Hold On

Track Listings

1. In Spite of It All

2. He Will Provide

3. Trust Him

4. More Like Jesus

5. I Have Overcome the World

6. Jesus Is All You Need

7. I Will Be Ready

8. Hold On

9. He Will Deliver

10. Give It to Me

Tracks:

Feels Like Rain
Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa (Today My Heart Desires)
Baraat
Aaj Mausam Bada Beimann Hai (Today The Weather Plays Tricks On Me)
Your Good Name
delhi.com
Fuse Box
Mehndi/Madhorama Pencha
Banished
Good Indian Girls
Fabric/Aaja Savariya (Come To Me, My Beloved)
Allah Hoo
Hold Me, I'm Falling
Love And Marigolds
Chunari Chunari
Aaja Nachle (Come On Dance!)
Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa (Zimpala Remix)
Fuse Box (Alexkid's Dub Remix)
Fuse Box (Julio Black Remix)

Amazon.com

Monsoon Wedding is Mychael Danna's second collaboration with film director Mira Nair, (Kama Sutra was the first), and he has again compiled a winning soundtrack. Danna explores a wide range of emotions, from solemn to celebratory, through different generations of Indian culture. The contemplative "Good Indian Girls" and "Hold Me, I'm Falling" feature Danna's trademark piano ambience over traditional Indian instrumentation, and the vivacious "Baraat" sounds like a Punjabi variation on Dixieland, while "Delhi.com" ventures into dreamy ethno-techno territory. Sukhwinder Singh's "Today My Heart Desires" serves up lively bhangra rock, and Laxmikant Pyarelal's "Today the Weather Plays Tricks on Me" (performed by Mohammed Rafi) swoons with strings and male vocals. In all, the soundtrack's pleasing variety of Eastern music mirrors the film's old and new worlds living within a singular culture. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews:

Monsoon Wedding Soundtrack is Terrific.......2007-05-18

I really enjoyed the movie and was pleased to find the soundtrack. Great cd if you're a fan of Bollywood!

Loved it!.......2007-03-24

I just saw the movie MONSOON WEDDING and I absolutely loved it! Of course, I just HAD to have the soundtrack, so I bought the Cd recently and loved it too! WOW!

The Cd will leave you in a happy mood... Wonderful up-beat songs, many are so danceable and hipnotic. I've been playing this Cd all week ...I just wish it were longer because I would love to have more Cds like this in my Cd collection.

Just as fabulous as the movie!.......2007-01-31

This is an excellent soundtrack from an excellent movie. The music is fantastic - makes you want get up and move your feet! It's got such a happy, wistful, exotic flavor throughout the CD. I think this will probably be one that I wear out from listening to it so much!

Love It, Love It, Love It.......2007-01-21

I just love this CD. I'm preferential to the work of Mychael Danna and this is another awesome work of his. There is everything from old Indian love ballads to the popular Bollywood music of today, with some very beautiful instrumentals in between.

I'd recommend seeing the movie too. As well, I'd check out Danna's music for another Mira Nair movie, "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love."

Culture-Happy-Dance-Reflect-Appreciate-Savor-Relax-Laugh.......2006-11-06

Above I listed some words that first came to mind when I thought about this cd.
It is very Culture rich and soaked in Indian flavor. It's colorful and makes you happy with a laugh or two; as it seeks to portray the traditional music typical of a Punjabi wedding in Delhi, India.
You want to dance with most songs and sit quietly to reflect with others. I listed appreciate because we often don't sit back to appreciate the richness that other cultures provide. My 2 year old appreciates this music in her broken wanna be Hindi mimic.
She dances as does my 6 year old to this music. It's really a great CD but I would recommend seeing the movie first.

Average customer rating:

good stuff
Hold On by Tyronne Wells
He's got soul...
You gotta get this CD!!!!
FABULOUS RISING STAR!

Hold On
Tyrone Wells
Manufacturer: Republic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000LPR4IA
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Tracks:

What Are We Fighting For?
Baby Don't You Change
Sea Breeze
Need
She's Leaving
Dream Like New York
Falling
Hold On
Sugar So Sweet
Jealous Man
Looking At Her Face
Until You Are Here

Customer Reviews:

good stuff.......2007-05-22

I really like what Tyrone has done in this new album... The mix of classics redone and some new material is a great balance and a great disc

Hold On by Tyronne Wells.......2007-03-01

The CD is fantastic! Great songs with a smokey blues rock feel. This music is pure heat! I love Sugar and Dream like New York. Why isn't his guy a bigger star. He will be soon.

He's got soul..........2007-02-08

This is a great CD. Its a tasteful mix of soul, rock, and folk - imagine if Jack Johnson and Lenny Kravitz had a baby. I'm new to Tyrone and his style is definitely refreshing.

You gotta get this CD!!!!.......2007-02-07

This is one of my alltime favorite cds. Tyronne is an awesome singer and writer of music. I have not heard anyone lately that even compares to his talents. Buy this cd and his others and I guarantee you will not be sorry. He is a wonderful person with great ideas and outlooks on what is important in life. I wish him the best of luck. ENJOY this cd and tell your friends!!!

FABULOUS RISING STAR!.......2007-02-07

I have been going to see Tyrone play locally in California now for about 3 years in coffee shops, in the busy walkway of a local outdoor mall, and in venues with 2000 people. No matter where he plays he gives the same amount of passion in every performance. He is an extremely talented and gifted singer and songwriter. I, and many of his fans, have seen him blossum into a bon-a-fide star. Mark my words, he will be big.
Now, this cd is his first on a major label, but you can buy his prior cds and dvd at his shows.
Buy this cd and you will discover a great new artist who will blow your socks off with his incredible voice, songwriting, and passion. His music is a combination of soul, rock, pop, and folk. It is hard to classify, but he just simply sounds great. He is also one of the nicest human beings I have ever met. [...] Buy it, you won't be sorry.

Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Play the Beatles

Average customer rating:

Could have been better
awesome music
AMAZING!
Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops do the Beatles
Some Moments - but doesn't live up to expectations

Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Play the Beatles

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004KH76
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

Eleanor Rigby
And I Love Her
Ob-La-Di, Ob-la-da
Hey Jude
With A Little Help From My Friends
Yellow Submarine
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Penny Lane
A Hard Day's Night
The Fool On The Hill
Yesterday
Michelle
I Want To Hold Your Hand
And I Love Her
A Hard Day's Night
I Want To Hold Your Hand

Customer Reviews:

Could have been better.......2006-08-22

Not the best treatment of Beatles music from the classical point of view. London Symphony was much better.

awesome music.......2006-03-10

Hearing the Beatles music arranged in classical format shows what great musicians and composers Lennon and McCartney were.

AMAZING!.......2005-01-08

I cannot help but smile when I listen to the beautiful arrangements on this album. It blends the Beatles' genius for melody with the great percussive sound and incredible energy of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. I've heard other orchestral versions of Beatles songs, but none has compared to this one (if anyone has found a better CD, please post a note here). Any Beatles or Pops fan should definitely own this CD. I can't stop listening!

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops do the Beatles.......2005-01-01

As conductor of the Boston Pops for almost half a century, Arthur Fiedler brought popular classical music and pop music with a classical twist to the people. Leonard Bernstein was providing an intellectual and more glamorous musical education for Americans, but Fielder was coming into our living rooms on a weekly basis with his Boston Pops concerts. Fielder and the Boston Pops produced a lot of records, mostly with RCA in the 1950s through the 1970s, most of which offered everything from classical overtures and ballet pieces to movies themes and the hits of the Beatles.

It was inevitable that with over a hundred albums the Boston Pops would do the Fab Four. They were the first orchestra to perform the songs of the Beatles in 1964 when Fiedler returned from a trip to Liverpool ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the first one they ever did). These are not just these songs played by a classical orchestra but rather arrangements done for this purpose. You will notice that one of the standard ways of arranging these songs is to use the chorus as the introduction for the song (e.g., "Eleanor Rigby," "Hey Jude"). If you can guess from the drumming at the beginning of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" or "Yellow Submarine" what those songs are then you are way ahead of me, but that is the sense of fun that Fiedler brought to these songs by giving them the John Phillip Sousa treatment.

Sometimes it is such the simple elegance of doing the guitar parts with strings, as with "And I Love Her," or even the staccato strings of "Penny Lane," that makes the songs enjoyable. Then there are the mood chances invoked by turning "A Little Help From My Friends" into a work of minor chords. My assumption is that if you pick up this album you will know the songs, but not these arrangements, so you should just forget about looking at the play list and just listen to the music.

There are a quartet of bonus tracks on the album, featuring live versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "And I Love Her," and "A Hard Day's Night." These are not different versions of these songs, which is too bad because I thought it would be interesting to see if the Pops arrangers could come up with different classical ways of doing the same songs. The final track is actually Fiedler talking about how the Pops came to play the Beatles music, as a "novelty." I have not listened to this sort of music for a while, but it makes for nice background music and there are more albums out there. Remember "Saturday Night Fiedler"?

Some Moments - but doesn't live up to expectations.......2004-09-30

During the 20th century, Arthur Fiedler was one of the most celebrated conductors of orchestral music. He is most famous for being the longtime conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. As someone who is a novice to classical music, I have found Arthur Fiedler's music very easy to get into. Namely, Fiedler made classical music easy - for the everyday fan to enjoy. One way Fiedler accomplished this is through doing popular tunes in the classical style. Fiedler's style often added a new gusto to classical music concerts by including not only popular music, but also Broadway tunes, jazz, folk, and advertising jingles - all done in the classical style (in the late 70s, he even did Saturday Night Fever tunes - 'Saturday Night Fiedler'). One might get very excited to hear that there is a collection in which Fiedler does Beatles tunes. I've always thought the Beatles' music would lend itself perfectly in the classical music arena - especially their later works. On this particular collection "Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra play The Beatles", it does have it moments where things work very well. However, overall this collection did fall short on my high expectations that I had.

There are several things that disappoint me about this collection. For starters, there is only a total of two songs from the Beatles best three albums: "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" has one song ("With a Little Help From My Friends"), The "White Album" has one song ("Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da"), while there is no songs from "Abbey Road". As mentioned above, I thought the Beatles' later material lent itself well to being played with an orchestra. These albums are really the cornerstone of this period, yet there is two songs between these three albums. I understand that Fiedler's "Play the Beatles" was put together in 1969, but I still expected much more of a presence from these albums. I think many of the tunes on these albums could have lent itself very easily to classical music. For example, songs such as "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", "When I'm Sixty-Four", "Day in the Life", "Come Together", "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight", "Birthday", and "Helter Skelter" would have sounded wonderful being played under the classics. I don't know if the Fiedler and the Boston Pops ever did these songs, but if they did - they should have been included. If they were done, it would be nice to hear them on an updated version of this collection. Some of these tunes are available on other classics collection, but Fiedler's Orchestra was the best at playing this music, so I would have liked to have heard it here.

The other thing that disappoints me are some of the selections themselves. Most of the tunes do keep to the sound you would expect from the Beatles, but some do not sound as good as I would expect. "With a Little Help From My Friends" just doesn't sound much like the original tune. The song that I consider the signature song by the Beatles - "Hey Jude" is an extreme disappointment - it just doesn't capture the magic of the original song. Songs like "Michelle" and "And I Love Her" do keep to the Beatles sound, but they somehow miss the mark. Perhaps these two songs aren't the best songs to be done with a Classical Orchestra.

However, this collection is not all bad. There are some positive points that do shine. There are several songs which surprise me on how well they sounded being played in the classical sense. "Eleanor Rigby" is one of those. You can feel a lot of power and emotion with that song. Another song that surprises me how well it sounds being played as a classical piece is "Penny Lane". Fiedler is also able to demonstrate a lot of power by playing by playing "Penny Lane' as a classical piece. In "Yellow Submarine", Fiedler puts a military and marching band spin on the song. It gives the song a whole new dimension. As for my favorite piece on the collection - it has to be "Fool on the Hill". Somehow I almost like "Fool on the Hill" played as a classical piece better than how the Beatles do it. Other songs that sound good are a couple of the Beatles' earlier tunes - "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "A Hard Day's Night"

It is worth noting that there are some live versions of these songs included with Fiedler's studio recordings. In particular there are live versions of "And I Love Her" and "A Hard Day's Night". There are also multiple versions of the same song included. You will hear three different recordings of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (one from 1964 and two from 1969 - you will hear a change in tempo). There are also two versions of "A Hard Day's Night" (the live 1965 version and a 1969 studio recording). Counting the live and studio versions - there are also two versions of "And I Love Her".

It is also worth noting that on the final song (the third version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand"), there is a spoken introduction by Arthur Fiedler which is about 1 minute long in which Fiedler explains why he started playing Beatles music. The liner notes contain a one panel writeup by Peter Dellheim that discuss a little more background about the success Fiedler has had playing the Beatles.

Overall, this isn't a bad collection. I had higher expectations knowing how good a conductor Arthur Fiedler is as well as knowing how good many of the Beatles' songs would have sounded. This might appeal to the Beatles fan wanting to hear songs Classical, and possibly even vice versa - but if you want to go deeper with the Beatles being played classical, you may have to go elsewhere.

Average customer rating:

Fantastically Wonderful Album
Soothing and funny...
Another album you can pick confidently
A real gem
Great CD, but kind of an acquired taste....

Lost & Found
Griffin House
Manufacturer: Nettwerk Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Fantastically Wonderful Album.......2007-04-20

Singer/songwriter Griffin House provides a fantastic album full of outstanding lyrics and musical sounds. He does not disappoint. Have had this album since it first came out and I never tire of listening, with each listen I find something different that stands out and captures me.

Soothing and funny..........2007-04-11

I bought the CD with some apprehension as my taste of music is very variable. I must say that I was hooked on to the songs immediately. All the songs are gentle and melodious and articulate well. Some of the songs are quite funny.
Would surely recommend it ...

Another album you can pick confidently.......2007-01-25

I bought this album, along with one from Matt Nathanson and Amos Lee by following links here of what people bought when buying other albums in the same genre.
Well, I can say this album is really, really good. Along with Matt Nathanson and Amos Lee, those cds can play in my cd player forever on repeat and after a few hours I just start thinking "hey it's still the same cd in".

Yes it's that good and smooth. No track where you want to skip to the next, they're all good.

(yes I used the same review for Matt since both are in the same genre and as good)

A real gem.......2006-11-07

I have been listening to this cd for almost a year now and finally had a chance to see Griffin perform.
He is awesome.
He has his own style and plays for the music. His lyrics are powerful and moving... I got goosebumps on more than one occassion.
Buy it, listen to it, you'll love it.

Great CD, but kind of an acquired taste...........2006-04-20

I heard of this on CBS Sunday Morning and went out immediately and bought it. I just thought it was OK at first listen. After owning it for a couple months I pulled it out again and the more I listen to it the more appreciation I have for it. It's right up there near the top of my list for favorites.

Give it a listen (or two, maybe three) before you judge it.

How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music

Average customer rating:

Chanticleer, with Bp. Flunder: INDEED - How Very Sweet The Sound
Crystalline
Best Chanticleer CD Yet
How Angry the Sound?
This CD is the bomb!

How Sweet the Sound: Spirituals & Traditional Gospel Music
Chanticleer
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00029CZPW
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb
Surely God Is Able
Amazing Grace
Medley: Soon One Mornin' - What You Goin' Do When The World's On Fire? - You Can't Hide - Run On For A Long Time
Didn't It Rain
Sit Down Servant - Plenty Good Room
Keep Your Hand On The Plow (Hold On)
My Soul Is A Witness
There Is A Balm In Gilead
Medley: Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child - Poor Pilgrim Of Sorrow - Walk In Jerusalem
Be Still And Know That I'm God

Amazon.com

Chanticleer's repertoire ranges through many centuries. On this recording, the group again proves its infinite versatility in a program of gospel music and spirituals. The singing is so authentic that one feels like a participant in a gospel meeting, swaying to the rhythm with the crowd. Contributing greatly to the impact is Chanticleer's guest, Yvette A. Funder. Possessor of a voice remarkable for its range, power, and flexibility, she brings to the music the empathy and authority of one born and raised in the tradition, whether leading call-and-response, engaging in improvisations that soar high above the chorus, crooning softly in meditation, or shouting in ecstasy. (She is also an active Bishop ministering to the poor and afflicted, and the founder of various social service agencies in California.) Several songs include soloists drawn from the chorus as well, most notably a tenor, a countertenor and a bass who provides a rhythmic ostinato. The program, designed for maximum variety of tempo, mood, character and texture, includes many favorite songs and spirituals, such as "Amazing Grace," "There is a Balm in Gilead," "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child." The arrangements by Joseph Jennings, Chanticleer's Music Director for 20 years, are admirably simple and very good; only a few are marred by awkward modulations or overly sophisticated, Hollywood-inspired effects. Most of them are for a cappella voices. Jennings also contributes a new original composition: "Be still and Know that I'm God." Repeating these words like an invocation, it builds a cumulative drama with increasingly wild, elaborate improvisations in call-and-response between soloist and chorus; supported by a prominent piano part that includes solos, chordal and running passages, it ends with a rousing climax. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Chanticleer, with Bp. Flunder: INDEED - How Very Sweet The Sound.......2006-02-10

On this standard red book 16-bit CD we are offered that rare and special invitation: Come now, pilgrim - take yet another good step forward in gospel praise or supplication. How can we progress in our individual and collective spiritual journeys towards whatever transcendent glories ground us, revive us, and lead us on despite life's challenges, unless we sing?. Are you having set backs? This CD is good medicine, and it is both a worthy addition to the gospel music shelf and perhaps just the sort of musical medicine that turns out to be good for you, on more than one level of body, mind, and soul. Not a bitter root aftertaste, nor a nagging fishy oil payback in any of this welcome elixir. I guess that is why we call it, Good News.

The arrangements of new and old gospel standards have been set by counter-tenor Joseph Jennings - a leading Chanticleer member of long standing - intently drawing upon both the florid improvisations of the soloists and gospel groups climbing ever so dazzlingly into the fiery chariots that sacred texts say carried off the prophet; and yes, rooted as well in the impeccably crafted close harmonies and inwardly solid strength of gospel quartets and ensembles like Fisk University's Jubilee Singers and many other exemplars.

So, when you listen to this one you will be immediately surrounded by that amazing and great, gathering could of witnesses. The messages are familiar: Keep your hands on the plow. Surely God is able. There is a balm in Gilead.

Like the famous vocal work by Ralph Vaughan Williams, his Serenade to Music as written for a star-crossed group of well-known British soloists of the era; so this gospel outing brings the small male ensemble Chanticleer to the fore - both as a vocal group and as a fabulous collection of solo voices who are prodigiously gifted vocal stars in their own rights. Capping off Chanticleer as an embarrassment of riches is a guest turn by San Francisco's own Bishop Yvette Flunder. She is the real deal, too, as both an ordained minister whose leadership in black churches has blazed fireworks in celebration of melding religion with social justice, and a Jen-U-Wine good news singer who can preach and pray and moan with the best of them.

Only the superhumanly perfected intonation of their cappella group singing, as well as the superb blend and polish of the Chanticleer dozen, will remind a listener than this group is as famous for its Flemish medieval polyphony or its unerring Purcellian clarity, as any other ensemble of twelve voices now appearing before us.

So, forget all the categories and musicology boxes which would seal off gospel music from pre-Bach cathedral masters of polyphony. With this CD we can just revel in the mysteries of good music, regardless. Yeah, Josquin, I'm talking bout you - Sit down servant, there's plenty good room.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

Crystalline.......2005-04-08

I'm not a huge fan of gospel, because I find it to be led by emotion, and musically undisciplined. Rousing, yes - but a little goes a long, long way. I've also found most gospel recordings to be sonically challenged. Almost as if microphones were incapable of capturing the music with clarity. None of this holds true for "How Sweet the Sound." This is a beautifully recorded cd, and every tune is both musically precise, and emotionally resonant. It is, however, a little hard to listen to in one sitting because of the "sameness" of the arrangements. That's a small quibble - who says any cd has to be experienced all at once - and "There is a Balm in Gilead," alone is worth the price of admission.

Best Chanticleer CD Yet.......2005-02-01

This is the Best Chanticleer CD yet. I have listened to it dozens of times. Money well spent. I have even given copies to several of my friends.

How Angry the Sound?.......2005-01-02

My daughter gave me this CD, because, while I'm not religious, I'm a long time fan of gospel music. The first pass through the record, I found myself wandering off to other tasks. So, the second time I put it on the player I forced myself to sit completely through the record. I'm not familiar with Chanticleer, so I had no idea whey she thought I'd like it, but she's is right more often than not. This would be one of the "not" times.

I guess this as an attempt to make gospel music "hip." With songs like "Jesus Hits Like An Atomic Bomb" and "What You Gon' Do When the World's On Fire?" the lyrics are like walking a American urban street being threatened by strangers. Far from being uplifting, the songs are decidedly unfriendly. The feel of the music reminded more of the howling noises I suffered as a forced member of my parent's Kansas Methodist Church than the sweet, honest sounds of real gospel music. That intangible thing I get from listening to gospel music that is heartfelt and painfully honest, even if deluded, was nowhere to be heard in "How Sweet the Sound." Instead, the music is chant-like, monotonous, and cold.

I would not recommend this record to anyone outside of the Midwest. If you miss the sterile sounds of a Midwestern protestant church in full howl, this might be your cup of weak wine. If gospel music is what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

This CD is the bomb!.......2004-11-28

From "Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb" to "Amazing Grace", this CD is packed with glorius gospel spirituals and terrific talent. Highly recommend to music lovers of all faiths!

Average customer rating:

their best yet
aural medicine
Evocative -- A Slow Dance in a Ghost Town
Azure Ray
Great Video

Hold on Love
Azure Ray
Manufacturer: Saddle Creek
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000D1FDZ
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Customer Reviews:

their best yet.......2006-02-15

First and foremost Orenda and Maria are deeply introspective and unpretentious poets.
They are mere mortals and they embrace, yet do not crush, that fact. Nor do they see
fit to make it an altar on which to sacrifice their inner children. The culmination
is that of ancient souls very much aware of their current journey through whimsical
youth. That and a profound sense that both the old and the new are keenly aware of
and watching the other with curious fascination. They articulate these things with
a magical ease that would make the best of deeply human sentiment driven poets to
snap all their crayons in half and take a sabbatical in hopes of losing all the lofty
veneer that weights them near to drowning in waters five syllables deep. They don't
get too specifically personal (no songs that tell us the names of everyone they know
and love and hate - a thing that is all too prevalent in music lately) and they don't
dole out huge clay tables of sage lesson. Instead they discuss experience in the
context of experience.

Secondly they both have multitudes of identity in their voices. Energetic and happy
children etched with young women in and out of love and overcast by clouds of the
weary who have been worn much by experience. They sing sing softly. To many a singer
that is a death card as the human voice usually sounds very different at various
volumes and we live in a culture that charms the the loud and often harsh. Yet they
thrive in the serene end of the pool and again it is magically transposed to the ear.
Their voices compliment one another on an order that is seldom experienced. Get to
love one and you'll melt to a euphoric puddle of goo when you hear them both together.

One of the hallmarks of Azure Ray has been an oft song that sort of drones along the
same base few chords and/or rythems. They not only pull it off such that one doesn't
feel they've been 'droned' but they go so far as to somehow keep it sounding fresh.
I suspect part of that has to do with their skill and talent as musicians equaling
that of every aspect previously mentioned. Their choice of harmonies and rythems are
such that they compliment this style. But not everything they do is like that. In
fact on this album they demonstrate a most impressive harmonically rich song 'We Are
Mice' that really tugs the listener in with it's dark delicious alternating dissonance
and consonance with verse must surely have been penned by someone with firsthand
knowledge of clinical depression:

'it's all in the eyes
the reckless way we dream to die
our past is our future
...
we'll touch hands on the street
smile and keep moving on towards the heat
...
it's our lot in life'

And again they depart in 'If You Fall' which is anything but a drone. It's major
chords progress in half steps with a joyful vivaciousness that will have you
bouncing up and down in your seat to tempo. The lyrics of this song fall in
thematically with the the whole 'Hold On Love' thread and have elements of
optimism, fascination, curiosity, and somewhat tame optimism:

'let's talk and we'll fill the air with imagery that lasts forever
...
if you fall will you get up
...
you drift too far will you swim towards the shore
and if you fell in love will you hold on to it
...
you speak so sweet with words so delicate
a glass i hope will never shatter'

And of as mentioned the weary and worn exemplified in 'Look To Me':

'i hold your hand as you slip from me
as i watch your breath i say to myself one day this will all end
...
but i know you're right as i begin to pack
without raising your eyes i hear you sigh oh you'll be back
because i look to you and you look to me
we're a real f****d up family'

This is Azure Ray's finest collection to date. I see they've both done solo
albums and in reading an interview with Orenda Fink I was left with the
impression that while things are still good they are feeling the need for
time away from one another. Not surprising at all but tragic if that should
turn into a permenant arrangement. I understand they've been touring apart,
one as Azure Ray and the other with collaborative efforts with other musicians
which fortifies my concern. While both are good as individuals it would be
a terrific loss to lose them as a team. I'm always amazed at what hits the
airwaves and music videos; at who is raking in sickening amounts of money
and who still tour as if on a serious budget. These two women are the real
deal. If you like what you've read give them a shot. If you like your shot
then spread the word and buy a copy for a friend or two. It's up to people
like you and I to force an obviously corrupt music industry's hand to play
a much higher caliber of music consistently. Your dollar is the vote that
counts.

Best Wishes, -frank-

aural medicine.......2006-01-19

it's awesome for those nights when you feel completely alone and doomed to fail at life. it's awesome when you need to know that things might not get better and that it's still going to be okay. it's awesome when none of the other cd's you have seem to fit. it's beautiful and poetic. it helps you make something good out of life when it sucks the most. it helps you through those times that we all have.

Evocative -- A Slow Dance in a Ghost Town.......2004-12-30

Taking nothing from their own uniquely sonorous voices, I find Azure Ray at an evocative intersection of Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, and Margo Timmins of The Cowboy Junkies. There is an anti-heroic quality of pastoral loneliness in their voices, like whispers sung; highly recommended.

Azure Ray.......2004-12-23

Beautiful. Every positive adjective known to man.

Enough said.

Great Video.......2004-06-10

The song "We are Mice" is great, and the young boy in the video is very good!

Average customer rating:

World, Hold On
Bob Sinclar , and Steve Edwards
Manufacturer: Defected
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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III
In the House
Now, Vol. 24

ASIN: B000FDFFRK
Release Date: 2006-07-04

Tracks:

Radio Edit
Club Edit

Album Details

Bob Sinclar Has Almost Become a Household Name, Thanks to a String of Increasingly Successful Dance Hits. Arguably Summers Biggest Anthem, Love Generation Finally Propelled the French Disco-tech Producer to the Very Heights of Dance Stardom. Next Single, World Hold on is a Funkified Affair on an Equally Love Infused Trip. The Club Mix is DJ and Clubber Friendly and Both Feature the Smooth Vocals of Steve Edwards Whose Dulcet Tones Can also Be Heard in Axwell's "Watch the Sunrise" and Cassius' "Sound of Violence".

Average customer rating:

The Place to Start?
Better than the album
Among the best of the EPs, a must-have GbV album
Underground Initiations
These songs could've redeemed Do The Collapse...

Hold on Hope
Guided by Voices
Manufacturer: Tvt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fast Japanese Spin Cycle
The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet
Get Out of My Stations
Selective Service
Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department

ASIN: B00004S3A1
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

Underground Initiations
Interest Position
Fly into Ashes
Tropical Robots
Crick Uphill
Idiot Princess
Avalanche Aminos
Do the Collapse
Hold on Hope

Album Description

Limited edition, 9 track rarities EP from Lo-Fi, Indie Rock outfit. Includes their current single 'Hold On Hope' from their 1999 release 'Do the Collapse'. 2000 release. Slimline jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

The Place to Start?.......2005-08-08

While I will not dismiss the spotty "Do The Collapse", this is clearly superior. Someone in the band clearly said "Hey, this is is good!" And I think this is one of the best. There is not a song I would skip and it puts a radically different song, "Hold On Hope" in a more "traditional GBV set". And let's nit forget how songs like "Uphill Crick" or "Avalanche Aminos" kick the band into a familiar but new realm (for the the times). So is this the place to start? Actually I would say to check out this ep with two others, the relatively obscure "Fast Japanese Spin Cycle" and "The Pipe Dreams of Instant Prince Whippet" That should give you some idea of the trajectory of the band. And that would give an idea if you want to check classic albums like "Alien Lanes" or "Isolation Drills". And from there you can check out such obscure jewels like "Under Bushes, Under The Stars" or "Universal Truths & Cycles" And oh yeah, pick up something like "Bee Thousand" or "Propeller" so you don't look clueless. Oh by the way, get on board before the VH1 crowd gets on to tell that it's cool. This IS the best rock of the 90s!

Better than the album.......2005-07-28

The "Hold on Hope" EP is like a breath of fresh air after the disappointing "Do the Collapse" album. These songs are tight, melodic, energetic-- qualities that most of the LP sorely lacks. It's frustrating that given such great material from the sessions, Pollard picked the worst tracks for the album and left the best stuff languishing on this EP.

Luckily, programmable playlists allow us to rewrite history. Using "Do the Collapse," "Hold on Hope," and "Human Amusements at Hourly Rates," it's possible to create a worthy follow-up to "Mag Earwhig!" Here's my suggested tracklist:

1. Underground Initiations
2. Avalanche Aminos
3. Hold on Hope
4. Dragons Awake!
5. Surgical Focus (clean outro)
6. Things I Will Keep (clean intro)
7. Fly into Ashes
8. Mushroom Art
9. Tropical Robots
10. Wrecking Now
11. Picture Me Big Time
12. A Crick Uphill
13. Teenage FBI (demo version)
14. An Unmarketed Product

Among the best of the EPs, a must-have GbV album.......2005-05-29

The "Hold on Hope" EP represnts a period of history in the band that many, many, MANY fans would like to forget. And yet, this EP provides songs that fans would cherish as part of the essential GbV experience.

"Tropical Robots" is amusingly light fare lyrically, and a short pleasant acoustic ride. "Underground Initiations" is a great track similar to GBV's material of the period just preceding this one. "Fly Into Ashes" and "A Crick Uphill" respresent what GbV might have become had they been willing to take their brand of indie rock into the realm of bands like Wilco who were exploring folkish instrumentation.

The title track "Hold on Hope" is the best of the ill-conceived and poorly-received album "Do the Collapse". The song is great, but the album deserves to be ignored by GbV fans, yet this EP is a release I would suggest owning.

Underground Initiations.......2005-04-09

I'll bet even a lot of GBV fans have looked at that title and said, "hmmm it's That Corporate Rock single (which even Robert Pollard can't stand and refuses to perform) plus a bunch of b-sides and outtakes, stuff that wasn't good enough to get on Do The Collapse, and that wasn't even all that good of an album."

It's a shame that of all the items in the vast GBV catalogue, this is about the only one without a cool, idiosyncratic title, so it'll go through life called The Hold On Hope EP. I guess the good news is that the titular song was thoughtfully placed last, so we can enjoy a terrific little sampler of GBV's skills, featuring Pollard's killer songwriting and the band rocking like mad.

Even in the condensed EP format, the breadth of Pollard's songcraft is incredible. And if this little gem proves one thing it's that whoever was responsible for choosing the tracklist on Do The Collapse must have had temporary insanity when they left these off. These outtakes and b-sides are to a song better than most of the official album.

Love that patented GBV blend of Who/Beatles/Big Star/Cheap Trick hard rockin' power-pop? Try "Underground Initiations" or Doug Gillard's "Avalanche Aminos" featuring his razor sharp leads. Love Pollard's inimitable British Invasion popcraft? You'll be humming "Fly Into Ashes" for days. Want grungy garage rock? There's a remake of "Reptilian Beauty Secrets" called "Idiot Princess." But the real ace in the hole is the incredible and completely unexpected "A Crick Uphill," truly one of a kind in Pollard's bottomless suitcase of songs. Starting out sounding like John Lennon singing a country song (!) it builds to a gospel-infused rockin' hoe-down that is truly unique in the GBV discography. Like the rest of this fine collection it deserves to be heard.

These songs could've redeemed Do The Collapse..........2001-01-03

...but unfortunatly were left off. I have no idea why but can only surmise that Ric Ocasek was given a bit too much latitude in choosing the song selections and thus shaping the final product. Actually, I did read an interview with Bob Pollard where he said he wanted to put "Fly Into Ashes" on the album but Ric was against it. !? What a great song it is! In fact, the first five songs plus "Avalanche Aminos" are all very strong and have a great cohesion of sound/writing style. These songs are definitely more guitar-rock oriented than anything on DTC and hopefully a better indication of what the next GBV album will be like! Two of the others are just re-recorded versions of songs from Tonics and Twisted Chasers, and then of course, there's "Hold On Hope", the sappiest GBV ballad yet.

Breakin' the Ice / Hold on Tight (Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

Breakin' the Ice / Hold on Tight (Limited Edition)

Manufacturer: Christian Disc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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World of Sand + 2
Prime Time

ASIN: B0009I4TEQ

Product Description

Songs include: * Got to believe * Breakin' the ice * Young girl * Melody, harmony * I need your love again * Good feelin' * Searchin' for love * The Lord is calling * I love you with my life * Hold on tight * Take it - save it * Falling star * You're the one * Angel * Chasin' the wind * Don't tell me you love me * Undecided * Carry me * More than you need * Find your way * Bonus track - Childish things (live)

Average customer rating:

spirituals lite
Elijah Rock
Pretenders
It's a wow!
Soulful and moving

Go Down, Moses
Chicago a cappella , and artistic director Jonathan Miller
Manufacturer: The Orchard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wade In The Water, Vol.1:African American Spirituals:The Concert Tradition
In Bright Mansions
Give Me Jesus | Spirituals by Barbara Hendricks and The Moses Hogan Singers
Great American Spirituals, Vol. 9
Great Day - A Cappella Negro Spirituals

ASIN: B00005B8QB
Release Date: 2001-04-17

Tracks:

I couldn't hear nobody pray (arr. William Henry Smith)
Run to Jesus (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)
Elijah Rock (arr. Moses Hogan)
Steal Away (arr. Joseph Jennings)
Go Down, Moses (arr. Peter Saltzman)
Hush! Somebody's callin' my name (arr. Brazeal Dennard)
In dat great gittin' up mornin' (arr. Jester Hairston)
Go, preach my Gospel (ed. William Dargan)
Hold on (ed. Jackson)
Hold on (arr. Jester Hairston)
Fix me, Jesus (arr. Hall Johnson)
Walk toggeder childron (ed. Nathaniel Dett)
Roll, Jordan, Roll (arr. Nashville Bluegrass Band)
We shall walk thro the Valley (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)
Oh, Freedom (arr. Hall Johnson)
Go Down, Moses (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)

Customer Reviews:

spirituals lite.......2007-06-05

Yes, they can sing. But can they sing spirituals? Yes. But do I want to hear them sing spirituals? NO. White people singing spirituals is boring and tired.

Elijah Rock.......2007-02-03

If you like sacred acapella, you're bound to like "Go Down, Moses," performed by Chicago Acapella. This group does such a fantastic job of achieving a clean, beautiful blended sound. And frankly, I don't care if they are mostly white or if their performance is not "authentic." It sounds heavenly, and that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned.

My favorite track on this CD is "Elijah Rock." Although the composer is listed as "anonymous," the arrangement performed is actually that of the late Moses Hogan. I have yet to come across a recorded performance of Hogan's "Elijah Rock" that does as much justice to the piece as Chicago Acapella's. Their sound, blend, dynamics, pitch, rhythm- everything you need in a choral performance- is spot on here. All of the other recordings of "Elijah Rock" I've listened to do 1 of 2 things (if not both) very quickly- rush the tempo or go flat. Chicago Acapella does neither. In addition, the sound editing and engineering are as good as one could expect. By the way, this is available on iTunes for $9.99, with individual songs for sale. I only bought 2 songs on this CD: "Roll Jordan" and "Elijah Rock." Not that the other songs are bad, they're all well-performed, but these 2, especially "Elijah Rock," are the ones that I can listen to over and over again and never get tired of.

Pretenders.......2003-11-27

You wont find a picture of the singers for this cd on the cover. I was miffed when I found out they are mostly all white. You couldn't tell from the name of the group, or the politically correct use of the term African American instead of negro. I was just hoping for the kind of nuance you hear in African American church choirs. This choir mimics the Negro spiritual ok, but you can't help but wonder how much better it would be if they used actual African American singers and direction. The real thing is always better than the pretender. Nevertheless the voices are proffessional so I did get something out of it.

It's a wow!.......2001-11-17

We've all heard "Go down Moses"...at least we think we have. This NEW version brings NEW beauty to an ancient favorite. The arrangement is superb. The voices are superb. The effect is superb. An amazing and moving experience.

If you've never heard Chicago a cappella, this would be a wonderful first exposure to a group so musical, so diverse, so entertaining that you'll wish to revisit it often.

Soulful and moving.......2001-08-07

What great ensemble! Whether you love spirituals or not, this recording is sure to impress you with the amazing vocals. Each performer brings out their own personality, but also blends into a unified whole. And the arrangements are a lot of fun!

Music:

Music

Music

1. In Spite of It All
2. He Will Provide
3. Trust Him
4. More Like Jesus
5. I Have Overcome the World
6. Jesus Is All You Need
7. I Will Be Ready
8. Hold On
9. He Will Deliver
10. Give It to Me