Search - Annie Haslam :: Live: Under Brazilian Skies

Beautiful selection of concert material

R. D. Waters | Newton, NC United States | 07/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not a fan of live recordings. In fact even some of my favorite singers have done some terrible concert discs. The reasons vary -- sloppy musicianship, crowd noise mixed too high, and other audio problems to name a few. So, with some trepidation I purchased this live CD by Annie Haslam. What a lovely surprise it turned out to be.The sound is quite good and the performances are excellent. Some of the old favorites are here like 'Turn of the Cards', 'Northern Lights', and 'Carpet of the Sun' from the Renaissance days. She even includes 'Nature Boy / If I Loved You' from the Roy Wood-produced 'Annie in Wonderland' disc. I think I actually prefer the concert rendition here. It has a cleaner, sparer musical backing that serves to accentuate Haslam's tremendous voice. Dave Biglin does a fantastic job of backing Annie on synthesizers, piano, and other instruments.Of the new songs 'Brazilian Skies' (written for these shows) is a pleasant surprise. It is a lovely melody and Annie's voice positively caresses each word.I cannot recommend this recording enough. I have already created a new fan for Annie just by playing this CD once for a friend. He now wants to hear her other recordings. Treat yourself to a lovely listening experience and purchase this disc. Thank you, Annie."

Wonderful mix of Renaissance and solo material

David R. Gaines | Rockville, MD, USA | 12/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've seen Annie Haslam perform solo numerous times and this collection is head & shoulders above any of the live gigs I've seen. I haven't been too thrilled with her more recent solo material performed live, but she must have been tremendously inspired by the Brazilian atmosphere because everything she does works on this album. There isn't a single weak track.Annie performs with a single backing musician, Dave Biglin, who does a superb job of jumping back and forth between acoustic guitar, piano, and synthesizers, with MIDI-triggered drums thrown in as well. Beautifully done and a very intimate feel to the performance.If you're a Renaissance fan who has been disappointed with Annie's solo albums, I doubt you'll be disappointed with this CD. In fact, I think it would be a fine introduction to Renaissance and progressive rock in general for people with very mellow tastes."

Annie Wows Brazilian Crowd

V. Calitri | Northern New Jersey | 02/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A beautiful CD with some brilliant vocal performances by the ex-Renaissance lead vocalist. I particularly liked versions of "Prince and the Princess", Yes's "Turn of the Century", and the song written for her trip to Brazil titled "Brazilian Sky". Though famous in her own right, I find it amazing to not find Annie in more main stream areas of music. Her voice is truly from above!"