Search - Libera :: Eternal The Best of Libera

Good collection covering recent Libera recordings

Larry Trammell | Seattle, WA USA | 02/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can read the reviews of the original releases to learn why Libera has such a dedicated international following. The question is: is this collection right for you?



Material from the first two albums on the Warner label -- some of their best -- are sorely missing. But you can, and should, get these separately. The important tracks "Far Away" and "Going Home" from the "Angel Voices" CD are included, but most of the rest is cover material, not included. You get almost everything from the very recent landmark "New Dawn" album -- except for the inexplicable inclusion of the wobbly surfer tune "Love and Mercy" instead of the delightful "The Lamb." For the "Free" album, the six tracks hit the high points, but leave much missing - "Free" remains worth buying separately despite the heavy overlap. For the "Visions" album that took Asia by storm, the nicely done "New Day," and variant "Wings of a Dove" are missing; Sempiterna is remixed. Otherwise, coverage is remarkably complete.



Incurable Libera fans who have all of the other CD's probably will want "Eternal" for the new tracks, even though there is not much added value. Perhaps the best is an upgraded "Gaudete," revived from the "Luminosa" CD for an Aled Jones TV special. Of the remixes, "Sempiterna" from Visions takes a beating, with the polyrythms competing with the vocals. But "Heaven" (a cover of "A New Heaven" from the Free album) gets the remix concept right... so completely over the edge that it has nothing to do but spread its wings and fly. I'd like to see this concept taken to a full album... soar or crash. If the classical fuddys don't like it, they've already got "Angel Voices" so what's their problem?



Despite the misleading subtitle, "Eternal" is primarily a selective reissue of the last two major CD releases. General recommendation: if seriously collecting Libera recordings, concentrate on the five major albums and the concert album first. But if you are looking for a gift set, or decent coverage of recent material at a bargain price, this could be exactly what you want."

Stunning!

Luke Ray | Utah | 04/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reading reviews and listening to the (somewhat disappointing) previews Amazon provides, I decided to purchase this CD. Since I have issues with delayed gratification, I downloaded it from Amazon's MP3 store. I began listening right away and I can say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. The music, the harmonies, and the voices of these boys are absolutely stunning. I certainly do not have a favorite track, but would put "Do Not Stand" right up there. My grandpa, with whom I was very close, passed away over two years ago and I still find myself struggling with that loss. "Do Not Stand" seems like a personal message from him to me and I cherish that.

There are so many beautiful songs on this album. I have shared them with friends and family and they are jumping on the Libera bandwagon. I have a neighbor who heard me listening to them the other night. He texted me and asked who I was listening to because he said it sounded very 'soothing.' He's a more 'hip' type of person, muscley, drives a Lexus, has a HOT girlfriend and I was nervous to tell him who it was for fear of his response. He has since told me that he absolutely loves Libera and has added them to his Pandora page.

Libera is Latin for free. When I listen to them, that's exactly how I feel: Free. They are best listened to in quiet solitude with an excellent sound system and the volume up high. This truly helps to highten the experience.

Thank you Libera, for what you have done."

A Great CD Set, the Best Value!

smyoshi | Los Angeles, CA USA | 04/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eternal is a wonderful collection of Libera's more recent songs. If you are new to Libera, don't hesitate to buy this CD set -- it's a great value. I truly enjoy listening to the Eternal CDs even though I now have four prior releases by Libera: Vision, Free, Luminosa and Libera. All the Libera boys seem to have the same love and passion for the unique sound of Libera that Robert Prizeman does. Their sound seems to have a capacity to just totally surround you with peace, even in LA traffic. I am very grateful to be born in an age where we have the technology to preserve these beautiful voices.



I've also been having fun discovering other gifted treble voices of boys from the past who are now grown up. I've since bought some of their CDs and have been appropriately impressed, but I find that over 95% of the time, I reach for one of the Libera albums for listening pleasure. Even if you have most of other Libera CDs, if you're like me, you'll find yourself listening to Eternal the most, because it'll have many of your favorites in one package. I also like the new songs in Eternal, "You Were There", "Sempiterna (Remix)" and "How Can I Keep from Singing", which is the best solo by Josh Madine yet, in my opinion.





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