Search - Renaissance :: The Other Woman

The Other Woman Is Beautiful

Joseph P. Darak Jr. | Gallup, NM United States | 08/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Michael Dunford made an incredible effort herre to keep the Renaissance project going. No, this isn't the Renaissance line-up of the seventies/eighties, but you get 2 of the 4 key players. Not only do you get Dunford's great musical arrangements, but you get poet Betty Thatcher Newsinger's great lyric writing on every single song. There is one original Renaissance song - "Northern Lights" which is the best version of that song I've heard.
The toughest job for Dunford must have been finding a singer to fill in Annie Haslam's vocal shoes. I don't see how he could have done better than Stephanie Adlington. What a find! She has a beautiful voice. It's a shame radio stations won't play music like this. The CD was made in 1995 and I just found out about it in 2003. I can imagine several songs from this CD being hits on the contemporary pop charts. "Don't Talk" is the first that comes to mind. No, there is no big pilharmonic orchestra on the recording ("Somewhere West of Here" comes close to that sound) but the CD is a much closer match to the Renaissance sound than Annie Haslams Renaissance. It is a far superior production than Annies solo effort.
Nothing can top it when all the Rennaissance players unite together, but Dunford'd effort here should be fully supported by Renaissance fans. If Annie can't go on, then Stephanie is truely worthy to carry the banner. Better yet, both women should be in
the next Renaissance get together. This is a great collection of love songs. If you love to hear beautiful female singing, talented musical arrangements, and poetic lyrics, then buy this CD."

Who's What?

Mark Champion | San Antonio, TX United States | 02/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not to put anyone in a bad mood or anything, but to those who would claim that this is not the 'real' Renaissance, I would submit that the 'Annie Haslam Renaissance' is not the 'real' Renaissance either. No, Stephanie Adlington is certainly not Annie Haslam who is certainly not Jane Relf, the other other woman. Jane and brother Keith formed Renaissance from the ashes of the Yardbirds with drummer Jim McCarty, bassist Louis Cennamo and keyboardist John Hawken (later of Strawbs). They released two albums but the entire band had defected by the time Annie and crew came along, the original Renaissance (minus Keith) reforming as Illusion. (Anyone confused yet?) No, Stephanie is not Annie is not Jane, and to her credit she doesn't try to be. To declaim this as a bogus Renaissance is a little like saying the current version of King Crimson is bogus because it doesn't have Greg Lake as the vocalist. Or Gordon Haskell. Or John Wetton. Annie Haslam is no Robert Fripp, either, and to her credit she's never tried to be. By the way, the album is no slouch at all as Renaissance goes either, even with the unnecessary 'Northern Lights' remake. Remember the remake on SONGS FROM RENAISSANCE DAYS? Well, this version is better than either. And remember 'Bonjour Swansong', otherwise known as 'Northern Lights Part 2'? Who sang that? You would prefer CAMERA CAMERA, perhaps? TIME LINE? Me too, sometimes. By the way, will the real Fleetwood Mac please stand up?"

A hidden gem

J. Bosch | Seattle, WA USA | 10/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a Renaissance fan since the Scheherezade album came out, and I've enjoyed all of their music up to and including Azure d'Or. Then they release two klunkers in the early eighties. I remember the local radio station announcing the new Renaissance album, Time Line. "And now for our opinion," the announcer said, as we clearly heard the album being dropped in the trash can.



After those albums, I was reluctant to try new Renaissance, but the reviews made me change my mind and give it a listen. What a pleasant surprise! The singer is very, very good. The songs, for the most part, are well-written, performed, and produced, with a combination of bright rock and some hint of earlier glories. And, as a bonus, _no_ Jon Camp singing! Yay! (His singing bores me.)



Now I'm going to get the other album featuring this singer."