelatory element, the type that speaks softly of artistic elegance all while leaving you in a state of awe at the musical mastery.

~The Rebecca Review

The Album Leaf Into the Blue Again

Edgy Ambient Fusion, January 10, 2007

Shimmering ambient meets translucent edge in a creative fusion with artistic appeal. An escape into satisfaction that leaves you filled with anticipation. The warmth is exciting and the casual coolness leaves you in mystery.

"The Light" purrs into life and then washes into liquid solitude in a reverberating perfection that opens up into "Always For You."

"Shine" is rigid and dreamy like ice melting into hot chocolate and wolves running through snow. "Writings on the Wall" is moody and revelatory with solitary violin haunting an emotional landscape with indistinct vocals. This song melts into "Red Eye" as notes echoes through cavernous underground chambers splintering off stalactites and diving into deep luminous pools. Crystalline textures dance with warm ambience echoing out in all directions. Once this haunting track takes hold of you it doesn't let you go and takes you on an edgy ambient fusion.

"See in You" continues the instrumental mood with snappy rhythmic beats that seems to blur out into a mellow soul tuning introspection. More like poetry than music, at times this is a study of tone.

"Into the Sea" is slightly more reticent than the previous selections and this creates an element of tension throughout as the track tries to break free. As if seeking a destiny, the song finally moves from swirling in circles to an exciting flourish. Ancient voices seem to be calling from faraway lands and then they dissipate into a silky wave.

"Wherever I Go" arrives and takes over in a moody orchestration and mellow vocals. The instrumentation is striking and ecstatic with an intriguing ending that makes your head spin.

"Wishful Thinking" is soothing classical piano in delicate notes echoing off concert hall walls and then this solitary intimacy warms to sweet winter lullabies. The violin is especially relaxing and this track seems to embrace a momentum that moves out of the deep cold earth into a sky of crystalline beauty. "Broken Arrow" has hardly ended when you feel you want to begin the experience all over again. Slightly addictive!

~The Rebecca Review

The IDAN RAICHEL Project

Idan Raichel , November 21, 2006

"From the depths I called out to you
Come to me
Upon your return, the light will return to my eyes
I'm not finished, I'm not leaving the touch of your hands
May it come and light up to the sound of your laughter

From the depths I called out to you
Come to me
Against the moon that lights your way back to me
They spread out and melted against the touch of your hands"

~Idan Raichel

Idan Raichel combines ancient traditions with modern technology to create enchanting rhythms that take off in the second track and melt with a warmth that is soothing and harmonious in beauty. At this point you almost fall into the music and let it take your soul on a journey throughout an emotionally satisfying album with lyrics in Hebrew, Arabic and Amharic

The musical influences range from Israel to the Caribbean. "Hinach Yafah" is a little hypnotizing. "Suvi El Beyti" has a surprising start with interesting echoes that add a very intriguing dimension with a powerful undercurrent of percussion. "Im Telech" is filled with longing and "Be Yom Shabbat" has spiritual beauty.

Of all the songs, I feel in love with the sound of "Mi'Ma'amakim." When you look up the poetic lyrics the song has even more beautiful meanings. I can't wait for more albums by Idan Raichel.

~The Rebecca Review

Josh Groban AWAKE

Romantic and Edgy, November 15, 2006

"And I never want to let you down
Forgive me if I slip away
Sometimes it's hard to find the ground
Cause I keep on falling as I try to get away
From this crazy world"
~February Song

There is no denying the beauty of Josh Groban's voice and his song writing reveals a profound reflective side we could feel was there all along. The lyrics on his new album are all deeply romantic and idealistic with sweeping lush textures and enveloping intoxication. It takes about three intense listening experiences for this CD to appear in its full beauty.

This offering is much easier to listen to and many of the songs are in English and this brings an understanding to the romantic nature of the music on a different level.

"She stares through my shadow
She sees something more
Believes there's a light in me
She is sure
And her truth makes me stronger"
~In Her Eyes

Josh Groban still seems to be finding his way to a definitive style and this is like a bridge from one form to another as he finds his way into song writing and tempering his powerful voice to convey his poetry.

"So She Dances" felt much more personal and Josh Groban captivates with heart-felt emotion and vocal ecstasy that melts the listener while you are on a visual journey. It is evocative and filled with longing.

"She moves with the music
The song is her lover
The melody's making her cry
So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently"
~So She Dances

"Machine" is a little edgy and exciting and "Now or Never" is sexy but with an element of intuitive understanding and Imogen Heap style. I like the way he says "now or never." "You are Loved" is breathlessly beautiful although the song takes off in unexpected places.

Josh Groban's voice seems to transcend any musical style and his beauty refuses to be tied down or captured. His voice is the music and I'm looking forward to more of his original lyrics on future albums. Like anything worth waiting for, Josh Groban's music appears more beautiful each time you play this CD. From the revelations in "February Song," it seems Josh is well on his way to finding his own style.

~The Rebecca Review

Soundtrack for a Film by M. Night Shyamalan

Lady in the Water Soundtrack Review

Otherworldly Mystery and Suspense, July 26, 2006

Reviewed before seeing the Lady in the Water movie...

James Newton Howard creates rich textures that ebb and flow through mysterious ghostly sways that come alive in sheer orchestral magnificence. Suspense runs rampant throughout peeking out, hiding and then jumping at you in terrified grandeur (Charades).

You are constantly on your edge in a somewhat anticipatory elation only awaiting the next release into swelling waves of sound that happily drown you and then seem to evaporate into a magical and heart-captivating stillness (The Party).

Delicate perfection turns haunting (Charades). Unexpected chaos flourishes and then turns sublime. Ripples in the Pool is magical and playful at the start but retains a sadness in weeping piano that gives you shivers.

The Blue World has undercurrents that rise to the top, splashing and running from a dark background of subtle energies that turn deliciously ominous. Giving the Kii has a lullaby quality that is supremely peaceful and innocent until you hear the approaching ghosts swirling through your speakers.

Walkie Talkie retains this energy and moves forward with a certain persistence of desire. Cereal Boxes makes you strangely breathless. If you have so far managed not to chew your nails off, The Great Eatlon shows no mercy. Like a victory with great sorrow the splashes of sound drown you in emotion. Finally you can take a deep breath and there is a release of tension. Chaos and perfection mingle in a fantastic display of musical creativity as the pinnacle of the music peaks and entrances completely.

End Titles is a sweet flowing sigh of sound, sweeping you into a dreamy romantic mood. It is magnificent in idealistic opulence. You imagine all your wishes have come true.

~The Rebecca Review

Andrea Bocelli Amore

Te Extrano, April 21, 2006

From the first song you know this album will be spectacular in all encompassing heart seduction known for leaving you in a deep sigh of happy romantic contemplation. This is somewhere beyond expectation and closer to a dreamy state of feeling "in love" with everything, with no boundaries.

My heart sinks and rises with his voice...pure magic. It is not often a voice has such an intoxicating effect. Has Andrea Bocelli`s voice ever sounded so exquisite? I will only admit to having trouble thinking straight while listening to this album.

Amore is like a fresh breeze washing through your soul. Completely stunning in beauty and magical emotions! Pero Te Extrano could make any true romantic feel almost desperate with longing. You almost don't need the song translations to know what he is singing about. Las Hojas Muertas is almost ecstatic in a duality of souls where male and female energies merge.

Amore is a classic and memorable album expressing the heights of romantic feelings with stunning elements of hope intertwined with longing.

To hear this album in a bliss of sound clarity, look for the AKG Acoustics Headphones. K240 brings out the acoustic magic, even an expensive stereo might miss.

~The Rebecca Review

Goodbye by Ulrich Schnauss

Decadent Ambient Perfection July 10, 2007

Delicate and sublime with a stirring of ecstasy dancing over a driving powerful intoxication is what you will find if you listen to Goodbye first. It is the perfect place to start this journey into soul shivering musical escape. The song surges and sways bursting from the limits of sound into an unbelievably ecstatic moment in time. This goes beyond inspiration to new levels of creativity where modern technology and ancient longings collide. At times it is crystalline perfections and at others the warm sounds completely surround you enveloping you in a dreamy haze.

If you listen to the album from start to finish you will first encounter silky washes of sound with ethereal vocals. “Stars” is almost chilling with dramatic elements that seem to seek to overwhelm with psychedelic swirls and epic sonic power. Vocals cascade over driving beats like a waterfall and then a plane suddenly lands. The dreamy “Einfeld” has a renewed clarity but still retains the warm washes of sound ebbing and flowing from the first tracks. “In Between the Years” is like a snowstorm and a warm fire with distant echoes of haunting chill. It invites you closer and then sends you spinning off into starscapes.

“Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” wakes up this album with a spontaneous fusion of lush layering and nostalgia. You can sink deeply into the memories of this track and yet it has the excitement of new discovery. This song and the mesmerizing “Goodbye” both give me shivers. “A Song about Hope” is much more mellow and has a captivating rhythm that keeps your full attention as the song soars in luminous orchestral beauty. “Medusa” is much darker introspective piece with static urban elements and echoes. “For Good” has the sounds of lonely acoustic guitar and distant brooding longing.

As a relaxing chill out album this offers a sinking into the feeling of escape while it plays with the ideas of fragility and power. Warm washes of sound mingle with ethereal vocals throughout and capture many moods and places that are exciting and serene all at once.

~The Rebecca Review

Passion Peter Gabriel

= Soul Awakening Sounds

Reviewer: The Rebecca Review.com from a land saturated in sounds

To listen to Peter Gabriel’s Passion CDs is to be drenched in soul awakening sounds. This 21-track CD contains music that swirls, lunges at you, jumps, dances around you and vibrates in your blood. Once you start listening, you cannot escape.

“The Feeling Begins” has a depth of sound that can be intimidating until the call of the desert slowly draws you into a musical trance. It is at times so overwhelmingly powerful, it feels like a war cry or a march of death. Then, all too soon, it is over.

The entire album seems to move forward like a march towards the inevitable. I see a lone figure standing high on a sand dune, his robes flowing out behind him in the warm evening air reaching his hands towards heaven as the entire world spins around him so unaware that he is their only hope.

To say this is spiritual could be an understatement. It is more than spiritual. The music seems to not only inspire beauty, it is a hypnotic musical journey to exotic lush places where your heart opens up into a sense of wonder and primal appreciation for life.

To me, this entire album is a reminder of the unfulfilled longings of the soul. Within this ambient global dance, I hear the haunting cry of mankind in his search for God. I hear the love of God and I hear the sorrow and intense suffering and conflict Jesus felt as he realized the unavoidability of his fate. “It is Accomplished” is a beautiful expression of hope and victory over death.

“Of These, Hope” is worth the price of this album and I can listen to it ten times in a row. “Sandstrom” is so otherworldly and haunting it is difficult to describe. All I see are lights slowly moving from the earth out into the sky like souls journeying into timelessness. “With this Love” is angelic and comforting. “Wall of Breath” seems to take my breath away as if my soul wants to leave my body to dance with the pureness of the sounds in eternity. “Disturbed” seems rather peaceful to me in contrast with “The Feeling Begins.”

If you love World Music of Fusion, you will be intrigued by musicians from Pakistan, Turkey, India, Egypt, Bahrain, New Guinea, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

These ancient sounds and soul awakenings are greatly enhanced if you can find a candle or essential oil combination containing: Thyme, Cananga, Lemon, Chamomile, Patchouli, Lavender and Geranium. At times I find that I appreciate music more when I have a more complete experience on the sensory level.

“Moroccan Heat Floral Spice” by Global Notes is just intoxicating. A Patchouli candle is also an excellent option. Light a candle, put on your headphones and allow yourself complete immersion into this world of sound. The beauty of this album is you can listen to it at night and actually fall asleep because the music lessens in intensity as the music progresses. “Bread and Wine” will slowly seduce you into sleep. You could also play this music during a healing and spiritual massage.

“Passion” will take your breath away and if you fall in love with this CD, you might also consider “1 Giant Leap.”

Dedicated to a friend who knew exactly what I needed to listen to and sent me this CD! To me, track 15 is the level on which their soul vibrates. I dream of reaching that level of peace and openness and having that much passion for life and healing even when life offers so much pain.

UP by Peter Gabriel

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