Track Listings (11) - Disc #1| All Artists: Patricia Barber Title: Mythologies Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Blue Note Records Original Release Date: 1/1/2006 Re-Release Date: 8/15/2006 Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Pop Styles: Avant Garde & Free Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Adult Alternative Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 094635956429, 094635956450 |
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Search - Patricia Barber :: Mythologies
 | Patricia Barber Mythologies Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Pop
Considerable time, thought and Guggenheim grant money went into the making of Patricia Barber's Mythologies, an ambitious modern take on Ovid's Metamorphoses. As she is wont to do, the Chicagoan continually reminds us of h... more » |
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Amazon.com Considerable time, thought and Guggenheim grant money went into the making of Patricia Barber's Mythologies, an ambitious modern take on Ovid's Metamorphoses. As she is wont to do, the Chicagoan continually reminds us of her aspirations to art with her joyless, half-whispered vocals and show-offy intellectualism. The song sequence, which seems destined for a staged reading, never escapes its literary trappings. But in reflecting on the age-old dance of dreams and destiny, the poetry is mostly good, and sometimes better than that ("unrequited love/is what i know of love/spellbound/I will stay"). And though Barber mostly keeps her considerable skills as a pianist under wraps after getting in some seductive and darkly rumbling licks early on, the varied musical settings prop the songs up. Mythologies ranges from jazz balladry to Hendrixian reveries (via guitarist Neal Alger), lifts openly from Joni Mitchell's Hejira, and tells another tale with hip-hop and a children's choir. This isn't an album for the Diana Krall set, and even some of Barber's early followers may take a pass, but for listeners on her wavelength, it will cast a spell. --Lloyd Sachs Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsA Slight Lean Towards Brilliance Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 08/19/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "Although I'm the first to review this c.d. on Ammy, and although it's been on the market only for a short while, it has already received radically mixed reviews in the trade mags. I've seen everything from "Brilliant: The Most Original Jazz Album (especially from a jazz singer) in Years" to "A Bunch of Self-Indulgent Garbage." After a few listens, I'm leaning slightly towards the position of Brilliant. Frankly, I bristle at the label of "self-indulgent garbage." Obviously, Ms. Barber has put far too much thought and study into this project for it to be dismissed so cruelly. But besides that, there are some thought-provoking ideas in these lyrics. I confess I haven't studied Joseph Campbell and the like carefully, so I can't vouch for her originality. But parallels between Narcissus and Eve (as in "Adam and Eve"), and Oedipus and Jesus Christ, or Pygmalion and a lothario (possibly a pedophile?), are thought-provoking. But I'm an amateur music critic, not an amateur literature critic. And what I have to say about the music is this: It's brilliant. "Morpheus" and "Pygmalion" are gorgeous ballads. The voicings and musical colorations in "Hunger", "Persephone" and "The Moon" are stunning. And as much as I liked "Whiteworld" on Ms. Barber's "A Fortnight in France", it like it even more as an intro to the world of Oedipus. This is difficult music. I don't recommend putting this in your c.d. changer while doing the dishes. But a few trips through Ms. Barber's mythological world are worth the effort. Recommended. RC" Simply stunning Sc Jeannet | 09/22/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "I was introduced to Patricia Barber via the audiophile route as her cds recording quality has always been excellent. Over the years I got to appreciate her music. What I love about Partricia Barber is that she has a sound like no one else, her piano playing is first class, and her songwriting is sublime and original. Each of Miss Barber cd been another step forward, and this one is full of surprise catching you unaware at every turn. I am really tired of the old format of a singer being backed by the standard piano trio, singing the same old songs. Miss Barber is different she is absolutely unique and I am sure in the years to come will be regarded as one of the great innovator in vocal jazz. Coming back to the audio quality, this is simply the best recording I ever heard, natural, dynamic etc it has everything a real show stopper. Can I give it a million stars?? Definetely my choice for cd of the year, in all categories." The art song returns after a long absence... Jonathan W. Brown | Chelsea, ME USA | 12/22/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "Who would have guessed that Patricia Barber would be the newest entrant in the art song world? She's written in the great tradition of the 19thC and early 20thC classical composers (Schubert, Berg, Randall Thompson, etc.) but in a jazz genre that really makes sense for the material. Thanks for some really great music."
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