In Concert
christopher k farrell
Well, I saw In Concert with Enya, Sarah McLauclan, and Kenny Loggins.
Apparently it was a rerun, so some of you may have seen it before.
The Enya segment was only long enough to play about half of each of
the Orinoco Flow and Carribean Blue videos, and it wasn't live; it was just
clips of an interview with her. It was interesting for me, as I've never
actually heard her speak before, but it dodn't give me much insight into her
music (except confirming that she was actually classically trained).
On a secondary note, I find it somewhat depressing (but only somewhat)
that most people seem to concentrate on Orinoco Flow and Carribean Blue. Nice
songs, certainly, but she has other pieces with so much more power. It's
like listening to a Hayden String Quartet when you could be listening to a
Beethoven symphony (or, my favourite comparison, a Schubert song). Sure, it's
pleasant and moving in it's own way, but there is so much more.
I was hoping maybe to hear if she is working on an album or what. I
don't expect to actually *hear* a new album for about a year, but it would
be nice to know if she's working on one! Might ease the waiting if I new one
was in progress.
Here's what I think Enya should work on next (or, at least what would
make me revere her for all eternity if she did): a song cycle. As far as I
know, Schubert is the only one to have written serious song cycles, and I'm
sure Enya could do it. It wouldn't be Schubert-esqe of course, it would be
Enya, but the form could be the same; instead of using German sources she
could use Irish folk music and literature. By giving an album more of a
common thread, by linking the songs that are already powerful and "human"
into one larger entity, she could raise her music yet another notch on the
artistic ladder. Alas, my knowledge of the details of a "song cycle" are
pretty slim (Damn it Jim, I'm a clarinetist, not a vocalist; we didn't study
much in the way of song-cycles back in Music Theory/Appreciation) so I can't
say much more.
For all of you who like Sarah McLauchlan, I'm afraid I can't agree.
I went out and bought Solace after she received some good reviews here. I
really liked the last artist we talked about, Loreena McKinnet; unfortunately
Sarah just doesn't seem to have it. A little sticker on the cover of the
album said somthing about being an impressive display of emotion; I remained
more or less completely unmoved throughout the entire album. She doesn't use
the instrumentation she has very well, the tunes lack the variety I've come
to expect from Enya and Loreena McKinnet, the lyrics are superficial and not
particularly meaningful (IMHO ... I'm sure I will draw a lot of opposition on
that point), and it seems to me that she thinks she's a much better vocalist
than she actually is. Enya is a little shakey on Marble Halls (just a little),
but that is the only track I can think of where her voice wanders too far from
perfection; Sarah, on the other hand, seems to spend a chunk of time singing
just a little out of tune. (I should say here that I am very sensitive to that
sort of thing, for whatever reason, so you may not notice; some of the passages
are pretty blatant, though). Finally, I loose a LOT of respect for artists
whose tracks consitantly end in "repeat and fade". Fade-outs are unsatisfying
(what? No cadence?) and betray somthing of a lack of skill on the artist's
part. Why couldn't you write an ending? Sure, it's difficult, but if you're
going to be a music writer ... Anyway, I'm afraid I can't really recommend
her music. Again, I listen almost exclusively to classical music; Enya and
Loreena McKinett are virtually the only exceptions. So you might want to
take that into account.
Ah well, I'll stop now. Please no flames... just my opinion.
One last thing ... an order for was posted a while ago for Loreena
McKinnet's music, but it seemed to be for ordering in Canada and I suspect the
prices, etc., were Canadian. Do I need to change the form any for US orders?
If nobody knows I'll write to the address, find out. and let you know.
Chris
--
"If every man says all he can, if every man is true
Do I believe the sky above, is Caribbean blue ..." - Enya
Peder Larsen
> On a secondary note, I find it somewhat depressing (but only somewhat)
>that most people seem to concentrate on Orinoco Flow and Carribean Blue. Nice
>songs, certainly, but she has other pieces with so much more power. It's
>like listening to a Hayden String Quartet when you could be listening to a
>Beethoven symphony (or, my favourite comparison, a Schubert song). Sure, it's
>pleasant and moving in it's own way, but there is so much more.
I have to admit, the song that drew me to Enya was Orinoco Flow. I
saw her perform it on ABC, 20/20 I think. But I didn't buy any of her stuff
yet. Then last year one of my roommate's brothers came over with Shepherd
Moons and I was hooked right away. I bought it the next day and a month or
so later got Watermark, I still have to get the first one, what do people
think about it? Back to what I was going to say though, Carribean Blue is
not one of my favorites. In fact, I usually skip it when I listen to the cd.
My favorite songs are probably Angeles and How Can I Keep From Singing? .
Consequently I then hooked my mother and grandmother (who's 70) on
Enya. I bought the tape for my grandmother and then my mom bought it after
hearing it when I brought the cd home. My grandmother really likes Marble
Halls since it was a favorite song of her's when she was a little girl. In
fact, this summer I heard it in an old movie on AMC (American Movie Classics).
My friends thought it awefully strange that I knew the words to an obsolete
song in an old movie.
> Here's what I think Enya should work on next (or, at least what would
>make me revere her for all eternity if she did): a song cycle. As far as I
>know, Schubert is the only one to have written serious song cycles, and I'm
>sure Enya could do it. It wouldn't be Schubert-esqe of course, it would be
>Enya, but the form could be the same; instead of using German sources she
>could use Irish folk music and literature.
What exactly do you mean by "song cycles". I don't have any Schubert
in my collection so I can't refer back to him.
>Enya is a little shakey on Marble Halls (just a little),
>but that is the only track I can think of where her voice wanders too far from
>perfection;
I just listened to it carefully and I wonder if she means to be a
little shakey because it's supposed to sound dream-like, sleepy even. This song brings back nice memories to me of last spring, cooking
dinner, reading, talking with my roommates, etc. We all (4 of us) liked
Enya so we had her on a lot. It also reminds me of my grandmother (see above).
Kirsten melissa Starcher
> For all of you who like Sarah McLauchlan, I'm afraid I can't agree.
>I went out and bought Solace after she received some good reviews here. I
>really liked the last artist we talked about, Loreena McKinnet; unfortunately
>Sarah just doesn't seem to have it. A little sticker on the cover of the
>album said somthing about being an impressive display of emotion; I remained
>more or less completely unmoved throughout the entire album. She doesn't use
Really? Even on "Mercy"? That's the sort of song you listen to while flaked
out on a bed, with your eyes shut, and just let it sweep over you.
I don't find it *emotional* as such, but more emotion-generating.
>to expect from Enya and Loreena McKinnet, the lyrics are superficial and not
>particularly meaningful (IMHO ... I'm sure I will draw a lot of opposition on
>that point),
Damn straight you will. If you'd been talking about _Touch_, I might have
agreed with you; her lyrics there are much more "pretty-picture" than
thoughtful.
_Solace_'s lyrics are by no means profound, but I certainly don't agree that
they're superficial! I do think "Shelter" is a bit shallow ("It hurts so much
to see them helpless/it makes me want to cry" is kind of bland) but "Drawn To
The Rhythm"?
We fell asleep and began to dream when something broke the night
Memories stirred inside of us, the struggle and the fight
And we could feel the heat of a thousand voices
telling us which way to go
And we cried out is there no escape from the words that plague me so
Especially combined with the vocals, and the rising on "... is there no
escape". I mean, she ain't Stephen Sondheim, but there's nothing wrong with
that. I find it very moving.
> and it seems to me that she thinks she's a much better vocalist
>than she actually is. Enya is a little shakey on Marble Halls (just a little),
Tell me, how good a vocalist does she think she is? Have you asked her?
>just a little out of tune. (I should say here that I am very sensitive to that
>sort of thing, for whatever reason, so you may not notice; some of the passages
>are pretty blatant, though). Finally, I loose a LOT of respect for artists
I have a good sense of tuning, and I don't find it that obvious. Sometimes when
she switches octaves there's a bit of a swoop in her voice; is that what you're
saying is out of tune? I don't find it detracts from the music.
>whose tracks consitantly end in "repeat and fade". Fade-outs are unsatisfying
>(what? No cadence?) and betray somthing of a lack of skill on the artist's
>part. Why couldn't you write an ending? Sure, it's difficult, but if you're
I will agree with you there; I don't like the way many of her tracks end. But
give her a chance. Before _Touch_, she'd never written a song. It's not like
she was writing concertos at the age of 3. Give her time.
But oddly enough, it's not the repeat-and-fades I mind, but the sudden ones
that are vaguely discordant ("I Will Not Forget You" is such a gorgeous song,
but ends kind of abruptly). If you base your respect for artists on whether
or not they use repeat-and-fades a lot, you certainly rule out a lot of super
artists...
>going to be a music writer ... Anyway, I'm afraid I can't really recommend
>her music. Again, I listen almost exclusively to classical music; Enya and
> Ah well, I'll stop now. Please no flames... just my opinion.
I'm trying REALLY hard not to flame you. Does it show? ...Sarah is one of my
musical gods. You haven't seen her in concert, but she's fantastic live.
She brings such atmosphere and just plain enjoyment into her shows; makes it
fun.
I can see how if you listen exclusively to classical music you might not like
her, though. She's much closer to pop/rock/etc. music than she is to
classical, even though she did have classical training in voice, piano, and
guitar. (I like a lot of classical, too; it's what I was brought up on.) My
parents didn't like Sarah much either, and they're used to classical too.
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Kirsten Starcher Your breath is steaming up
kir...@morgan.ucs.mun.ca my contact lenses.
kir...@garfield.cs.mun.ca
This posting brought to you by the letters f, y, v, and the number i.
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Jon Leivent
If you're really into classical music, and are questioning Sarah
McLachlan's artistic ability, take a listen to the track "Uphill
Battle" on the Touch album. It's a classical/modern instrumental,
where she plays classical guitar. It is nice the way she captures the
theme generated by the title - a rising piece that never quite seems
to overcome the struggle to reach its climax.
> She doesn't use the instrumentation she has very well, the tunes
> lack the variety I've come to expect from Enya and Loreena McKinnet,
> the lyrics are superficial and not particularly meaningful
I do think Sarah has some interesting lyrics. Many times, she tries
to say too much to fit into a single song - and looses in that
respect. Also, her mood generating pieces tend to be very melancholic
(Mercy, Shelter, Black) - not a bad thing, but, as you said, lacking
in variety. In contrast, Loreena takes one from druidic fervor (All
Souls Night) to philosophical melancholy (Cymbelene (sp?)).
> Sarah, on the other hand, seems to spend a chunk of time singing
> just a little out of tune.
I will have to agree with you about Sarah's voice - it isn't as
flawless as Enya's or nearly as moving as Loreena's. In fact, Sarah
often sounds to me like she's whining from the force of her own
emotion. No match for Enya's angelic voice, nor for Loreena's pagan
priestess voice. But if all I listened to was Enya and Loreena, I'd
only have 4 albums (I'm going to try to order Elemental and Parallel
Dreams from an importer). Sarah, at least, gives me 2 more.
Also, I have purchased several Clannad albums, looking for similar
sounding fare. There are some tracks to my liking (Poison Glen,
Wilderness, Re Na Cuinne, Maid Marion), but not enough to listen to a
whole album. I just got Maire's solo album, and have the same
problem.
> Here's what I think Enya should work on next (or, at least what would
> make me revere her for all eternity if she did): a song cycle.
I have managed to piece together a "song cycle" tape, sort of a
druidic life cycle: Re Na Cuinne (birth/creation - don't know if the
lyrics fit, but the booming bass does), Dobhor, Tango To Evora
(youth), All Souls Night (rights of passage), Between the Shadows,
Courtyard Lullaby (adulthood, settling down - "hear the pulse of the
land"), Poison Glen (cultural/ancestral ties - "feeling spirits from
long ago"), Wilderness (life), The Old Ways (love & loss - "but it was
then I felt the crossroads of time"), Cymbelene (death), Maid Marion
(eternal rest - really sounds wonderful after Cymbelene). It needs a
piece about later life before Cymbelene - I was thinking of putting
the Clannad instrumental Drifting there, but it sounded out of place.
Maybe I'll try Maire's Land of Youth (reach for immorality). Or
Enya's Ebudae (sort of a "life marches on" piece), or The Sun in the
Stream, or I Want Tomorrow. Any ideas?
-- Jon Leivent