Sarah Brightman- Harem (Studio) -CD-Album - 2003

Цитата:
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

Цитата:
Track Listing

1. Harem
2. What A Wonderful World
3. It's A Beautiful Day
4. What You Never Know
5. The Journey Home
6. Free
7. Mysterious Days
8. The War Is Over Now
9. Misere Mei
10. Beautiful
11. Arabian Nights
12. Stranger In Paradise
13. Until The End Of Time
14. Guéri De Toi

Цитата:
Heady and intoxicating, Harem is, without doubt, the most expansive and cinematic of Sarah’s albums yet. The same artistry that, in previous albums, was used to interlace pop with opera, is evident here yet again.

This time, Sarah and producer Frank Peterson deftly intermingle their contemporary and, at times, dance-oriented sensibilities with the exotic instrumentation and melodic phrases of bygone eras. Nowhere is this fusion more pronounced than in the mesmerizing title track, “Harem.”

Although this album is a departure from her recent classical crossover albums, one song features Sarah’s operatic voice. On “It’s A Beautiful Day,” Puccini’s “Un Bel di” is artfully coalesced with driving synthesizer beats and Middle Eastern refrains.

Sarah's voice is complemented by Nigel Kennedy's touching violin passages and Kadim Al Sahir's strapping vocals on the melancholy and mournful "The War is Over."

In "What You Never Know" and "Free," Sarah delivers intimate renditions, exposing the raw vulnerability that her fans find so endearing and seductive.

Sarah takes on an active writing role in this album and is credited with writing or co-writing the lyrics and/or music to “Harem”, “It’s A Beautiful Day,” “Free,” “The War Is Over Now” and “You Take My Breath Away.” Lyrics that speak of myth and fantasy weave through the album.

On “Voyage” in “Arabian Nights,” she writes:

Wilderness to wilderness
I traveled from afar
On the soft wind of the Nadq
Came the fragrance of Araar

On “Until the End of Time” Sarah's lyrics read:

Around the world in eighty days, we sailed the seven seas
A thousand nights and one, and forty more in fantasy
The prophecy in destiny was falling
Calling… falling… and calling out to me

Lyrically and musically, Harem casts a spell from the very first notes and holds the listener captive till the very end.

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