I'm More Than What I Seem

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The title I'm More Than What I Seem expresses a sentiment that snakes across the human spectrum. But a convincing case can be made that girls 8 to 14--this record's target audience--are its surest sympathizers; they're also prime prey for acute growing pains, peer pressure, alienating lapses of faith, and various crises of self-confidence. Fortunately, Celia Straus, adolescent expert and author of Prayers on My Pillow, saw fit to adapt her spiritually and emotionally nourishing poems on such hairy subjects to a spoken-word CD. Better still, a handful of celebrity moms stood behind her by contributing their influential, if not always recognizable, vocals. Annette Bening breathes both vulnerability and confidence into a track on loneliness. Blythe Danner celebrates the self with "The Song of My Soul Is Mine for the Singing," part of a track called "My Blessings." Amy Irving and Swoosie Kurtz tackle the occasional trickiness of truth-telling. And Kathleen Turner delivers a hopeful reading of "Let Me Love Myself So Much" on a well-conceived mirror-themed track. A host of other notables, Christine Baranski and Vanity Fair's Leslie Bennetts among them, also lend their talents to these selections, each enhanced by original, mind-defogging New Age music. Most appealing about this record (other than its producers' ongoing contribution to the Motherless Daughters charity), though, is its packaging. The CD is tucked inside a tiny, gorgeously illustrated hardcover book that not only lists each poem's words but includes insirational, empathetic, and sometimes quirky quotes from a bevy of mothers and daughters. --Tammy La Gorce

Tracks:

The Courage To Be Myself: Let Me Go To The Silence Within/I Surround Myself With Toys At Night/I... - Emily Straus/Mollie Birney/Hope Davis/Maggie Braine
Brave Beginnings: Today I Start A Journey/I Define Myself With Words/Where Is My Balance/May I Be... - Julia Straus/Debra Monk/Diane Simmons Williams/Hope Davis
Looking In The Mirror: I'm Changing Inside At All Different Rates/My Body Is The Cloak I Wear/Let... - Celia Straus/Dana Ivey/KathleenTurner
Confusion And Fear: When The World Seems To Whirl Faster And Faster/I've Just Met Depression/When... - Emily Straus/Swoosie Kurtz/Amy Irving/Mollie Birney
The Pain Of Growing Up: I Look For Help But I Can't Find It/Today I Woke Up Empty/I Cannot Make... - Celia Straus/Amy Irving/Rachel Weiss/Hope Davis
Pressures In School: I Pray That I Can Do The Work That I Must/Frustration Fills My Eyes With... - Julia Straus/Rachel Weiss/Mollie Birney/Rachel Weiss
Self-Confidence: Please, God, Let Me See My World In The Light/I Pray I Can Spend Just One Single... - Emily Straus/Asantewa K. Foster/Debra Monk/Leslie Bennetts
God's Love: Give Me The Strength To Go On Each Day/What Good Does Praying Do?/What Was I Before I... - Celia Straus/Asantewa K. Foster/Amy Irving/Debra Monk
Getting Along With Family And Friends: I Pray I Find Friends For The Trusting/I Pray I'll Choose... - Julia Straus/Lucy Blodgett/Candice Carpenter/Christine Baranski/Hope Davis
My Blessings: May I Be Loving And Feel Joy/Each Morning May I Wake Anew/Are You In Heaven?/Let Me... - Julia Straus/Blythe Danner/Annette Bening/Judith Ivey/Blythe Danner
Asking For Help: Let Me Never Forget/Talking To God Is A Natural Thing/If I Talk To You, Lord... - Celia Straus/Dana Ivey/Meredith Baxter/Judith Ivey
Fearless Faith: Some Days Things Turn Out Well For Me/Please Help Me To Choose/There's A Quiet... - Annette Bening/KathleenTurner/Amy Irving
Living In The Moment: Let Me Live For Just This Moment/I Pray That I'll Reach Out/Let Me Capture... - Emily Straus/Judith Ivey/Amy Irving/Emily Gerard
When I'm Alone: When I Feel This Alone/Sometimes It's Hard To Find A Place/When I'm Feeling... - Annette Bening/Amy Irving/Meredith Baxter/Amy Irving
Finding Beauty In My World: I Am A Part Of This Earth/I Will Kiss The Wind/When Nature Starts To... - Celia Straus/Hope Davis/Lucy Blodgett/Hope Davis

Amazon.com

The title I'm More Than What I Seem expresses a sentiment that snakes across the human spectrum. But a convincing case can be made that girls 8 to 14--this record's target audience--are its surest sympathizers; they're also prime prey for acute growing pains, peer pressure, alienating lapses of faith, and various crises of self-confidence. Fortunately, Celia Straus, adolescent expert and author of Prayers on My Pillow, saw fit to adapt her spiritually and emotionally nourishing poems on such hairy subjects to a spoken-word CD. Better still, a handful of celebrity moms stood behind her by contributing their influential, if not always recognizable, vocals. Annette Bening breathes both vulnerability and confidence into a track on loneliness. Blythe Danner celebrates the self with "The Song of My Soul Is Mine for the Singing," part of a track called "My Blessings." Amy Irving and Swoosie Kurtz tackle the occasional trickiness of truth-telling. And Kathleen Turner delivers a hopeful reading of "Let Me Love Myself So Much" on a well-conceived mirror-themed track. A host of other notables, Christine Baranski and Vanity Fair's Leslie Bennetts among them, also lend their talents to these selections, each enhanced by original, mind-defogging New Age music. Most appealing about this record (other than its producers' ongoing contribution to the Motherless Daughters charity), though, is its packaging. The CD is tucked inside a tiny, gorgeously illustrated hardcover book that not only lists each poem's words but includes insirational, empathetic, and sometimes quirky quotes from a bevy of mothers and daughters. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

The perfect gift for your daughter........2000-06-20

I bought this beautiful CD and book for my daughter as a graduation from sixth grade present this month. All I can say is that "I'm More Than What I Seem" has been on her CD player ever since. She listens to it every night. She told me that the poetry makes her cry because it expresses exactly how she feels. This is a wonderful way to tell your daughter you love her.

Worth Having.......2000-06-13

This is wonderful for Mothers who are going through a "difficult" stage with their teenage daughters. It's wonderful in a comforting way for both Mother and Daughter. The women who read for the disc are well known personalities and I am impressed that they felt this was a worthy project--which it is! The prayers are beautifuly written in an intelligent way.

Music:

Music

Music