| 1. All I Need |
| 2. No Love to Be Found |
| 3. Obsession Blues |
| 4. Where Would I Be Now |
| 5. Build upon It |
| 6. Meaning of Love |
| 7. Open the Door |
| 8. Kikwit Town |
| 9. Down by the River |
| 10. Someday You Will |
| 11. Ain't That Peculiar |
| 12. You Can't Make It Love |
Editorial Reviews
Well into the '80s, Michael McDonald was California rock's white-soul singer of choice. The '90s saw his commercial stock falling, though, and the indie-label Blue Obsession is his first disc in years. McDonald has hardly shifted his allegiances; the studio-crafted grooves and plummy vocals here could have come from any of his post-Doobies records. The music rarely surprises--though the opening cut, "All I Need," does indicate that McDonald may be at least sympathetic to hip-hop--but he does throw a curve with a cover of Neil Young's "Down by the River" that probably won't capture a lot of airplay on smooth-jazz stations. --Rickey Wright
Blue Obsession,Michael Mcdonald,Ramp Records,Adult Contemporary,Blue-Eyed Soul,Pop,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop,Soft Rock
Blue Obsession
Average customer rating:
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Blue Obsession
Michael Mcdonald Manufacturer: Ramp Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004RI65 Release Date: 2000-03-28 |
Tracks:
- All I Need
- No Love to Be Found
- Obsession Blues
- Where Would I Be Now
- Build upon It
- Meaning of Love
- Open the Door
- Kikwit Town
- Down by the River
- Someday You Will
- Ain't That Peculiar
- You Can't Make It Love
Amazon.com
Well into the '80s, Michael McDonald was California rock's white-soul singer of choice. The '90s saw his commercial stock falling, though, and the indie-label Blue Obsession is his first disc in years. McDonald has hardly shifted his allegiances; the studio-crafted grooves and plummy vocals here could have come from any of his post-Doobies records. The music rarely surprises--though the opening cut, "All I Need," does indicate that McDonald may be at least sympathetic to hip-hop--but he does throw a curve with a cover of Neil Young's "Down by the River" that probably won't capture a lot of airplay on smooth-jazz stations. --Rickey WrightCustomer Reviews:
Not "classic"-- but helluvalotta style.......2005-10-23
This cd took a long time to grow on me. I did not like "Blue Obsession" when I first played through it a few times. And except for 2 tracks that I would program to play with other MM favorites, the rest of the cd stayed idle on the rack for well over a year. (Although I now like the song, "All I Need" should NOT have been the first track-- big production mistake! I think it turned me off to giving the rest of the cd an honest chance.)
Blue Obsession has a more darker, grittier sound than we are accustomed to hearing with McDonald. So, it took a little while for me to adjust my ears, where I probably would not have had to do so for another artist. Whenever I shuffled this cd in with McDonald's lighter and familiar tunes, Blue Obsession played well as a nice contrast. Yet, the cd can also stand on its own as a good body of work. "Where Would I Be Now" and "You Can't Make it Love" were always my favorite tracks, and eventually "No Love to Be Found", "Build Upon It" and "The Meaning of Love" really drew me into this cd. My hindsight is 20/20: There really is not a bad track on this cd. Blue Obsession is now among my top 3 favorites for Michael McDonald cds.
I'm curious to know if other MM fans think Blue Obsession should have followed his Motown cds rather than preceeded them.
maddeningly uneven--has a lot going both for it & against it.......2005-05-29
The great beginning of Michael's comeback.......2004-11-01
After this album came his Christmas album, which I think sounded a lot like his early Doobie Brothers music in parts. It's awesome. Then, of course, came Michael's recent fantastic Motown albums.
Michael's enjoying incredible success right now in his career. I think this album helped get him to where he is now. It's DEFINITELY worth checking out if you're a fan of his.
Soulful.........2004-10-24
Once again Michael McDonald sings to my soul........2004-03-27
Average customer rating: |
Blue Obsession
Michael Mcdonald ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000CPU7NS Release Date: 2007-02-27 |
Tracks:
- All I Need
- No Love to Be Found
- Obsession Blues
- Where Would I Be Now
- Build upon It
- Meaning of Love
- Open the Door
- Kikwit Town
- Down by the River
- Someday You Will
- Ain't That Peculiar
- You Can't Make It Love
Average customer rating:
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My Little Fire-Filled Heart
Manufacturer: Silber/Darla ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000BWH89I Release Date: 2007-01-01 |
Product Description
Tara's long-awaited follow up to her debut solo album This Womb Like Liquid Honey entitled My Little Fire-Filled Heart. This release was composed, performed, and produced entirely by Tara using her talented voice, traditional and improvised percussive instruments, and some guitar work. This album is very ambient and organic. Her vocal ranges from the playfully seductive to the passionately aggressive. Utilizing loops to fill out the background, Tara has created a blissful wash of echoing chimes, throbbing basses, and howling choruses. 1. ligertily 2. yaya 3. rabbit 4. the honour of silence 5. naked king 6. silverback 7. the girl from the green dimension 8. i lost the moon 9. a rusted nail through the wrist 10. a conversation with Death 11. wren 12. tigerlilyCustomer Reviews:
Tara vanFlower: My Little Fire-Filled Heart (Silbermedia, 2005).......2006-01-07
"Ligertily" begins the album with listful vocals that show off vanFlower's beautiful voice. It is a brief introduction that leads into a more disconcerting piece called "Yaya." The words of this peace are rather wonderful, but the low, moaning track played amidst the spoken words is rather gloomy and ominous. VanFlower seems to speak of a love so deep it envelops the two who participate while a background voice states "this cannot be" over and over again. "Rabbit" has a vocal style a bit like Siouxsie Sioux, but there is only reverberating sounds and what sounds like loud drips echoing in a concrete hall. The words seem to be about someone who is dead that has passed on because of a girl he has kissed. Perhaps this is a metaphorical death, but the poem is certainly rife with death like imagery. "The Honor of Silence" has humming keys and vanFlower's sweet voice speaking words I can't always make out. This track is one of the least dissonant and has the most ambient feel of most of the tracks.
"Naked King" has a staccato feel that is abrupt and a bit chaotic. It's a bit long and I only wish this track were a bit shorter. Perhaps the point is to disturb or irritate the listener, but, frankly, I am a little put off by this track. It's a bit too much. "Silverback" follows on the heals of "Naked King" and has chimes and sighs mixed with moans in the background. This is a spoken piece in the sense of a poetry reading. This track repeats the spoken words and is also a bit on the long side for the sort of piece it is, but it certainly is not as grating as "Naked King." This track shows her style of poet, so, I thought it best to type the words out for you.
We hold hands like monkeys
small hands in clasping rings
fettered together threaded
white milk and scales
like the belly of a fish
slide into me silver crescent
watch as my insides spill
silver sickle of the stars
I hid behind you once
on the dark side of your blade
childlike and simple
unopen flower
you sing to me like heaven-mouths
gaping at
the surface of the silver sky
breathe into me breathe into me
I will fall at your feet
your silver feet
dipped into something savory
and my lips will worship there
gaping at
the surface of your silver skin
waking before
the simple act of kindness
before bowed heads and empty eyes
before devil grins and empty eyes
I walked on your silver surface once
uncut and immune
"The Girl from the Green Dimension" begins with chimes again and a hum. It strikes me that vanFlower must have experience so much despair in connection to death. This track also deals with the passing of a friend or lover of some sort. Her voice is listless and travels amidst the chimes. The track has a sweet feeling, but there is also a sort of dirge underneath her voice. "I Lost the Moon" has a sort of breathing and some chaotic guitar work in it. One of the things I don't like about the artwork on this disc is that some lyrics are included while other songs are omitted. "I Lost the Moon" is absent from the lyric sheet. Therefore, I can only get a feel for the song by the sounds. The breathing lends a sort of sexual feeling while the guitar makes that feeling seem rather dissonant and, perhaps, unhappy in the memory.
"A Rusted Nail Through the Wrist" starts with rather interesting percussion and odd noises. The lyrical content almost has a redemptive quality to them. Having "missed the mark," vanFlower seems to look toward the one who is nailed to a tree. Perhaps, this is the Christ, but I can't be sure. "A Conversation with Death" is an old spiritual that vanFlower sings over the blowing of wind. Her voice is so beautiful and weeping on this track. I wish she would have sung more like this throughout the album. This track is just beautiful. "Wren" begins with the sound of falling rain and a baby's toy playing in the background. This song centers on a young girl whose mother is singing to her to comfort her in the dark. This track is sweet, but at the same time almost eerie. "Tigerlily" plays the album out. It is a short 37 seconds and it contains the song "Sunshine."
All in all, my first reaction to this disc was highly negative. After another spin or two, I started to warm up to it and began to understand better what vanFlower is doing here. Although that is so, I would say that there are a few tracks that need trimming. Sometimes, the length on these really makes the track feel like it's beating a dead horse by its end. That said, vanFlower can evoke emotions in the listener and she makes provocative comments on the subject of death.
Average customer rating:
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Obsession
Blue System Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000006ZF3 Release Date: 2000-04-25 |
Tracks:
- Love Is Such a Lonely Sword
- When Sarah Smiles
- Behind the Silence
- 2000 Miles
- Two Hearts Beat as One
- 48 Hours
- I'm Not That Kind of Guy
- Try the Impossible
- Another Lonely Night
- I'm the Pilot of Your Love
Customer Reviews:
samba-rumba :).......2004-02-22
My favourite songs are "Behind The Silence" (total instrumental), "Two Hearts Beat As One", "Try The Impossible" and "Love Is Such A Lonely Sword" (I prefer its long version that is available on Maxi-CD).
OBSESSION - not really living up to itâýýs title :(.......2003-08-29
48 HOURS and TRY THE IMPOSSIBLE.
One of the best things about this album is itâs photography, I think this album has the best art work and I am not talking about the front cover which is a big cliché! The booklet has great pictures and a piano that is put in the beach (in water) in the sunset.
To sum it up it is worth getting only if youâre a collector like me, otherwise give it a miss.
You may want to note the booklet has text but only for people who can read German.
FACT: This is a Gold selling album
My favorite album of Blue System!.......1999-04-09
Average customer rating: |
Obsession
Blue System Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00000DX9N Release Date: 1993-01-01 |
Average customer rating: |
Blues Obsession
Kenny "Blue" Ray Manufacturer: Tone King ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00004T9V1 Release Date: 2000-01-01 |
Average customer rating:
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Blue Obsession
Michael Mcdonald Manufacturer: Wea Corp ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002NDJ Release Date: 1997-10-28 |
Tracks:
- All I Need
- No Love to Be Found
- Obsession Blues
- Where Would I Be Now
- Build upon It
- Meaning of Love
- Open the Door
- Kikwit Town
- Down by the River
- Someday You Will
- Ain't That Peculiar
- You Can't Make It Love
Amazon.com
Well into the '80s, Michael McDonald was California rock's white-soul singer of choice. The '90s saw his commercial stock falling, though, and the indie-label Blue Obsession is his first disc in years. McDonald has hardly shifted his allegiances; the studio-crafted grooves and plummy vocals here could have come from any of his post-Doobies records. The music rarely surprises--though the opening cut, "All I Need," does indicate that McDonald may be at least sympathetic to hip-hop--but he does throw a curve with a cover of Neil Young's "Down by the River" that probably won't capture a lot of airplay on smooth-jazz stations. --Rickey WrightCustomer Reviews:
Not "classic"-- but helluvalotta style.......2005-10-23
This cd took a long time to grow on me. I did not like "Blue Obsession" when I first played through it a few times. And except for 2 tracks that I would program to play with other MM favorites, the rest of the cd stayed idle on the rack for well over a year. (Although I now like the song, "All I Need" should NOT have been the first track-- big production mistake! I think it turned me off to giving the rest of the cd an honest chance.)
Blue Obsession has a more darker, grittier sound than we are accustomed to hearing with McDonald. So, it took a little while for me to adjust my ears, where I probably would not have had to do so for another artist. Whenever I shuffled this cd in with McDonald's lighter and familiar tunes, Blue Obsession played well as a nice contrast. Yet, the cd can also stand on its own as a good body of work. "Where Would I Be Now" and "You Can't Make it Love" were always my favorite tracks, and eventually "No Love to Be Found", "Build Upon It" and "The Meaning of Love" really drew me into this cd. My hindsight is 20/20: There really is not a bad track on this cd. Blue Obsession is now among my top 3 favorites for Michael McDonald cds.
I'm curious to know if other MM fans think Blue Obsession should have followed his Motown cds rather than preceeded them.
maddeningly uneven--has a lot going both for it & against it.......2005-05-29
The great beginning of Michael's comeback.......2004-11-01
After this album came his Christmas album, which I think sounded a lot like his early Doobie Brothers music in parts. It's awesome. Then, of course, came Michael's recent fantastic Motown albums.
Michael's enjoying incredible success right now in his career. I think this album helped get him to where he is now. It's DEFINITELY worth checking out if you're a fan of his.
Soulful.........2004-10-24
Once again Michael McDonald sings to my soul........2004-03-27
Average customer rating: |
Estrella Re-Mastered
Manufacturer: Silber ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000BWJMK6 Release Date: 2005-05-10 |
Product Description
Estrella was Lycias last proper studio album (Empty Space was unfinished and Tripping Back Into The Broken Days was recorded and mixed as an Estraya release). The songs on Estrella were originally written in 1996 & fleshed out over a fifty show tour. Eight years later, Mike VanPortfleet has revisited the songs to remaster them using the engineering skills hes improved over this time as well as the improvements of technology to make a definitive version of the release uncompromised by the hands of others. The artwork has been restored to the original version, unaltered from the artistic vision meant to match the music. The goal of Estrella was to mix the lush orchestral sound VanPortfleet had developed over the previous eight years that had culminated in Cold with the more up-tempo rhythmic style of Wake & the unreleased Byzantine era. Estrella also marks Tara VanFlowers move to primary vocalist & lyricist, enlarging the bands ethereal fan base. Estrella became an instant hit within the darkwave genre, but now is the time to realize its a classic that transcends genre barriers. 1. Clouds In The Southern Sky 2. El Diablo 3. Tainted 4. Tongues 5. Estrella 6. Dome 7. Silver Sliver 8. The Canal 9. The Kite 10. Orion 11. Distant Fading StarRap Music:
- Capture the Magic
- Chicago X [Original recording remastered]
- Contemplating the Engine Room [Enhanced]
- Creatures
- Do You Hear...Christmas With Heather, Cookie & Raylene Rankin [Import]
- Down by the Jetty
- Dylan's Gospel [Import]
- Electric Sweat [Enhanced]
- Elk-Lake Serenade
- Escapology - Canadian Version (Different Tracks) [Import]
Recommended Music:
Scarlatti: Lamentazioni Per La Settimana Santa
The Bourne Supremacy [Soundtrack]
Southside Riders, Vol. 1 [Explicit Lyrics]
Significant Other [Explicit Lyrics]
Prokofieff: Lieutenant Kije; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
The 4th Wish: To Sprinkle the World