The Soul Wakes
Muse | 08/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Each song has flavor all its own that will satisfy your inner hunger and the outer. Gentle to foot tapping tempos, along with a wonderful variety of instruments will keep you listening over and over again. Every song is a present waiting to be opened. The real skill is when the words, vocal, and music flow so beautifully that no one element upstages the other. When all the efforts are in unity with each other to be presented as one sound. When this occurs we say ,"wow, that was a great song." When it happens for an entire CD we tell our friends, make phone calls, send e-mails, shout it from the roof tops! This is us Shouting from the roof tops GET THIS CD.
- Darrell Blaine Gilbert
I heard Michael's music for the first time on WXPN (Gene Shay's show) and was blown away by the ways in which he wove the exquisite poetry of Rumi with his own inspired musical creations. Hearing him in concert less than a week later, the intensity of the passion and magic increased 100-fold. Sitting in the audience, surrounded by souls listening with rapt attention, I was moved with a certainty that the poet himself was whispering in Michael's ear throughout the performance. At turns, deeply peaceful and vibrantly energetic. What a gift! Thank you for sharing it with us.
- Edie Weinstein Moser LSW
This was a performance like no other. I think the angels must have been listening in, humming along, lending their presence to this magical phenomenon. Each of Michael's songs ripples outward from the unique corner of the soul in which it was first received, creating a sumptuous tapestry of sound and meaning that seeks out -- and illuminates -- those mysterious recesses in the souls of his listeners. This all happens by way of a voice that's a conduit to the innermost heart, coupled with an extraordinarily flexible guitar technique. The result is music which follows the soul with rare proximity through the exquisite, elusive meanderings of its mystical journey.
- Claudia Naila Schulte
I just want to thank you for sharing your music with the world - it is
truly beautiful. I have been inspired by Rumi and many of the other
sufi poets to embark on my own spiritual journey and greatly enjoy
listening to your cd of Rumi's poetry.
blessings,
alex
This was my first encounter with Rumi's poetry--and what a beautiful introduction it was. Michael London's music and vocals are the perfect complement to Rumi's richly metaphorical verse. Michael's voice is smoky and soulful on this CD; the interplay between his guitar and the musicians who back him up is by turns jazzy, mysterious, tranquilizing and otherworldly. Michael's melodies and the ensemble's percussive beat communicate the longing in Rumi's poems. Stretch out on a couch, pour yourself a glass of wine, light a candle, and listen to "Breathe into me." You'll be enraptured. And you'll find yourself humming the refrain all the next day.
- Thea Diamond Howey
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1