Desert Of Spirits (Musical Moods & Chants Of Native Africa) - Various Artists

Advantages: Spiritual ,deep, catchy, musically great
Disadvantages: Some may be deterred by the more traditional elements of the album

...have seen it in the beauty of a Navaho girl like a flower in the desert heat, and I've seen it in the eyes of a Cheyenne dancer as he move to an ancient beat" The song is extremely melodic and the harmonica is a real nice addition. Track 9:Inter-Tribal Pow-Wow Speaks for itself. A hearty traditional drumming and chanting Pow-Wow Track 10: Kokopelli's Journey Great flute and amazing energy. This instrumental starts of mild and builds in spirit, energy and tempo. Some interesting vocals used to symbolise the bird Kokopelli. Track 11: My People By far my most favourite track on this album. This is a sad song that makes you think long and hard. Lines such as "My people spread like eagles wings across the valleys and the plains, now the feathers have been broken but the eagle still remains" My people heard the thundering as the iron horse... Read review

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Advantages: The Western world's introduction to African music on a commerical scale
Disadvantages: Probably not generally recieved at the time for what it was really worth..

...that many of us will ever get to hear interrupted South African music. These incredible singers moving in and out of each others voices like silk entwining is an electric sound of what the human voice can achieve when in great numbers. Paul Simon's English words do not cloud this African chant, in any case, his words capture the spirit of the song intensely than if not there at all. Recorded in the most famous, Abbey Road studios, we almost are disappointed at learning this, perhaps wanting it to have been recorded out in the dusty plains at sunset surrounded by elephants and resting prides of lions. If we could 'hear' the sound of countries, then this is what South Africa sounds like… 'Crazy Love Vol.II' is a reflection back to the gentleness of 'Under African Skies,' as its theme is meandering and thoughtful. The lyrics it would seem... Read review

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Advantages: Morricone at his best and most original
Disadvantages: Apart from some incompleteness none

...The "Main Theme" in itself is already something completely offbeat and highly original. It opens with a rhythmic thumping of a drum that is followed by the oft-parodied seven-note whistling motif on a soprano flute (representing Eastwood), arghilophone (representing Van Cleef) and grunting voices (representing Wallach). The second part of the theme (this one more forward riding than the first part) features the electric guitar and a male choir. From there on the music gets even more excited with a reprisal of the first part accenting the underlying rhythm and now presented by Morricone's experimental "native" human voices. This yields into a virtuostic dialogue with two trumpets and lightning like slashes of guitar (my favorite part I might add) after which the second part is reprised with even greater energy. After this the first part... Read review

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