Become You

Become You

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Three years after the experimental and not-always-successful Come on Now Social, the Indigo Girls return to a more traditional framework with the acoustic-based Become You. A deft melding of folk, rock, and pop--and laced with Latin and soul around the edges--Become You gets to the heart of what Amy Ray (the rocking half) and Emily Saliers (the gentler half) do best: chronicle the complexities of love and socio-sexual politics from a feminist viewpoint. While the seductive and full-bodied melodies leave plenty of expanse for the duo's gauzy, hand-in-glove harmonies, the majority of the repertoire here carries an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and anxiety, whether about the outcome of a rocky love affair ("Moment of Forgiveness"), the still-extant racism in the South ("Become You"), or the ultimate fate of the Mexican women who fight for change with the Zapatistas ("Nuevas Senoritas"). Poignant, thought provoking, and beautifully crafted, with rapt attention to the interplay of instruments as well as voices, Become You finds Ray and Saliers back in top form and as relevant in 2002 as at the start of their 15-year career. --Alanna Nash

Become You,Indigo Girls,Sony,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop


Become You

The Lover & The Beloved
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • WOW
  • Soothing. Peaceful.
  • Amazing Soulful Yoga Music
  • brilliant masterpiece
  • Just love it!
The Lover & The Beloved
Donna De Lory
Manufacturer: AJNA MUSIC
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Bliss
  2. Love Is Space
  3. Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant
  4. Music for Yoga and Other Joys
  5. Dakshina

ASIN: B0001DHQNA
Release Date: 2004-01-31

Tracks:

  1. Ganapati Om
  2. Om Nama Shivaya
  3. He Ma Durga
  4. Hare Krishna
  5. Govinda Jaya Jaya
  6. Samba Sadashiva
  7. Govinda Jaya Jaya (Mac Quayle Mix)

Amazon.com

Donna de Lory has several solo albums out, but she's still best known as a back-up singer for Madonna, fleshing out choruses since the mid 1980s. There's more than a little bit of Madonna in De Lory's voice, at once fragile and vulnerable, yet still powerful, with a gospel-like yearning. On her own, De Lory has crafted artful pop on albums like Bliss and In the Glow, but she also tends toward the mystical and began incorporating Sanskrit mantras or Kirtans into her songs, a tact culminated on The Lover & the Beloved, a full-fledged Mantra journey. De Lory draws from the golden oldies of mantras, including "Hare Krishna," but revs them up with electronica beats, verse-chorus arrangements, multi-tracked vocals, and electronic textures sprinkled in with the sitars and tablas. Cameron Stone weaves his processed cello through De Lory's melodies and harmonium in serpentine rivulets, tying together the tablas of Girish Gambhira and the answering chants of Kirtan singer, Dave Stringer. Endowed with the materiel girl's sense of pop form and irresistible hooks, De Lory posits a confluence between pop and spiritual music, in which a repeated chorus has the same mantric effect as a chant. Her chants could be hymns to Krishna or a plea to a lover, but they are equally ecstatic and powerful. --John Diliberto

Album Description

These Sanskrit mantras bubble with a groove and atmosphere that takes tradition to heaven and back. Donna's voice resonates with ether and earth, beauty that asks you to join in, become one with the sound of deep celebration.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars WOW.......2007-06-26

This is a wonderful CD of chants that are both up to date and ancient at the same time. It is calming to the soul to listen to, and later in the day you will find youself chanting the words.....

5 out of 5 stars Soothing. Peaceful. .......2006-09-12

I love all these songs! Soothing and tranquil.

They last a long time which is perfect for use as background music while working or while chatting with friends.

It makes it easier to relax to the melody,let your cares float away as the music wraps around you.
It's one of my favorites, I'm so glad I took a chance and got this one:)

5 out of 5 stars Amazing Soulful Yoga Music.......2006-03-18

Donna De Lory has a beautiful, soulful voice and her music is perfect to practice yoga to or to unwind and get into that zenlike spirit. I ordered the rest of her CDS.

5 out of 5 stars brilliant masterpiece.......2005-09-12

This album is a brilliant masterpiece. Extremely uncommon music, farly outrunning the present. A listener is experiencing a deep feeling of being, also as each piece here, so long, is being changed several times in movement and style. At this web page the short mp3 shows are only presented in one such a style and movement, more torrential but less oriental. The most varied piece is the last seventh: Govinda Jaya Jaya (Mac Quayle Mix). And what's more, the box for the CD is not the traditional plastic, but it is made quite else and I do not mean to disclose, how. For me it was an eye-opener and I wish you the same excitment. It is no lesser masterpiece than the music itself. So I recommend this album to everybody and thank the authors very much for this great experience. You're real masters.

5 out of 5 stars Just love it!.......2005-04-11

A lovely album. Donna brings a sense of creativity, melody and bkathi (devotion) to each of the songs. It starts with a catchy Ganapathi OM, continuing with the same catchiness with Om Namah Shivaya. He Ma Durga brings out the delicacy of her voice. I loved Govinda Jaya Jaya, which is ideal for a group chant that brings a lot of energy into the singing.

I found all the songs to be melodious. The lyrics are simple for anyone to remember easily. The tune is catchy and lingers on after listening. There is a nice blend of western and Indian instruments providing soothing background music. As in many Indian songs/chants, you will find repetition within each song, which is a nice thing. You probably will not notice it as it encourages you to remember the tune/song much easily.

I use this album in my Yoga classes regularly and come away humming for a long time. Just love it!

Become You
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Redeemed
  • LOVE this album!
  • Soft, but not lacking in the least
  • Another Pearl from the Indigos
  • Getting better all the time
Become You
Indigo Girls
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Folk Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Folk Rock | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
4-for-3 Alternative Rock4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 Pop4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 Rock4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. All That We Let In
  2. Despite Our Differences
  3. Swamp Ophelia
  4. Shaming of the Sun
  5. Come on Now Social

ASIN: B00006310B
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Tracks:

  1. Moment Of Forgiveness
  2. Deconstruction
  3. Become You
  4. You've Got To Show
  5. Yield
  6. Collecting You
  7. Hope Alone
  8. Bitter Root
  9. Our Deliverance
  10. Starkville
  11. She's Saving Me
  12. Nuevas Senoritas

Amazon.com

Three years after the experimental and not-always-successful Come on Now Social, the Indigo Girls return to a more traditional framework with the acoustic-based Become You. A deft melding of folk, rock, and pop--and laced with Latin and soul around the edges--Become You gets to the heart of what Amy Ray (the rocking half) and Emily Saliers (the gentler half) do best: chronicle the complexities of love and socio-sexual politics from a feminist viewpoint. While the seductive and full-bodied melodies leave plenty of expanse for the duo's gauzy, hand-in-glove harmonies, the majority of the repertoire here carries an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and anxiety, whether about the outcome of a rocky love affair ("Moment of Forgiveness"), the still-extant racism in the South ("Become You"), or the ultimate fate of the Mexican women who fight for change with the Zapatistas ("Nuevas Senoritas"). Poignant, thought provoking, and beautifully crafted, with rapt attention to the interplay of instruments as well as voices, Become You finds Ray and Saliers back in top form and as relevant in 2002 as at the start of their 15-year career. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Redeemed.......2006-10-12

I have been a long-time Indigo Girls fan, but after my purchase of "Come on now Social" in 1999, I was very dissapointed. I almost didnt buy "Become You" because of it but boy, am I glad I did! It is second only to "Swamp Ophelia" in my opinion, and I am so impressed by Amy Ray's songwriting. So, if you weren't crazy about "Come on now Social," dont let that stop you from buying this CD, it's excellent!!

5 out of 5 stars LOVE this album!.......2005-12-08

By far, this is my favorite disc since "Swamp Ophelia." I was hooked from the first notes of "Moment of Forgiveness," which remains one of my all time favorites. From the stomping rock of "Bitterroot" (my five year old niece's favorite song!)to the aching loveliness of "She's Saving Me," this is one of their finest collections. Mellow and acoustic-sounding, it is a disc I can listen to repeatedly and never tire of it. You'll find your standard balance of Amy ("Yield", "Bitterroot") and Emily ("Hope Alone," "Collecting You")here; all worth a listen. This disc is in my top 5 must have Indigo Girls albums - a real gem!

5 out of 5 stars Soft, but not lacking in the least.......2005-03-05

Although I agree with the other reviewers that this album lacks the edge of the Indigo Girls' other works, it is by far my favorite because of the mood it captures. Like "Indians, Nomads, and Saints," we feel as though these songs were written in a specific place/location, one that meant something to the singers. A combination of the dust of the desert, old motel, abandoned town, piercing stars, and expanse of the horizon; while this setting is stark, it is the people who pass through that give it color. Hands down, my favorite album of theirs.

5 out of 5 stars Another Pearl from the Indigos.......2004-02-20

The Indigo Girls have made another great album. The mood of this album is a bit more quiet than on most of their earlier albums. No rockers this time. But the songs are great as usual.

Amy Ray has really grown as a songwriter. Most of her contributions to this album are very strong. "Moment of Forgiveness", "Become You" and "Nuevas Senoritas" are among her greatest songs ever. "Starkville" is also a great song. Amy was the rawer half of the duo; she still is, but her songwriting has really matured with this album.

Emily Saliers` songs are top-notch as usual. 3 great ballads this time; "Deconstruction", "Hope Alone" ( in the same vein as "Southlands in the Springtime") and "Our Deliverance". Emily`s 3 other songs are fine too, of course.

Great production by Peter Collins.

5 out of 5 stars Getting better all the time.......2004-02-19

I am an Indigo Girls fan and own several of the albums. I bought this one as soon as it hit the shelves and was not disappointed. My favorite songs are "Moments of Forgiveness," "Deconstruction," "Become You," and "Yield." I also like "Starkville," partly because I went to college there and I can just imagine the Homecoming Queen and her entourage coming riding into the Holiday Inn or Budget Inn or whatever. I haven't been able to figure out the meaning of "Starkville," but the others are beautiful, poignant, and insightful songs about relationships. "Yield" is about finding the balance between courage and learning to yield. Absolutely beautiful. These women are great songwriters as well as muscians.
Become What You Are
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome
  • One of the greats in '90s alternative.
  • Three's company
  • Can't believe this is out of print
  • "Play me some music that lifts me to my feet"
Become What You Are
The Juliana Hatfield Three
Manufacturer: Mammoth / Pgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Hardcore & PunkHardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music | Vinyl Records | American Punk | British Punk | Emo | Garage Punk | Hardcore | Post Hardcore | Proto Punk | Punk | Punk Revival | Punk-Pop | Riot Grrl | Ska Punk | Straight Edge
Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Post-PunkPost-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Singer SongwritersSinger Songwriters | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Only Everything
  2. Hey Babe
  3. In Exile Deo
  4. Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
  5. Beautiful Creature

ASIN: B000004AT5
Release Date: 1993-08-03

Tracks:

  1. Supermodel
  2. My Sister
  3. This Is The Sound
  4. For The Birds
  5. Mabel
  6. A Dame With A Rod
  7. Addicted
  8. Feelin' Massachusetts
  9. Spin The Bottle
  10. President Garfield
  11. Little Pieces
  12. I Got No Idols

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome.......2006-05-11

Juliana Hatfield's combination of sweet and sincere lyrics and hard, driving guitar is incredible. Every song on the album is great. "My Sister" is especially heart-felt and catching.

5 out of 5 stars One of the greats in '90s alternative........2005-07-25

Conventional wisdom states that the followup to an artist's debut is lacking when compared to the debut. Usually, that first album consists of songs they've been working on for years, whereas the followup is thrown together in a hurry. Of course, this isn't always the case, particularly with artists emerging from bands.

Case in point: Juliana Hatfield's "Become What You Are".

Performing with a trio of bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips, with herself handling the guitar duties, Hatfield's sophomore effor does something her debut did not. It lets go of the Blake Babies legacy. Sonically, its as indebted to the Pixies as the jangly pop of the Blake Babies-- loud, in-your-face, overdriven guitars and slicing basslines over which Hatfield confidently delivers her lyrics, giving her voice a resonance it lacked on "Hey Babe". But more to the point, it began the legitimization of Juliana Hatfield as a guitar hero-- it seems so long ago, but in 1994, women didn't appear in guitar magazines as anything more than a novelty, but Hatfield was too good to be denied.

This is apparent right from the start, opener "Supermodel" is a slab of punky alternative with a fantastic vocal and clever songwriting. In fact its pretty much this that makes the album what it is, moving from semi-environmentalist jangle pop ("For the Birds") to venomous meditations on homelessness and mental illness-- which in Hatfield's native Boston often go hand-in-hand (moody rumination and album standout "Mabel") to popularity contests (goofy pop song "Spin the Bottle") to Henry Rollins and over sexuality (breezy pop turned heavy alternative monster "President Garfield"). Along the way, there's a dark hit song ("My Sister"), a punk song about gun-toting women ("A Dame With a Rod", which features one of Hatfield's best early guitar solos and a moody closer ("I Got No Idols"). What's fairly incredible is the stunning level of quality on the album-- there's no filler, no stuff clearly pushed by the record company, just all really good material.

This album is really essential listening for any alternative fans, its one of the best of the genre and as many of her peers have received mainstream recognition, Hatfield remains unfairly in a cult status, and its downright depressing that this is out of print. Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Three's company.......2004-07-08

In 1993, Hatfield's friend and former bandmate, Lemonhead Evan Dando, was flopping about at festivals, wearing dresses and being the NME's darling, and jangly American indie guitar rock was in. And Hatfield was really the only female in her field, so she really shouldn't have found it so hard to break through in the UK at a time when Throwing Muses and Belly were having top 10 albums.

Unfortunately, the press was a little too preoccupied with Hatfield's proclaimed virginity and relationship with Dando to give the music a proper listen. Shame, because Become What You Are - recorded as the Juliana Hatfield Three with bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips - is a simple and brilliant record that she's yet to match.

Much has been made of Hatfield rarely going beyond the lines of her stock template. Granted, a cursory or superficial listen to Become What You Are could leave you thinking one song sounds much like another, but the unfussy formula works well enough to warrant many repeated listens. And no song outstays its welcome. Lyrically, she's at her strongest on this set, confessional, witty and on the right side of obscure.

The opening track, Supermodel, is a catty dig at the transitory careers of overpaid catwalk stars ("the highest paid piece of ass, you know it's not gonna last...), while the girly Hatfield is at play on My Sister, describing the love/hate relationship with a fictional sibling ("I would do anything to let her know I care, but I am only talking to myself cos she isn't there"). Her wry lyrics are matched at every corner with strong hooks and basslines.

Hatfield's cutesy/tough-girl act continues in equal measures: the deliciously venomous and punchy A Dame With A Rod, on which Hatfield avenges an attack on a woman ("You're gonna rot in the ground"), sits next to the unworldly girl on Feeling Massachussetts ("Take me somewhere I really wanna go... introduce me to someone really cool"). Hatfield does twee best on Spin The Bottle, although it's a bit of a throwaway moment. We should assume Hatfield wasn't taking her own story about kissing movie stars in closets at parties too seriously. It is nevertheless the most commercial cut and, given the right promotional push, could have been a hit, although it's appearance on the Reality Bites soundtrack did give it a new airing.

Standout track President Garfield - allegedly an ode to rocker Henry Rollins - is almost two songs in one: the first two minutes a slow, contemplative amble down the streets of Washington, the latter half a bass-heavy brooding review of the hero ("Neck like a tyre, iron man...I'm only human, I am weak, I want his power inside of me"). Things get darker still on the closing I Got No Idols, an intense, two-minute lament from a woman eager to stand on her own too feet.

The album went hugely underbought, of course, and the live reviews didn't do her any favours. Britpop was just around the corner and everyone in the UK momentarily ignored most of what was coming out of the US. Even the Lemonheads, who were actually selling quite a few records at one point, quickly disappeared off the radar.

For the follow up 18 months later, Hatfield was solo and with a little more angst on her plate for Only Everything. A solid set, it was more varied than Become, and could have been its equal had Fleur De Lys, Dumb Fun and Dying Proof fell on the cutting-room floor. 1998's Bed was a disappointing affair, while 2000's double whammy - the acoustic Beautiful Creature and the aggressive Total System Failure - would have been better as one, shorter album. 2004's In Exile Deo is unlikely to turn the sales tide, and she seems to have spent the last couple of years listening to Sheryl Crow records. Presumably the innocence and simplicity of early material doesn't sit comfortably with a woman in her late thirties.

Hatfield will make more great records, but the quality of Become What You Are and much of former band The Blake Babies' output seems an awfully long time ago now.

5 out of 5 stars Can't believe this is out of print.......2004-04-28

This was Juliana Hatfield's best and most popular CD, and it included her breakout hit "My Sister". She was one of the trailblazers in "bubblegum grunge", making the combination of "girl"-ish, innocent vocals and driving Nirvana-era grunge guitar really work. I rediscovered this CD in my collection just the other day and popped it into the dash, and to my pleasant surprise it sounds just as good now as it did 11 years ago. I highly recommend this one, if you can find it.

5 out of 5 stars "Play me some music that lifts me to my feet".......2004-04-25

Become What You Are came out during my first year of junior college and it was one of my favorite CDs at the time. I think my mom got sick of me playing it over and over. Listening to it 11 years later, I figured I had outgrown the music. No way! It still sounds great! From pop sensations like "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle" to rockers like "A Dame with a Rod" and "I Got No Idols" to slower tracks like "For the Birds" and "Mabel" it is a fun album from beginning to end. The lyrics are sophomoric at times, but the music is so catchy, you don't notice them and end up singing along to silly lines like "I want his power inside of me. And I'm not talking about a piece of meat, I'm saying something really deep." Every song here is great but "Mabel" is my favorite. The lyrics are actually intriguing on this track ("Check out that lady she's talking to herself, check out that lady, she's gonna go to hell") and it starts out with a slow, almost haunting sound and then rocks out at the end. "President Garfield" is also an interesting track although the lyrics become very weird at the end. Fun sidenote: "My Sister" gives reference to the Violent Femmes and the Del Fuegos, "before they had a record out. before they went gold." Become What You Are is a very enjoyable album and I recommend it to anyone who likes "alternative" rock.
The Broadway Musicals of 1953
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Another strong Broadway by the Year
The Broadway Musicals of 1953

Manufacturer: Bayview
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by BernsteinAll Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by PorterAll Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Broadway Musicals of 1960
  2. Broadway Musicals of 1939
  3. Broadway Musicals of 1943
  4. Broadway Musicals1940
  5. Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B0006OSDMW
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

  1. Big Black Giant [Me and Juliet]
  2. Tin Pan Alley [John Murray Anderson's Almanac]
  3. Little Bit in Love (Wonderful Town)
  4. Quiet Girl (Wonderful Town)
  5. How Far Can a Lady Go? [Carnival in Flanders]
  6. Sudden Thrill [Carnival in Flanders]
  7. Ohio (Wonderful Town)
  8. Ev'ry Street's a Boulevard (In Old New York) [Hazel Flagg]
  9. You Become Me/My Mind's on You [Maggie May]
  10. C'est Magnifique [Can-Can]
  11. Come Along with Me [Can-Can]
  12. I Love Paris [Can-Can]
  13. Stranger in Paradise [From Kismet]
  14. You Can Take the Word of a Gentleman [Carnival in Flanders]
  15. You're So Much a Part of Me [John Murray Anderson's Almanac]
  16. One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose a Man (Wonderful Town)
  17. Salomee [Hazel Flagg]
  18. No Other Love [Me and Juliet]
  19. Here's That Rainy Day [Carnival in Flanders]
  20. And This Is My Beloved [From Kismet]
  21. Baubles, Bangles and Beads [From Kismet]

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Another strong Broadway by the Year.......2006-08-20

Scott Seigel's concerts, Broadway by the Year gather a group of the current crop of Broadway performers and turn them loose on songs from Musicals that opened during 1 year on Broadway. It helps that 1953 was a strong year musically, with Bernstein's Wonderful Town, Porter's Can Can, Kismet and Me and Juliet from Rogers and Hammerstein. Jule Styne also chimed in with Hazel Flagg which contains one almost standard "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York. Some great stuff on this album, wonderfully sung as almost always. I love this series and hope to acquire each and every one at some point.
The River
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Jim Jenkins, Trial Attorney, Pensacola, FL
  • Healing Music for People and the Planet
The River
Michael DeMaria
Manufacturer: Healing Sound
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
JazzJazz | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001UZCS4
Release Date: 2003-10-25

Tracks:

  1. First Light
  2. The River
  3. Sunlight
  4. Journeying
  5. The Rain
  6. Night Fall
  7. Moonlight
  8. Midnight
  9. Stillness
  10. The Sea

Album Description

Take a journey down the river of ambient sound with clinical psychologist Dr. Michael DeMaria. This CD is based on 25 years of research into the use of sound for healing. Ideal for massage, yoga, meditation or anytime the world has become too much and you need to flow again. All music performed and composed by Michael on keyboards, piano, world percussion and indigenous flutes (Native American and Bansuri).

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Jim Jenkins, Trial Attorney, Pensacola, FL.......2006-01-31

I listened to Michaels's music almost continuously the weeks before a recent murder trial, in my car, at my office and at home while preparing alone. This is the period of time when intense preparation is an absolute must and when the stress and anxiety associated with doubts of my own inadequacies and self doubts abound. His music soothed, comforted and reduced my fears and took me to a place where I felt less stress and more creativity. I look forward to him creating another great album. I am buying The River for several of my trial lawyer friends across the country. I would recommend it highly for anyone who has stress in their lives or with their work. I would recommend it for anyone.

5 out of 5 stars Healing Music for People and the Planet.......2004-03-30

Michael's connection to the essence of nature is sublime and beautifully aligned with the lyrical rhythm of one day with the river spirit where the world just floats away. Listening to his CD during my morning meditation and in the evening after work, it instantly soothes me, centering my soul. His musical artistry and diversity are apparent with his multi-level solo use of many instruments and moods. Recently, the ultimate knowing showed how clearly Michael understands and resonates the Earth's voices. When "The River" is playing while working in my garden there are two magnificent Cooper's hawks that always come to sit in the Southern magnolia and call along to his music. Now I have realized other birds also begin singing that are silent before he plays for them. We are all very blessed to have Michael's extraordinary music flowing now, as well as his incredible books, to help our souls sing and for healing all creatures and our precious Earth. We look forward to much more from Dr. Michael DeMaria.
The Tao of Cello
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Tao of Cello

    Manufacturer: Valley
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
    MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Dark Wood
    2. Cello
    3. Musical Massage: Balance
    4. Eight String Religion
    5. Epigraphs

    ASIN: B000088EH9
    Release Date: 2003-04-08

    Tracks:

    1. Restraint Begins With Giving Up One's Own Ideas
    2. Man Follows The Earth
    3. When Men Lack A Sense Of Awe, There Will Be A Disaster
    4. The Tao Of Heaven Is To Take Form Those Who Have Too Much And Give To Those Who Have To Little
    5. Man Follows The Earth. Earth Follows Heaven. Heaven Follows The Tao. Tao Follows What It Natural
    6. Knowing Others Is Wisdoms
    7. The Further You Go, The Less You Know
    8. It Is Not Wise To Rush About
    9. Returning Is The Motion Of The Tao
    10. See Simplicity In The Complicated
    11. In Dealing With Others, Be Gentle And Kind
    12. He Who Is Filled With Virtue Is Like A Newborn Child
    13. Yield And Overcome
    14. What Is Firmly Grasped Cannot Slip Away
    15. Tao Follows The Earth
    16. Become As A Child Once More
    17. Sometimes One Is Up And Sometimes Down
    18. Just Do What Needs To Be Done
    19. That Is Why A Victory Must Be Observed Life A Funeral
    20. All Men Will Come To Him Who Keeps To The One
    21. The Valley Spirit Never Dies
    22. Heaven And Earth Last Forever

    Product Description

    1. Restraint Begins With Giving Up One's Own Ideas
    2. Man Follows The Earth
    3. When Men Lack A Sense Of Awe, There Will Be A Disaster
    4. The Tao Of Heaven Is To Take From Those Who Have Too Much And Give To Those Who Have Too Little
    5. Man Follows The Earth, Earth Follows Heaven, Heaven Follows The Tao, Tao Follows What Is Natural
    6. Knowing Others Is Wisdom
    7. The Further You Go, The Less You Know
    8. It Is Not Wise To Rush About
    9. Returning Is The Motion Of The Tao
    10. See Simplicity In The Complicated
    11. In Dealing With Others, Be Gentle And Kind
    12. He Who Is Filled With Virtue Is Like A Newborn Child
    13. Yield And Overcome
    14. What Is Finally Grapsed Cannot Slip Away
    15. Tao Follows The Earth
    16. Become As A Child Once More
    17. Sometimes One Is Up And Sometimes Down
    18. Just Do What Needs To Be Done
    19. That Is Why A Victory Must Be Observed Like A Funeral
    20. All Men Will Come To Him Who Keeps To The One
    21. The Valley Spirit Never Dies
    22. Heaven And Earth Last Forever (Improvisation On Bach Suite II, Praeluium)

    Format: CD
    Become What You Are
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Awesome
    • One of the greats in '90s alternative.
    • Three's company
    • Can't believe this is out of print
    • "Play me some music that lifts me to my feet"
    Become What You Are
    Juliana Hatfield Three
    Manufacturer: Mammoth
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Post-PunkPost-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Only Everything
    2. Hey Babe
    3. In Exile Deo
    4. Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
    5. Beautiful Creature

    ASIN: B000024BPV

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Awesome.......2006-05-11

    Juliana Hatfield's combination of sweet and sincere lyrics and hard, driving guitar is incredible. Every song on the album is great. "My Sister" is especially heart-felt and catching.

    5 out of 5 stars One of the greats in '90s alternative........2005-07-25

    Conventional wisdom states that the followup to an artist's debut is lacking when compared to the debut. Usually, that first album consists of songs they've been working on for years, whereas the followup is thrown together in a hurry. Of course, this isn't always the case, particularly with artists emerging from bands.

    Case in point: Juliana Hatfield's "Become What You Are".

    Performing with a trio of bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips, with herself handling the guitar duties, Hatfield's sophomore effor does something her debut did not. It lets go of the Blake Babies legacy. Sonically, its as indebted to the Pixies as the jangly pop of the Blake Babies-- loud, in-your-face, overdriven guitars and slicing basslines over which Hatfield confidently delivers her lyrics, giving her voice a resonance it lacked on "Hey Babe". But more to the point, it began the legitimization of Juliana Hatfield as a guitar hero-- it seems so long ago, but in 1994, women didn't appear in guitar magazines as anything more than a novelty, but Hatfield was too good to be denied.

    This is apparent right from the start, opener "Supermodel" is a slab of punky alternative with a fantastic vocal and clever songwriting. In fact its pretty much this that makes the album what it is, moving from semi-environmentalist jangle pop ("For the Birds") to venomous meditations on homelessness and mental illness-- which in Hatfield's native Boston often go hand-in-hand (moody rumination and album standout "Mabel") to popularity contests (goofy pop song "Spin the Bottle") to Henry Rollins and over sexuality (breezy pop turned heavy alternative monster "President Garfield"). Along the way, there's a dark hit song ("My Sister"), a punk song about gun-toting women ("A Dame With a Rod", which features one of Hatfield's best early guitar solos and a moody closer ("I Got No Idols"). What's fairly incredible is the stunning level of quality on the album-- there's no filler, no stuff clearly pushed by the record company, just all really good material.

    This album is really essential listening for any alternative fans, its one of the best of the genre and as many of her peers have received mainstream recognition, Hatfield remains unfairly in a cult status, and its downright depressing that this is out of print. Highly recommended.

    5 out of 5 stars Three's company.......2004-07-08

    In 1993, Hatfield's friend and former bandmate, Lemonhead Evan Dando, was flopping about at festivals, wearing dresses and being the NME's darling, and jangly American indie guitar rock was in. And Hatfield was really the only female in her field, so she really shouldn't have found it so hard to break through in the UK at a time when Throwing Muses and Belly were having top 10 albums.

    Unfortunately, the press was a little too preoccupied with Hatfield's proclaimed virginity and relationship with Dando to give the music a proper listen. Shame, because Become What You Are - recorded as the Juliana Hatfield Three with bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips - is a simple and brilliant record that she's yet to match.

    Much has been made of Hatfield rarely going beyond the lines of her stock template. Granted, a cursory or superficial listen to Become What You Are could leave you thinking one song sounds much like another, but the unfussy formula works well enough to warrant many repeated listens. And no song outstays its welcome. Lyrically, she's at her strongest on this set, confessional, witty and on the right side of obscure.

    The opening track, Supermodel, is a catty dig at the transitory careers of overpaid catwalk stars ("the highest paid piece of ass, you know it's not gonna last...), while the girly Hatfield is at play on My Sister, describing the love/hate relationship with a fictional sibling ("I would do anything to let her know I care, but I am only talking to myself cos she isn't there"). Her wry lyrics are matched at every corner with strong hooks and basslines.

    Hatfield's cutesy/tough-girl act continues in equal measures: the deliciously venomous and punchy A Dame With A Rod, on which Hatfield avenges an attack on a woman ("You're gonna rot in the ground"), sits next to the unworldly girl on Feeling Massachussetts ("Take me somewhere I really wanna go... introduce me to someone really cool"). Hatfield does twee best on Spin The Bottle, although it's a bit of a throwaway moment. We should assume Hatfield wasn't taking her own story about kissing movie stars in closets at parties too seriously. It is nevertheless the most commercial cut and, given the right promotional push, could have been a hit, although it's appearance on the Reality Bites soundtrack did give it a new airing.

    Standout track President Garfield - allegedly an ode to rocker Henry Rollins - is almost two songs in one: the first two minutes a slow, contemplative amble down the streets of Washington, the latter half a bass-heavy brooding review of the hero ("Neck like a tyre, iron man...I'm only human, I am weak, I want his power inside of me"). Things get darker still on the closing I Got No Idols, an intense, two-minute lament from a woman eager to stand on her own too feet.

    The album went hugely underbought, of course, and the live reviews didn't do her any favours. Britpop was just around the corner and everyone in the UK momentarily ignored most of what was coming out of the US. Even the Lemonheads, who were actually selling quite a few records at one point, quickly disappeared off the radar.

    For the follow up 18 months later, Hatfield was solo and with a little more angst on her plate for Only Everything. A solid set, it was more varied than Become, and could have been its equal had Fleur De Lys, Dumb Fun and Dying Proof fell on the cutting-room floor. 1998's Bed was a disappointing affair, while 2000's double whammy - the acoustic Beautiful Creature and the aggressive Total System Failure - would have been better as one, shorter album. 2004's In Exile Deo is unlikely to turn the sales tide, and she seems to have spent the last couple of years listening to Sheryl Crow records. Presumably the innocence and simplicity of early material doesn't sit comfortably with a woman in her late thirties.

    Hatfield will make more great records, but the quality of Become What You Are and much of former band The Blake Babies' output seems an awfully long time ago now.

    5 out of 5 stars Can't believe this is out of print.......2004-04-28

    This was Juliana Hatfield's best and most popular CD, and it included her breakout hit "My Sister". She was one of the trailblazers in "bubblegum grunge", making the combination of "girl"-ish, innocent vocals and driving Nirvana-era grunge guitar really work. I rediscovered this CD in my collection just the other day and popped it into the dash, and to my pleasant surprise it sounds just as good now as it did 11 years ago. I highly recommend this one, if you can find it.

    5 out of 5 stars "Play me some music that lifts me to my feet".......2004-04-25

    Become What You Are came out during my first year of junior college and it was one of my favorite CDs at the time. I think my mom got sick of me playing it over and over. Listening to it 11 years later, I figured I had outgrown the music. No way! It still sounds great! From pop sensations like "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle" to rockers like "A Dame with a Rod" and "I Got No Idols" to slower tracks like "For the Birds" and "Mabel" it is a fun album from beginning to end. The lyrics are sophomoric at times, but the music is so catchy, you don't notice them and end up singing along to silly lines like "I want his power inside of me. And I'm not talking about a piece of meat, I'm saying something really deep." Every song here is great but "Mabel" is my favorite. The lyrics are actually intriguing on this track ("Check out that lady she's talking to herself, check out that lady, she's gonna go to hell") and it starts out with a slow, almost haunting sound and then rocks out at the end. "President Garfield" is also an interesting track although the lyrics become very weird at the end. Fun sidenote: "My Sister" gives reference to the Violent Femmes and the Del Fuegos, "before they had a record out. before they went gold." Become What You Are is a very enjoyable album and I recommend it to anyone who likes "alternative" rock.
    Inspirations
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Insprirations
    • Peaceful
    Inspirations

    Manufacturer: Trauma (Red)
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    All Works by J.S. BachAll Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    CantatasCantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Vargas, RamonVargas, Ramon | U to Z | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    CantatasCantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
    GospelGospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
    Christian Contemporary MusicChristian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
    Praise & WorshipPraise & Worship | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B0000E331E
    Release Date: 2004-02-10

    Tracks:

    1. Introduction, George Foreman
    2. Sounds Of The Earth, Ram=F3n Vargas
    3. I Gave Him My Life, Ram=F3n Vargas & Vienna Boys Choir
    4. How To Become A Champion, George Foreman
    5. Song For The Little Girls, Vienna Boys Choir
    6. All Things Are Possible, George Foreman
    7. It Was Jesus Who Died For Me, Ram=F3n Vargas
    8. Jesus I Will Sing For You, Domino Blue
    9. Without Jesus, Ram=F3n Vargas & Vienna Boys Choir
    10. Let Us Live, George Foreman
    11. All Things Are Possible, Instrumental

    Tracks:

    1. Oh Happy Day, The Edwin Hawkins Singers
    2. How Great Thou Art, Lee Greenwood
    3. Thank You, Yolanda Adams
    4. Let There Be Peace On Earth, B.J. Thomas (Duet with Tabitha Fair)
    5. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring, Symphonette Society
    6. Panis Angelicus, Jose Carreras
    7. The Lord's Prayer, Jim Nabors
    8. Amazing Grace, Sandi Patty
    9. Joyful Joyful, The New York Restoration Choir Directed By Donnie McClurkin
    10. On Eagle's Wings, Michael Crawford
    11. You'll Never Walk Alone, Aretha Franklin

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Insprirations.......2004-08-09

    I found this album to be truly uplifting. George Foreman has touched a chord and the use of the different performers, along with George's excellent voice, is outstanding. This album will make a difference for many who buy it. I consider it to be excellent!

    1 out of 5 stars Peaceful.......2004-06-06

    This is a great cd in words, horrible in singing. This guy's like Paul McCartney. His painting a bunch of buckets of paint on a wall. This guy's music is a bunch of noise mixed into this thing that makes rap sound like gospel music. He stinks at boxing, cooking (just look at the guy), and everything else! This is a failiure of a sellout. If you think this is the chef of all time, get this cd.
    Babylon Xno Mystery
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Babylon Xno Mystery

      Manufacturer: Maasai&Iproduction
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000CAGF0W
      Release Date: 2003-05-06

      Tracks:

      1. Sacrificial Lamb
      2. Grow Congo Dread
      3. Babylon X...No Mystery
      4. Roaring Fire
      5. Mid-Night Runner
      6. Promiseland
      7. Never Too Late To Learn
      8. Crucial
      9. Babylon Burst
      10. Reparations to South Africa/AlKebuland
      Become You
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Become You
        Indigo Girls
        Manufacturer: Sony
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B00005V7G5

        Tracks:

        1. Moment of Forgiveness
        2. Deconstruction
        3. Become You
        4. You've Got to Show
        5. Yield
        6. Collecting You
        7. Hope Alone
        8. Bitter Root
        9. Our Deliverance
        10. Starkville
        11. She's Saving Me
        12. Nuevas Senoritas

        Rap Music:

        1. Best of the Dream Weaver
        2. Cat Scratch Fever [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
        3. Chicago VII [Original recording remastered]
        4. Christine McVie
        5. Communication & Conviction: Last Seven Years
        6. Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse
        7. Cure [Import]
        8. Daylight
        9. Different Light
        10. Dig

        Rap Music

        rap music

        Recommended Music:

        Be About Your Paper [Explicit Lyrics]

        Giuseppe Sammartini: 12 Sonatas for Two German Flutes

        Jazz Spectrum: Real Jazz for Real People, Vol. 2

        Music: All Time Hits

        High Profile

        Gangsta Boom - Sample Your Ass Off

        He's All over Me

        Fast As You Pt. 1

        Gautvol in Paradise [Import]

        Distant Places

        Guitars Unlimited [Import]

        Gorgeous George

        I Love Aline [Import]

        The Distance

        Exubrancia