What people search:
 | Title : Harem
Author : Sarah Brightman
Release Date : 20030610
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $12.98
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Editorial Reviews :
If one's notion of 'world music' promises a touch of the exotic and indigenous, often overlooked is the fact that the influence of western pop music has seeped into every corner of the globe, creating a hybrid that's often more than merely the sum of its influences. Theater vet Brightman steps into that pan-cultural hall of mirrors here, wedding her fascination with the music and rhythms of the 'forbidden places' (the title's Arabic meaning) of the Middle East to her own oft ethereal vocal charms and rock-solid sense of drama. And if the diva's equally sound crossover sensibilities (and that of longtime producer Frank Peterson) sometimes mire it in familiar world-beat pastiche, Brightman's charmed muse manages some transcendent moments nonetheless. Her musical borrowings (Borodin for the title track; Puccini's *Madame Butterfly* for 'It's a Beautiful Day') are as compelling as her choice of collaborators: classical violin star Nigel Kennedy and Iraqi vocalist Kadim Al Sahir add compelling touches to the weary timeliness of 'The War is Over.' The musical influences range from Europe across the Mediterranean and as far East as the Indian roots of 'Bollywood' composer A.R. Rahman's 'The Journey Home' and Brightman's own 'You Take My Breath Away' to evocative recastings of the emblematic standards 'Stranger in Paradise' and Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World,' while ex-Killing Joke keyboardist Jaz Coleman provides the savory East-meets-West orchestrations that ensure Brightman's star turns the seamless foundations they deserve. --Jerry McCulley
Buyer Reviews :
Sarah Brightman remains one of the great voices in modern classical music, she is also one of the artists who has made a crossover between classical and pop with great success. Her last album, 'La Luna,' was a great piece of dramatic flare with operatic experimentation (singing along to Beethoven's 7th)and visual richness for the ears. 'Harem' is her exploration of Middle Eastern flavors and imaginings, it works to great, emotional effect in many of it's areas. The opening title track is epic and lavish like a Maurice Jarre composition (remember 'Lawrence Of Arabia?'), it goes from lush Eastern tribal beats to techno thumping that doesn't harm it, simply updates the sound. It is custom by now for Brightman to perform one or two pop favorites, here we get a new rendition of 'A Wonderful World,' which seems like a stretch for an album titled 'Harem,' but it works to nice emotional effect. 'A Beautiful Day' returns to the Eastern melodies with nice, fast violins and a large operatic scope, we like Brightman best when she soars with her wonderful voice and here she delivers once again. 'What You Never Know' is the weakest song on the album, but it will please fans of simple, good pop. 'Free' is a nice piece of typical, heartbroken pop but what makes it noteoworthy is the appearance here of violinist Nigel Kennedy, one of the great violinists of our time. 'Mysterious Days' is a soaring piece with great sitar. Other noteworthy songs are 'The War Is Over' with Kennedy once again and 'You Take My Breath Away,' which is evocative and dreamy. Is this Brightman's best album, probably not, it does not feel as complete as did 'La Luna,' but yet it feels more free than that album and feels like a turning point for Brightman. She gets a lot of writing credit here which is rare, and her leaps towards more mainstream sounds shows she still has what it takes to bust into the charts in the era of Gwen Stefani and Shakira. 'Harem' is lush, emotional, dramatic and has some memorable moments, Brightman fans should like it, those who want something a little different from normal mainstream music should also give it a try.
(by Alci Rengifo)
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