Search - Karen Briggs :: Amazing Grace

1 billion thumbs down!

Sam Steward | 09/07/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a major fan of Karen Briggs because of her excellent playing for Yanni on the Acropolis video.But this CD does not showcase her talents at all.
The CD is very unproffesionally done.The songs,especially "Ocean Dream" and "God is not dead" are horrible.
And the reviewer from Texas wrote the exact same paragraph that was on the back of the CD.
I can't believe Karen Briggs put this CD out.She must've had a bad agent.
And the Violin sounds weird.One of the songs,I think it was "what the world needs" sounds really weird when the harp was playing.
The reviews before mine are very misleading.I am a Violinist myself,and I know when songs have the wrong notes and every song on this CD sounded [terrible]in at least a few of the notes.
Don't waste your money-like I did."

Karen Briggs is "gospel violin" personified.

Bob Zeidler | Charlton, MA United States | 12/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I may be typical in that my first knowledge of Ms. Briggs came by way of Yanni and his Acropolis megaconcert, which I had seen during a PBS Begathon some years back. But I don't hold that against the lady. And you shouldn't, either. It is very much worth a fiddle admirer's time and trouble to track this album down, since "Ms. Briggs doing Briggs" is different from, and quite a bit better than, "Ms. Briggs doing Yanni."



This album - as far as I know, her only "feature" album to date - showcases Ms. Briggs' talents very nicely. Her tone is secure, and richly resonant, her technique full of double and triple stops and nicely filagreed ornamentation. While her style is inflected with aspects of jazz and reggae, inter alia, the most accurate description would be that of "gospel violin."



The title song is worth the price of admission all by itself. But there's more: Some good gospel tunes ("Oh Happy Day," "When He Comes"), a ruminative and off-beat "Ocean Dream," Burt Bacharach's famous "What the World Needs Now," and, as a perfect ending to the album, a soaring rendition of "Over the Rainbow."



A little-known fact or two that might sway those fence-sitters amongst you (particularly those who, like me, hold Mark O'Connor in the highest esteem when it comes to fiddlers): Karen Briggs was among the large panoply of violinists and fiddlers who appeared in the recent film "Music of the Heart" (the inspirational story of Roberta Guasperi and her "Opus 118" program, The Harlem Center for Strings). And, when O'Connor performed his "The American Seasons" (available elsewhere at Amazon.com) recently in Avery Fisher Hall in New York, those Opus 118 kids were the guests of honor, performing "Amazing Grace" en masse with Mark.



It was very much a pleasant surprise for me when I ran across this album quite by accident (and scarfed it up in a heartbeat). Perhaps these thoughts of mine will have a similar effect on you, particularly if you are a "fiddle fanatic" looking to round out the range of styles and genres in your collection. Happy listening!



Bob Zeidler"

The Lady In Red!

Bob Zeidler | 06/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the Apollo to the Acropolis, Karen Briggs is taking the violin to places it's never been and the reaction is ecstatic. Whether she's electrifying an audience at the famous Apollo in Harlem or mesmerizing an outdoor throng at the ancient Acropolis in Greece as a featured soloist touring with Yanni, Karen Briggs is unforgettable."