Search - Secret Garden :: Earthsongs

Secret Garden
Earthsongs
Genres: Folk, New Age, Pop

Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
1. Sometimes When It Rains - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
2. Fields of Fortune - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
3. The Reel - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
4. Always There - Secret Garden, Graham, Brendan
5. When Darkness Falls (Ode to Kvaase) - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
6. Sleepsong - Secret Garden, Graham, Brendan
7. Lotus - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
8. Searching for the Past - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
9. Daughters of Erin - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
10. Half a World Away - Secret Garden, Graham, Brendan
11. Grace - Secret Garden, Loland, Rolf
12. Raise Your Voices - Secret Garden, Graham, Brendan

CD Details

All Artists: Secret Garden
Title: Earthsongs
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Decca
Release Date: 3/8/2005
Genres: Folk, New Age, Pop
Styles: Meditation, Easy Listening
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 602498703397

Synopsis

Amazon.com

Earthsongs is a curious title for an album that is unrooted in the firmament and seems far removed from any traditions therein. Instead, the duo of Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and Norwegian keyboardist Rolf Lovland make music lost in a gauzy haze of nostalgia and sentimentality. On Earthsongs, they move further from the safely exotic, Celtic-meets-New-Age sound in which they forged their early successes and float down an easy-listening path. Celtic flavors do turn up on a pair of sanitized jigs: "Reel" and "Daughters of Erin," but they have the authenticity of a theme restaurant. Bringing in pop-classical tenor Russell Watson for the maudlin ballad "Always There" doesn't help. With this album, Secret Garden takes a seat in the faux-classical lounge, a room occupied by artists like Percy Faith, Bert Kaempfert, 101 Strings, and other forgotten meisters of orchestral pop who were washed aside by the breaking waves of rock in the early '60s. --John Diliberto

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Member CD Reviews

Lucille C. from CLINTON, NY
Reviewed on 5/26/2019...

I love all the selections on this cd. The music is very relaxing and haunting.

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

Suzi L. from PORT HUENEME, CA
Reviewed on 5/15/2011...

Good tunes, not fond of the vocals

Bill A. from CUMMING, GA
Reviewed on 1/2/2011...

Not bad but certainly not among their best

CD Reviews

Three tracks are missing!

amazonka | 03/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The US release of Earthsongs by Secret Garden contains only 12 tracks. Three new compositions including the most beautiful piece "Silence Speaks" are for some reason missing... I recommend you to buy the original Norwegian release of "Earthsongs" album with all 15 tracks. I got my copy from cdplanet.no and enjoy it a lot!"

Secret Garden is wonderful!

Sindon | Canada | 07/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Secret Garden is Rolf Lovland, (Norwegian composer, piano and keyboards), and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry.

The album, however, offers much more than this duo; it is awash in orchestral strings (real ones), a choir (real one), and as many percussionists, harps, fiddles, keyboards, and whistles as are needed. Songs of the Secret Garden, a chart-topper in Europe, is unabashedly romantic, absolutely gorgeous.

"Sigma," featuring boy soprano Rhonan Sugrue and the Irish National Choir, is very pensive, like dried flowers left, an expected return disappointed. The lyrics begin "I search for the sign that will set my soul free."

Although Celtic music fans will find many moments of bittersweet nostalgia between the violin, pipes, and pennywhistles, the album's closest musical relation might just be the intimate works of Maurice Ravel, particularly his "Pavanne for a Dead Princess."

Romantic themes of true depth, played full out. Secret Garden is not afraid of tenderness nor beauty."

Earthsongs!

Lori | Alachua, FL | 07/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a wonderful and illuminating CD! I have just been enthralled by the enchanting sounds and melodies of this wonderful creation.

The interweaving of disparate elements into a single and erapturing whole has just stabbed deep into the core of my soul. I suggest just sitting back and letting the music wash over you like waves on the beach.

There is just not enough music like this out there. This genre needs more wonderful CDs like this one. I strongly encourage you to buy, listen to, and enjoy this CD.

You won't be sorry you purchased this CD! And I suggest trying more Secret Garden!"

Perfect relaxation music

Jarek | New Britain, CT | 03/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE : This is the U.S. release of Earthsongs. The songs "Silence Speaks", "Sarabande" and "Canzona", all featured on the international release, are not found here. If you can obtain the international version somehow then I suggest that version over this one.

If you're not familiar with Secret Garden that you should know that the Norwegian duo consists of violinist Fionnuala Sherry and keyboardist Rolf Lovland. They play celtic influenced new age music and the celtic influence is once again heavy on this album. However, Earthsongs sees the band move towards a more easy listening direction.

There are plenty of slow relaxing songs here. "Sometimes when it Rains", "Fields of Fortune" and "Silence Speaks" feature soft strings and piano with mournful violin and light guitar. They really help set the mood for the rest of the album. International only "Silence Speaks" is quite possibly the best track on the album so try to obtain the international version if you can. The other two international only tracks "Sarabande" and "Canzona" are nothing special. "Grace" is another nice song that features horns and soft piano. The album closer "Raise your Voice" is an excellent orchestral track with beautiful choral vocals and bombastic instrumentation.

There are some more upbeat tracks as well. "The Reef" brings to mind Japanese composer Yasunori Mitsuda's more celtic works. It features a fast paced violin and excellent drum use. "Daughter of Erin" is another strong track with faster pacing that the rest of the album. Both of these are real toe tappers and excellent to dance to as well.

There are three vocal tracks on here and they're probably the weakest the album has to offer. The male vocal tracks, "Always There" and Half a World Away feature decent enough vocals but they songs themselves feel extremely easy listening. There isn't much emotion behind them and the songs themselves are lead by the vocals so there's not much there instrumental wise. The lyrics on them are a bit drab as well and aren't delivered with much emotion. "Sleepsong" is a decent enough female vocal track but the lyrics are a bit derivative. The female vocals are pretty good although not quite up to par with the vocal releases on their earlier albums.

Again, if you can, obtain the international version. "Silence Speaks" is the one song that the American release really misses out on. If you can't then there is still much to be had here. The music is very relaxing, perfect for a rainy day and although the vocal tracks are weak, the quality of the other songs more than make up for them. The more easy listening style dilutes the songs a bit and I hope they return to their richer earlier sound with the next release. Still, this is a good album with some very strong tracks. If you enjoy this album then be sure to get Secret Garden's earlier works as those are even stronger than this release. 4 stars."