Search - Annie Haslam :: Dawn of Ananda

Sigh.......

tomh922 | MA United States | 12/29/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you love the sound of Annie Haslam's voice buy this CD, she's never sounded better. If you're looking for a one person reincarnation of Renaissance you will be sadly disappointed. The main problem is that the material, all but one written by Annie, is very similar. She's mining the currently popular angelic influence vein. While the songs are good, one even could be a pop hit on a soft mix type station, they lack the diversity and intensity that was much of the appeal of Renaissance. Perhaps for her next offering she could find the Becky Thather who co-wrote several of Renaissance's songs. As a disclaimer I will say that yes I'm a dyed in the wool Renaissance fan, but I also own and listen to everything of Ms Haslam's that's available. I don't mean to say I don't like this, but rather I wish it was a better example of what she is capable of. Sigh......"

Beautifully sung New Age sentiments

R. Josef | New Haven, CT United States | 02/12/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Annie Haslam's sixth solo album goes full tilt into a theme that she touched upon on her previous three. It's a concept album about angels. She wrote the lyrics to all but one of the songs. Interestingly, she called on former collaborators for all of the music. The opener , "Precious One", was written by her Renaissance bandmate, Michael Dunford; "A Thousand Angels" was contributed by then-Renaissance keyboardist Mickey Simmonds; Larry Fast, who produced the "Annie Haslam" album, worked on the last two songs; Tony Visconti, who did her last studio album, "Blessing in Disguise" did two more; David Biglin had previously performed his "Summon the Angels" with Annie on her first live album, "Under Brazilian Skies"; and the rest of the songs were co-written by Rave Tesar, who had worked extensively with Annie in the past and would again on her next two albums.With all these songwriters, one would expect a lot of
diversity in the album. However, Tesar was involved with most of the arrangements, and he pretty much sticks to gentle keyboard sounds. This makes sense when one considers the lyrics, which pretty much stick to the loving presence of angels in our lives, etc. This can all be a bit "samey" or cloying to those who might not be open to Annie's messages. Certainly, those who expect to find the classical/rock fusion of Renaissance better look elsewhere.Still, there are some gorgeous melodies here, and Annie sings them beautifully. Her vocal grace has not diminished with age.
In particular, she gives "A Thousand Angels" (about the death of a baby)a very moving performance. And not everything is taken at a slow tempo. Tesar gives the title song, "Ananda" an Indian feel, while Visconti adds Far Eastern sounds to "Lily Lullaby". "Summon the Angels" and "Running River Runs" have a more upbeat, anthemic sound (although Fast, as he did with the "Annie Haslam" album, gets a bit bombastic). Still ,the album is more suited for a relaxing, gentle mood -- again, fitting with the theme. Most listeners would enjoy the CD more for the melodies and Annie's great voice than the lyrics, I'd say. The CD is getting harder to find, but you can still get it from Annie's own website. But if you want a better idea of her capabilities, try "Blessing in Disguise" or her early classic Renaissance albums."

End Of An Era

Jobe Mirkaw | Florida | 08/28/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For many years I have been a huge fan of Annie. I never could understand why she wasn't a big star. However this CD is not up to her usual standard. I didn't care for the vocal harmonies on a few songs. She has a great voice and needs no support. The songs were average compilations and the mixes were a little weak. Finaly she is a very attractive woman, and the portrait of her was not very flatering. Whoever recomended that picture should be fired."