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Advantages: wonderful songs
Disadvantages: none really

...instrumental song. ~~~~~ 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 ...
...~~~~~ 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 ... Read review

Advantages: Wintery, mellow, haunting, classic, beguiling
Disadvantages: Er...er... well, none actually.

...has improved with age and Amarantine represents something of a tour de force. The tracks swing wildly from the soaring, majestic sound of the first song (Less than a pearl) to the more sedate, ethereal pleasantry of the eleventh (Amid the falling snow). Some of the tracks are encouraging, urging you to feel better about things and get on with life (Track 6 - Long, Long Journey) while others simply instill within you the firm belief that everything ...
...In fact, the music drags you through such a range of emotions and themes that, by the time the CD ends, you have utterly forgotten who you are, what you were doing, where you were going and why. The wonderful thing about it is, that you don't really care any more. It is hard to say when you should listen to Enya; she lacks the upbeat tempo of 'getting ready' music, is not suicidal enough for 'just split-up' music and doesn't swear enough for 'I'm ... Read review

Advantages: composition, vocals
Disadvantages: none

Anybody can recognize "The Girl From Ipanema", it's a classic. But where did it come from? Where did Bossa Nova spread its roots? Pianist Tom Jobim is credited for the composition of most of the classic Bossa Nova standards, but is was João Gilberto who took these standards, and interpreted on the guitar what we now identify as Bossa Nova. By harmonizing the chords on the guitar with the traditional Brazilian Samba rhythm, Gilberto evolved Jobims' ...
...virtuous, but what really captures me is his voice. He sings with a "blown" quality as if he is blowing air from his gut, which produces an intimate close-to-the-microphone sound. It's possible to hear his lips smacking dryly during the pronounciation of certain words, and he has an excellent vocal amplitude, using mostly low-pitched but well chosen notes. This album is fun to compare to his other work, as over the years his performances have become ... Read review