Lifeline

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Although there's only one new original on Iris DeMent's first release in eight years, the music throughout ranks with the most personal she has made. DeMent's quavering vocals invest this collection of traditional spirituals with an unwavering conviction. "This is my story," she sings on "Blessed Assurance," written more than 130 years ago. "This is my song." In her liner notes, the Arkansas-raised artist explains how these were the first songs she remembers hearing, and that this music has always provided comfort during hard times, a comfort that isn't necessarily (or at least not narrowly) religious. On "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and "God Walks the Dark Hills," DeMent accompanies herself on stately solo piano, and the emotion is as pure as the arrangement is unadorned. On other tracks, DeMent and co-producer Jim Rooney enlist homespun support from kindred spirits such as guitarists Mark Howard and Bo Ramsey and a call-and-response chorus of harmonizers including Stuart Duncan. The self-penned composition, "He Reached Down," is a folkish recasting of the Biblical "Good Samaritan" parable. Even listeners who don't share the faith expressed in these songs will have trouble resisting the unflinching intimacy of the performances. --Don McLeese

Lifeline, Music, Iris DeMent, Country Gospel, Folk, Folk & Traditional, Hymns, Pop, Southern Gospel, Traditional Gospel

Average customer rating:
Lifeline
Ben Harper
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
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Because of the Times

ASIN: B000RMQH30
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Tracks:

Fight Outta You
In the Colors
Fool for a Lonesome Train
Needed You Tonight
Having Wings
Say You Will
Younger Than Today
Put It on Me
Heart of Matters
Paris Sunrise #7
Lifeline

Amazon.com

Eight albums in just over a dozen years: validation that Ben Harper--mind or body--rarely rests, be it on the road with backing jam band the Criminals or buried in a studio, where the gifted singer-songwriter lays down his brand of peace-chanting, love-tilting music. His latest is lighter on the rock, with a greater emphasis on gospel, blues, and deeply burning soul. Harper isn't concerned about letting listeners inside that soul, confessing in the title track, "I don't want to wait a lifetime/Yours or mine." The solo acoustic closer is classic wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve, a trait that seems to drift in and out of songs like the ominous ballad "Younger than Yesterday," which remembers earlier days being better days, or its mood-opposite "Say You Will," where the exultance of a flamboyant piano and gospel backing vocals offset cheesy lines such as "love you like a candle loves a flame." The latter is a standout, along with the bluesy opener "Fight Outta You"; the island-splashed "In the Colors," which recalls early-'70s Van Morrison; and "Put It on Me," with its brilliant lyric, "She cuts cherry pie when she looks you in the eye." All eyes, as his legion builds, are on Ben Harper. All ears, too. --Scott Holter

Average customer rating:

Let the beauty of your natural voice carry your albums.
LIfeline
As close as I'll get to having my Mom and Grandma back again
Ewwww
Iris is sublime

Lifeline
Iris DeMent
Manufacturer: Flariella Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Country Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Revival

ASIN: B0002ZUIJG
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Tracks:

I've Got That Old Time Religion In My Heart
Blessed Assurance
Fill My Way With Love
Hide Thou Me
The Old Gospel Ship
Sweet Hour of Prayer
That Glad Reunion Day
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
He Reached Down
Near The Cross
I Never Shall Forget The Day
I Don't Want To Get Adjusted
God Walks The Dark Hills

Amazon.com

Although there's only one new original on Iris DeMent's first release in eight years, the music throughout ranks with the most personal she has made. DeMent's quavering vocals invest this collection of traditional spirituals with an unwavering conviction. "This is my story," she sings on "Blessed Assurance," written more than 130 years ago. "This is my song." In her liner notes, the Arkansas-raised artist explains how these were the first songs she remembers hearing, and that this music has always provided comfort during hard times, a comfort that isn't necessarily (or at least not narrowly) religious. On "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and "God Walks the Dark Hills," DeMent accompanies herself on stately solo piano, and the emotion is as pure as the arrangement is unadorned. On other tracks, DeMent and co-producer Jim Rooney enlist homespun support from kindred spirits such as guitarists Mark Howard and Bo Ramsey and a call-and-response chorus of harmonizers including Stuart Duncan. The self-penned composition, "He Reached Down," is a folkish recasting of the Biblical "Good Samaritan" parable. Even listeners who don't share the faith expressed in these songs will have trouble resisting the unflinching intimacy of the performances. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Let the beauty of your natural voice carry your albums........2006-12-10

I love Iris DeMent, but in this album, perhaps because she felt it was the best vocal style for gospel, Iris uses a voice that is too forced. She comes across sounding hollow, with a put-on voice that someone would use when trying to sound down home. I would sing this way if I were doing a poor caricature of gospel folk singers. Since Iris already has a pure voice perfect for her music, she really shouldn't have gone this unnecessary step.

After two songs, I nearly said out loud, "Stop it, Iris."

LIfeline.......2006-08-30

I sent this to my sister during the last days of her fight against breast cancer. She had mentioned how old time hymns "The ones you know the words to" brought her a lot of comfort.
Iris Dement outdid herself on this one. She left the music scene for awhile and I have missed her music. Maybe a little more upbeat next time out Iris.

As close as I'll get to having my Mom and Grandma back again.......2006-05-03

Nobody who knows me will ever describe me as "religious," but I grew up in a family that was off-and-on "church," in the old-time-religion way. My mother and _her_ mother sang constantly as they did housework, and their repertoire was mostly hymns and gospel songs. Many of them are on this CD, and DeMent's rough, untutored voice isn't unlike what I grew up hearing.

There can be a fine comfort in hearing --and singing along with, if nobody else can hear-- these old songs. The arrangement --mostly simple piano and guitar, with a little rough vocal harmony like what happens in little white frame nondenominational churches that dot our hills-- are both traditional and fresh, like the songs themselves.

I dunno how youngsters, or those with no hillbilly church experience will hear these cuts, but I love them, and recommend them highly to anyone who remembers a time when it was possible to believe. They're part of "the culture" to anyone who knows the difference between "hillbilly" and "southern," and this is one CD that was worth every penny I paid for it.

Ewwww.......2006-01-30

I understand that Iris DeMent has a very strong fan base and that this review will likely ruffle a few feathers, but...Ewww! I am sorry, but I just don't get it. I find her voice grating and somewhat irritating. The album itself has many songs that would otherwise be quite lovely, but with her vocals I just can not get into it.

Iris is sublime.......2006-01-15

Iris Dement is just wonderful. This CD of gospel songs she sang as a child and one original is inspiring and incredibly beautiful.

Average customer rating:

An Absolute Treasure...
Astonishing
A great performance, a great recording and a great reissue.

Lifeline Extended
Holly Near , and Ronnie Gilbert
Manufacturer: Appleseed Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Cris & Holly

ASIN: B00006GOEP
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

Harriet Tubman
Si Me Quieres Escribir
Pastures Of Plenty
Beloved Comrade
Two Good Arms
Biko
Isabel
Started Out Fine
The Right Time
No More Genocide
Kid's Song
Hay Una Mujer Desparecida
Goodnight Irene

Tracks:

Greetings (spoken)
Women's Medley
I Cried
Activity Room
Perfect Night
Lucky to Be Men
Stormy Medley
Army Song / Chairman of the Board
Family Promise
Singing for Our Lives
Singing With You

Album Description

When Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert united for a series of concerts at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall in 1983, it was an historic intersection between two generations of fearless topical folksingers and songwriters. The collaboration between Gilbert (a former member of The Weavers) and Near (a peace activist and feminist music pioneer) sent a wave of excitement through the folk/peace/feminist circles in the US. These women voiced the work, faith, humor and complexities of the social change movement afoot.

The weekend of shows was recorded and distilled into "Lifeline," which subsequently became one of Near's best-selling records and a milestone in contemporary folk and women's music. Reissued by Appleseed and retitled "Lifeline Extended," the original 16 songs on "Lifeline" expand into a remastered 2-CD set - 23 songs plus the inclusion of some wonderful onstage banter. The material, carefully retrieved from the deteriorating master tapes, includes Weavers' standards like "Goodnight Irene" and "Pastures of Plenty" as well as Near originals that have become anthems for the left, such as "No More Genocide" and "Singing for Our Lives." Near and Gilbert also honor other political songwriters, performing "Biko" by Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon; "Two Good Arms," Charlie King's song about the martyred Sacco and Vanzetti, "Kid's Song" by Ferron, and more. In keeping with their mutual theatrical roots, Holly and Ronnie break out of any traditional definition of folk music by including a surprising and delightful array of show tunes and pop standards, including "Stormy Weather," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Lucky to Be Me." Ronnie performs a brilliant character piece entitled "Chairman of the Board," which, coupled with Holly's haunting version of Brecht/Weill's "Army Song" from "The Three Penny Opera," leaves the audience in a chilled, breathless silence.

Customer Reviews:

An Absolute Treasure..........2005-04-26

Like one of the other reviewers who commented on this album, I had nearly worn out my cassette tapes of these songs. I was thrilled to see they had been re-released on CD and especially happy that additional material was included in the new release. I purchased a video documentary several years ago called "Wasn't That a Time". It was about the Weavers (a folk group with which Ronnie Gilbert sang in the fifties) and their journey through the McCarthy era and beyond blacklisting. That documentary chronicled, I believe, the first duet that Ronnie Gilbert and Holly Near sang - and the chemistry they demonstrated as they sang on camera is guaranteed to raise goosebumps in even the most jaded viewer. Since then, Gilbert and Near have proven to be mesmerizing, funny, and absolutely in synch in their performances. Don't pass this album by - you won't be sorry you purchased it!

Astonishing.......2004-03-22

When Holly Near came together with Ronnie Gilbert for the concert that became "Lifeline", the two of them produced an album of nearly unparalleled strength and power. It may be an album of anthems for the left, as the Amazon review says, but I think it's more of an album of anthems for the heart. "Singing for Our Lives" is in particular a song about HIV/AIDS, which at the time of the recording was ignored by the Alzheimer's-riddled mind of Ronald Reagan, and there has never been a more powerful song: "We are a gentle, angry people, and we are singing, singing for our lives." I am so glad to see that the album has been re-released on CD, 'cause I've worn my tape out. Holly Near is the high priestess of lesbian music, and Ronnie Gilbert is a legend. What more could anyone ask for?

A great performance, a great recording and a great reissue........2002-12-01

If you think you might have the REMOTEST interest in Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, The Weavers, or this kind of folk music, you will love this recording.

My cherished copy of this on LP hasn't been available for years. This 2-CD set improves on the LP in every way.

What I can't get over, listening to this music again, is what a really, REALLY exceptional performance it is. When Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie sing "together" (to take another intergenerational pair) I always have the felt that the collaboration is casual and perhaps not very intensively rehearsed.

But when Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert sing, I hear two very accomplished singers with two strong voices, completely different in sound, yet blending perfectly... just singing their hearts out, holding nothing back, and perfectly _in tune_ both musically and emotionally.

The live recording captures the excitement and involvement of the moment, and the intense, sincere cheering and applauding of the mostly-female audience.

Wow.

The original LP, which hasn't been available for years, contained a total of 15 tracks running 53 minutes. This 2 CD-set contains of 23 tracks and 88 minutes of music. The CD includes nine tracks which did not appear on the LP, every one a worthy addition: "Starting Out Fine," "The Right Time," "Kid's Song," "Women's Medley," "I Cried," "Lucky To Be Me," "Army Song/Chairman of the Board," "Family Promise," and "Singing With You." One song on the LP, "Gracias A La Vida", is omitted from the CD.

It is especially good to have Ronnie Gilbert's "Army Song." The song is from Brecht and Weill's _The Threepenny Opera_ but the track is actually a short theatrical monologue which, as I write this, seems regrettably apropos.

I played this for the first time on my car player, and track 5, "Two Good Arms," happened to be playing just as I passed the dome of the courthouse in Dedham where Sacco and Vanzetti received their unfair trail. Perhaps I unconsciously knew this when I put the CD in, but I'll take my synchronicity where I can find it: it was very moving.

"Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida" sent shivers down my spine. "Harriet Tubman" made me want to stand up and cheer. "The Activity Room" is just plain _nice_.

I am glad the lifeline of this recording has been extended, and I wish a happy and "extended lifeline" to Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and everyone who captured this wonderful moment, first in vinyl and now in polycarbonate.

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Lifeline
Ben Harper et les Criminals Innocents
Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000RY43K2
Release Date: 2007-09-03

Tracks:

Fight Outta You
In the Colors
Fool for a Lonesome Train
Needed You Tonight
Having Wings
Say You Will
Younger Than Today
Put It on Me
Heart of Matters
Paris Sunrise #7
Lifeline

Average customer rating:

Lifeline

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Blues | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002458S
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Average customer rating:

Awesome CD!
Superb Synth-based Album Everyone Should Get !

Lifeline
Colony 5
Manufacturer: Underground Inc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
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Colonisation [Best Of]
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Subkutan

ASIN: B00006RIPH
Release Date: 2002-10-29

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Colony 5
Trust You
Suicidal
The Bottle
Liquid Love
Be My Slave
Crackhead
Stay Young
Freedom
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Heal Me
Friends
Last Chance
Second Hand
Colony 5 (Cosmonaut Mix)

Customer Reviews:

Awesome CD!.......2006-08-28

I loved these guys since the first time I heard them in 2002. This album has great sounds to it. If you like Covenant; another great synthpop band from Sweden, you'll love these guys, too. A must have for anybody who likes Colony 5 already.

Superb Synth-based Album Everyone Should Get !.......2002-12-01

This has got to be the coolest new finding amongst plenty of underground electronic/synthpop movements outhere. "Lifeline" presents us with well-crafted electronic tunes that should make you jump out of your seat & dance all night long.

Musically, Colony 5 sounds very similar to De/Vision; or if you're not familiar with De/Vision, you should know what Depeche Mode sounds like. Yes, underground synth-based bands got lots of their influence from mainstream electronic groups such as: Depeche Mode, Cause & Effect, Camouflage,etc.....

The whole album mostly consists of upbeat tunes. It's not an old synthpop at all. While synthpop may have been originated in the 80's, Colony 5's music is the infusion of modern electronic plus with some EBM and plenty of synthesizers. It's a bliss !! You should give this one a try. Highly recommend it ..... Peace !!

Throw Out the Lifeline
Average customer rating:
Throw Out the Lifeline
Sallie Martin Singers , and Cora Martin
Manufacturer: Specialty
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
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