Vanessa Carlton - Harmonium
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Free Music Notes for Harmonium
Free Music Review: Decent sophomoric effort -- not as good as debut
Hit: 4 Stars
Harmonium, released in late 2004, took Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton to new heights of sophistication and maturity, but somewhere along the way she lost touch of the catchy melodies that Be Not Nobody possessed. Her self-penned, No. 1 critcially-acclaimed first single "A Thousand Miles" is by far one of the best pop songs of all time (Honestly folks, who thinks up that opening piano arpeggio??! It's amazing), but on Harmonium all but one track lives up to this impressive predecessor. "White Houses" is by far the most listenable on this album's tracklist, with its piano in the background overlaid by some lush orchestration (typical of Carlton), but only a remaining handful are decent tracks; the others, sad to say, are just boring. "Annie" is a touchstone song about losing a baby, and may even bring some to tears with its lyrics and beautiful piano chords, and "Half a Week Before The Winter" and the poppiest "Private Radio" are all good, just not memorable. Even so, Harmonium is an accomplishment Vanessa Carlton can truly be proud of, regardless of its lack of commercial success. Hopefully the record company (who should've backed this album more publicity-wise) realizes this as well.Free Music Review: thoughts on harmonium:
Hit: 3 Stars
Vanessa carlton is 1 of my fav performers. I enjoy the 1st song white houses the most. the rest of the album is quite dark in sound to her last 1. however, if you are a fan, I recommend you add it to your collection!Free Music Review: I love this album!
Hit: 5 Stars
Though I liked Vanessa Carlton's hits when she stormed the music scene a few years ago with "Ordinary Day" and "A Thousand Miles," I didn't buy her debut album until early this year. Her debut sounded as I suspected it would, and I enjoyed it, so I quickly purchased her sophomore release, Harmonium, even though I was not familiar with any of the songs on this album.
I haven't been able to extract Harmonium from my rotation of most frequently played discs. I like this album so much, in fact, that Vanessa Carlton has climbed to the very top of my list of favorite female artists - which is something I never imagined would happen. Vanessa Carlton is a wonderfully talented musician. Here's why I like her so much:
HER VOICE - which is pure, elegant, sophisticated, yet as simple and honest as the girl next door.
HER PIANO - she's a dynamo behind those keys and is a marvel to hear (and watch play).
HER SONGWRITING - she clearly emphasizes the craft of songwriting, looking for new ways to dovetail her beautiful piano with variable melodies and compelling lyrics.
I find all these elements pervasively spread across Harmonium, which is why I love this album so much. There are some tunes on Harmonium that have obvious commercial appeal, but there are others that are purely artist-oriented work. All in all, I find Harmonium to be intelligent music that will be fully appreciated by listeners who like to be challenged as well as moved and entertained by what they hear.
Free Music Review: The best album of Fall 2004
Hit: 5 Stars
I LOVED this cd. I think Carlton is extremely talented on the piano and her voice is captivating. She is, like many reviewers mention, terribly underrated. But I do think that she is an artist like Tori Amos in that you either get her or you don't. Lke Tori, she will probably remain fairly "underground" and her popularity will be due to her large, unwavering fan base who loves her no matter what. But for the record, I don't consider her a Tori Amos wannabe. She is her own artist and I respect her as such.
The songs were enchanting, haunting, melodic, chaotic, and triumphant all at once. She has definitely grown alot since her first album. Her maturity as a woman, a writer, an artist and a musician just shines here. The difference in her lyrics, her voice and her creativity is astounding. It's certainly less murky and vexing than the first and has much more clarity, flow and freedom to it, overall. It exceeded my expectations, and is a delightful listen.
The only drawback? It's way too short!! I am left wanting more, and I already am wishing she'd put out another album really soon.
Free Music Review: Horrid!
Hit: 1 Stars
She's right in the middle of the pack of all the prepubescent sounding talentless young female singers that the recording industry is foisting on us. I was on the verge of canceling Time Warner cable when they discontinued her commercial. I hope this is the last we hear of her.