Secret Garden is made up of two members Fionnuala Sherry (an expert violinist who has worked with The Chieftains, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Chris de Burgh, Bono and Wet Wet Wet and has also worked on the movie soundtracks to "The River Runs Wild", "A Room With A View" and "The Mask".) and Rolf Lovland (who has written over 60 songs, won the National radio chart "Song of the year-award" two years running, won the international Eurovision Song Contest twice and won Norway’s Eurovision Song Contest four times.) The band formed in 1994 and the following year became the first people to win the international Eurovision Song Contest with a purely instrumental song.
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Dreamcatcher is a 18 track "Best Of" album released in 2000 and created especially for the UK market to bring us up-to-date with Secret Garden's previous albums: White Stones, Songs From A Secret Garden and Dawn Of A New Century.
Just a note: Normally I would not add lyrics to my music reviews, but because not all the songs have lyrics and for the ones that do, they aren't very long at all. I thought it would create a more well rounded review, as the lyrics are in my opinion an important part of what the feel of the album is about.
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Track 1 - Nocturne 3.11 (was taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
Nocturne means: "dreamy musical piece; picture of night scene"
The simple lyrics to this track were written in 1992 by Petter Skavlan and were sung most beautifully by Gunnhild Tvinnereim. The lyrics feature at the beginning of the track and are more of a poem than song lyrics simply because they consist of only 24 words:
Now let the day Just slip away So the dark night May watch over you Nocturne Though darkness lay It will give way When the dark night Delivers the day
The rest of the track consists of a simple melody that was both written and conducted by John Tate and as the title suggests it has a very dreamy feel. Listening to it you can imagine sitting atop a cliff in the dead of night with the gentle breeze on your face overlooking the deep blue ocean. The song was a universal hit and won them the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest in 1995.
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Track 2 - Prayer 4.30 (was taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
The beautiful lyrics to this track are alot like the first in the fact that they seem more like a poem than actual song lyrics, they were written by the two band members Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Lovland - the latter also wrote and conducted the music. The song is sung by a Scottish singer called Karen Matherson and is about being troubled and scared and turning to the angels and spirits to guide us, protect us and watch over us when we feel that no-one else can do so.
Hush - lay down your troubled mind The day has vanished and left us behind And the wind - whispering soft lullabies Will soothe - so close your eyes
Let your arms enfold us Through the dark of night Will your angels hold us Till we see the light
Sleep - angels will watch over you And soon beautiful dreams will come true Can you feel spirits embracing your soul So dream while secrets of darkness unfold
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Track 3 - Moving 3.22 (taken from the album White Stones)
"Moving" is the first totally instrumental track on the album. The song starts of quite quiet and then slowly gains momentum and evolves into a piece quite reminiscent of something that wouldn't be out of place in Riverdance. This isn't one of my most favourite songs on the album mainly because I am not really a fan of traditional Irish and Celtic music, which this song seems to be influenced by, however, I will listen to it and not skip to the next track.
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Track 4 - Dreamcatcher 4.35 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
The song starts and ends with the short lyrics written by Nikki Matheson who provided backing vocals in the second track "Prayer".
Hear my silent prayer Heed my quiet call When the dark and blue surround you Step into my sigh Look inside the light You will know that I have found you
As with the other songs on this album it is a calming song but thanks to the talents of John Tate who wrote and conducted the music for this track it has an added hint of mystery and darkness to it - thus living up to the title "Dreamcatcher" very well. A Dreamcatcher is neither a good nor a bad thing it is a net for capturing the "good dreams" and aids in filtering out any "bad dreams". The soft whispered vocals provided by the band member Fionnuala Sherry add to the dream theme on this song.
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Track 5 - Sigma 3.05 (taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet but the song was named not after that but after one of the studios in which the band worked in. It was beautifully written in Irish by David Agnew and sung by an 11-year-old boy Rhonan Sugure with the Irish National Chamber Choir. Having listened to the previous four songs I would regard John Tate a very good composer but the music to this song seems rather dull and weak to his previous tracks.
I search for the sign That will set my soul free My heart must be pure So that I can find peace
My grief cannot last forever My love will be fulfilled I pray a sign will help me Be all that I can be
Repeat first verse
The wind is your voice The rain is your tears Your burning heart And spirit is my salvation
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Track 6 - Song from a Secret Garden 3.32 (taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
This track is one of my most favourite songs on the album, I remember the first time I listened to it, it was one of those songs that seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't remember where from. This is the second all-instrumental track on the album and is a song where the imagination can take over and run wild, with no lyrics to tell you what it is about you are free to let your mind wander and make up your own meaning to the song. Mine is boring and not very original when you see the title of the track but I always think of a secret garden, what it would look like when I discovered it - the plants, the trees, the flowers, the birds singing, all the beautiful colours, maybe even a little stream and a lake with a boat, although unoriginal I imagine my secret garden to be as beautiful as this song. John Tate certainly makes amends with this song for his previous weak track.
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Track 7 - Sona 4.16 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
This song is about the fable of Hansel and Gretel the two children that ventured into the forest with small white stones after they heard their parents had plans to abandon them in the forest, as they could no longer afford to keep them. As nightfall came, the moon illuminated the white stones that they had dropped onto the path, and the reflection of the moon on the stones became their guiding light. The lyrics to the song were written in Irish by Mick O'Brien and sung softy and dreamily by Fionnuala Sherry with the additional backing vocals by Nikki Matheson, Alf Emil Eik and Rolf Lovland, the latter also wrote the score and conducted the music to match this dreamy song.
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Track 8 - Passacaglia 3.47 (taken from the album White Stones)
The third all-instrumental track on the album and yet another John Tate masterpiece. It is a variation of the ornate Baroque music that was popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The beauty of the all-instrumental tracks on this album is that they inspire your imagination to create new worlds inside your head. I imagine dancing wearing a big traditional ballgown in the ballroom of a big grand palace, with absurdly high ceilings and long picture windows looking out onto fields and beautifully kept gardens. Although that would never happen in real life the beauty of this song allows it to become reality for all of 3 minutes and 47 seconds.
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Track 9 - Elan 3.08 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
Élan means vivacity and this is certainly quite a vivacious and lively song. It is another of those songs that would be most at home in Riverdance it has a very Celtic and Irish feel to it with Tommy Hayes playing the bodhran, spoons and bones. Martin O'Connor playing the box and Mick O'Brien playing the Uilleann Pipes and Whistle. This is one of my least favourite songs on the album because as I said earlier I am not a fan of this sort of song, if I like classical music then I either like it to be relaxing, stir my imagination or both and this doesn't really do either. John Tate did a good job of composing this song so if you do like the Riverdance style of music then I think you would quite possibly like this one.
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Track 10 - In Our Tears 4.36 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
This track features an Irish choir called Anuna who sing lyrics written by Eyvind Skeie (who is a minister in The Church of Norway) in reference to the traditional Latin Mass. I do really like this track and it is another of my favourites from the album, although it has quite a sad and solemn feel it still manages to capture that dreamy feel that by now the album seems quite renowned for.
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Track 11 - Celebration 3.57 (taken from the album White Stones)
It comes as no surprise that the score to this track was written and conducted by John Tate. It starts with simple drumbeats and then evolves into a beautiful mix of Oboes, Recorders and Whistles. This is my favourite track on the album along with track 6 - Song From A Secret Garden. As the title suggests it is a piece full of joy and celebration, it would be the most perfect song for a wedding - a nice white wedding, outside in the spring with lots of beautiful flowers - there goes the imagination again!
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Track 12 - Heartstrings 3.22 (taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
Heartstrings is a song on the album that has no information about it - it doesn't tell you who played the instruments in the song or who wrote the score and composed it - although I would presume it would be John Tate as this is another quality song on the album. It has a quiet reminiscent feel to it, and reminds me of the song they play on the TV soap Neighbours whenever someone has died or when they get bad news (anyone remember the song?). It's not one of the songs on the album that I would remember the most, it's an easily forgettable composition but it's very pleasant and calming.
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Track 13 - Steps 4.01 (taken from the album White Stones)
The voices of the Irish whistle and the Latin guitar meet and both sing together in perfect melodic harmony. John Tate created a perfect blend with this song - it has that Celtic feel that a couple of the other tracks have, but unlike the others I actually like this one - I think it's because the whistle and the guitar blend together and compliment the other so perfectly, the guitar adds a mysterious soulful feel - especially the guitar solo by Des Moore - and the whistle compliments it by adding a special hint of magic. Ordinarily I would never thought such instruments and styles could be mixed and end up sounding good, but somehow this works very well.
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Track 14 - Adagio 2.51 (taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
A beautiful song that is both very soulful and calming. The band describes it as "Bach, the great master, inspires Adagio." Adagio was originally released in 1989 in the piano book "Nine Piano pieces for Maria and Other Children" with the title "Where the Words End." After listening to this one I would be most interested in hearing the other eight.
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Track 15 - The Rap 2.31 (taken from the album Songs From A Secret Garden)
Definitely not what I expected this song to be, the title is very misleading - I was expecting a typical Secret Garden melody with a rap in it, but this is another of the John Tate masterpieces that are so frequent on this album, and it is no different to them in any way. It has a great catchy rhythm that you will soon find your self humming and "singing" along to. It sounds like the songs that were so often played during the Country Dancing/Maypole Dancing classes I used to have in Primary School (please no laughing!) - and thankfully it has no rap! Just so you don't get confused it isn't a Country song, it has more of that "Maypole" feel to it, it's just that we had Country and Maypole dancing in the same class.
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Track 16 - Hymn to Hope 4.18 (taken from the album White Stones)
This song starts off very sorrowful and then after about two minutes the tune changes into something with quite a hopeful feeling to it. It doesn't feel like a typical John Tate composition and at a glance to the album booklet I find out that my suspicions were right and that Rolf Lovland actually scored and composed the track. Although it is quite a good song it doesn't quite sound right - to explain better - it doesn't have that "balance" in the sound, John Tate created the perfect balance between Irish and Latin in the track Steps but Rolf is no John Tate in creating the perfect balance between sorrow and hope, and even the hope isn't all that hopeful - it still has that sorrowful feeling to it. The best way he could have made this song work was to split the song into thirds and have the first third sorrowful and then the last two thirds with a hopeful and much happier feel to it.
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Track 17 - Lore of the Loom 3.17 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
Uuugggghhh - that's what I honestly felt when this track came on; it is not the perfect song to revive me after the last letdown. I was certainly not expecting to hear another of those Irish influenced songs, I was hoping for another "Song from a Secret Garden" or a "Celebration". I did force myself to listen to it after seeing that it was a John Tate track, but even he can't revive me, it doesn't even sound like his previous work and I am left feeling quite disappointed and feeling quite sorry for the last track as it has alot resting on its shoulders to make up for the last two tracks.
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Track 18 - Dawn of a New Century 6.08 (taken from the album Dawn Of A New Century)
Well they have ended this album perfectly, with surprise and a John Tate masterpiece, this is not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way. The song is narrated perfectly by John Kavanagh with the most inspirational and hopeful words by Peter Skavlan :
Imagine. Our planet floating silently in space. Around it, a white dove flies - forever circling. Every one hundred years, the dove's wing gently touches the face of the earth. The time it would take for the feathered wing to wear this planet down to nothing is eternity.
Within eternity time passes. Within time there is change. Soon the wing of the white dove will touch our world again. The dawn of a new century. Time for a new beginning.
Now is eternity At the break of Dawn of a new century A thousand years Of joy and tears We leave behind
Love is our destiny Celebrate the Dawn of a new century Let voices ring Rejoice and sing Now is the time
Now is eternity Love is our destiny Dawn of a new century
The words are perfect and the music compliments it just as perfectly, sometimes you get music that doesn't quite fit the words or words that don't quite mirror the music but this is the perfect balance, and after the previous tracks I would expect nothing less from John Tate but on this track he outdoes himself, not because the music itself is a classical masterpiece, but because it is the most perfect balance - the lyrics support the music and the music supports the lyrics, neither one is out shadowed by the other but work together to create a song perfect to finish an album on and to leave the listener feeling fulfilled, inspired, liberated and ready to take on the world. When researching the band I did come across a description of the song that was so beautiful, however I thought it to be too long to include in this review so if anyone would like to read it then you can find it in my profile under the personal homepage section.
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Overall thoughts:
Being someone who has never been really keen on classical music I did have my doubts about this album, I thought there would be a few songs I would like but most I would hate, however, I was surprised at how many of the songs I liked, how many I loved, and how little I didn't like. I am amazed at the quality of this album, each song - with the exception of only a couple - has been lovingly created and nurtured to create not just a record but nothing short of a work of art. Now my Mum was the one who bought this cd in a store called Andys Records for £15.99, normally I would think - and I did at the time - that this was an absurd amount to pay for a cd when I know that you can get them cheaper in other stores (although when doing further research there honestly wasn't much price difference in it - Amazon have it for £13.99 on 2001 Import release, Virgin Megastores have it for £14.99 and MVC have it for £12.99), but with this cd you do really get your moneys worth. I have never listened to their other cd's, I only listened to this one because it is my Mum's and I was curious to see what it sounded like, however, if their other releases are as good as these - and bearing in mind all these tracks are from their other albums - then I would certainly be interested in hearing more. It is a pity that this band does not seem to be too well known, I certainly had never heard of them, they don't seem to have that popularity status that say Bond or other classical artists have, so you can't help feeling you have stumbled on something very special and undiscovered, not unlike finding your own secret garden.
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Not applicable
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Satisfactory
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