Search - Daniel Lanois :: Shine

Sharon M. from PORTLAND, OR
Reviewed on 12/28/2011...

This is an amazing cd by the producer of U2. His solo records are lovely. Highly recommend this cd.

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Stephen Y. from ROCKVILLE, MD
Reviewed on 12/16/2010...

A wonderful collection of well written songs.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Enduring genius

Steven Reynolds | Sydney, Australia | 05/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to overestimate the importance of Daniel Lanois to contemporary music. As producer for U2 (they owe their career to him), Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, the Neville Brothers, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, Lanois has built a body of work beyond compare. I've become a fan of some artists purely for what he brought to them. What's surprising is that his output as a solo performer is just as rewarding. His previous releases, "Acadie" and "For The Beauty of Wynona", are little-known classics, and "Shine" is at least their equal. Lanois' talent is for creating extraordinarily rich musical "spaces" from the sparest of arrangements. From the opening minute of the first track, "I Love You", he subjects conventional instruments to unusual treatments to create a soundscape which is, paradoxically, dense, bleak, dark and yet completely open and inviting - especially when his endearingly imperfect voice crackles through. Matching his peerless skills for production and arrangement are a strong lyrical sensibility and a perfect instinct for economy: Lanois knows precisely when to end a song. Buy this album, buy his other two. Then go look up everything he's produced. Don't be surprised if you discover that Daniel Lanois is responsible for half the music you love.



Update, February 2005: It's getting close to 2 years since I bought this album, and it's hardly been out of my 5-disc changer for a day in all that time. It's one of the most beautiful, rewarding and endlessly interesting albums I own. Buy it now."

A selfless musical confession that lifts your spirit

Manny Hernandez | Bay Area, CA | 10/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great man, more than "just" a great producer or a great musician. As much as this album can stand by itself and make (as it has, so far) a great impression on those who are fortunate to listen to it, it also shows a lot more about Canadian-born Daniel Lanois, the man behind some of the world's most talented artists of the past two decades! This album shows without doubt how selfless he has been, pouring his musical spirit into the productions he's touched, rather than keeping to himself brilliant musical ideas or developments. For example, he'd invite over Emmylou Harris or Bono for the two opening tracks (track 2, actually co-written by the leader of U2), and just show you where did their sound come from, where were the fantastic atmospheres that you discovered in their respective albums born. You don't come out feeling like he kept anything to himself, and a good proof of that is his very spaced discography with a minimal four solo albums in the course of his career, and another great one in collaboration with Brian Eno and Michael Brook.The songs speak for themselves... they jump subtly between ambient, acoustic rock and country/blues at times, with a voice whose timbre brings back memories of recent Eric Clapton. Without an obsession for virtuosity and with great attention to subtle details, each track comes out victorious as a great work of art, giving you more than just a comforting feeling when you're done listening to 'Shine' -you know you are in front of a great man. If you're unsure of it at this point, consider for a moment the liner note he signs in the album:"What a privilege to be able to make music. And what an honour to have it received and appreciated.
Here is a small portion of what's cooking in the kitchen. I hope that some piece of it will elevate your spirit.
May we all touch a heart somewhere, sometime.""