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Earthsongs
 
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Earthsongs

Secret Garden, Fionnuala Gill | Format: Audio CD
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Price: £8.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Earthsongs + Once in a Red Moon + Dreamcatcher
Price For All Three: £20.13

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  • In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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  • Once in a Red Moon ~ Secret Garden Audio CD £3.99

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  • Dreamcatcher ~ Secret Garden Audio CD £7.15

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Product details

  • Audio CD (16 May 2005)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Decca (UMO)
  • ASIN: B0007GAEVC
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 24,561 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Sometimes When It Rains 4:38£0.69
Listen  2. Fields Of Fortune 4:11£0.69
Listen  3. The Reel 3:25£0.69
Listen  4. Always There 4:45£0.69
Listen  5. When Darkness Falls ( Ode To Kvaase) 5:27£0.69
Listen  6. Sleepsong 4:51£0.69
Listen  7. Lotus 4:33£0.69
Listen  8. Searching for the past 3:15£0.69
Listen  9. Daughters Of Erin 2:35£0.69
Listen10. Half A World Away 4:39£0.69
Listen11. Grace 4:47£0.69
Listen12. Raise Your Voices 4:12£0.69

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

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 flavours 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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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Not their best, but... 24 April 2005
By madwab
Format:Audio CD
I'd like to correct the impression given by the 'official' review that 'Earthsongs' is musical wallpaper for grandmas. This is SG's worst album to date: but if I'd never heard any of the others I'd still love it. Much of the weakness comes, not from any change of direction, but from an element of uninspired retreading. SG have always evolved gradually, but there is no feeling of evolution here, just more of the same.

The 'maudlin ballad' accusation, however, is true: 'Always There' sounds like an attempt to repeat the success of 'You Raise Me Up', even down to the lyrics - 'You keep me strong / And you raise me when I fall'. But it doesn't compare.

The reels are - well, who's to say what's 'authentic' - like something out of Riverdance: they aren't what most people buy SG for. At least in the last couple of CDs SG were experimenting with textures and time signatures, but that has disappeared in the latest up tempo numbers.

There are some interesting textures in the slower pieces: the trumpet in 'Grace' is beautiful, the the Erhu in 'Lotus' only a little less so. These and a few other tracks would sit happily on any SG release. Yet two things trouble me.

Firstly, the need to have every track finish with a melodramatic crescendo. Nothing fades away quietly here; you couldn't drift off to sleep with this one like you could with the first album.

Secondly, SG is sounding increasing like a Christian band rather than a New Age 'spiritual' one. 'Always There' is about someone always being there, but who - a loved one, a friend, or Jesus / God? Well, verse 2 ends with 'I know I'm heaven-blest'. Moreover, the lyrics were written by Brendan Graham, who SG also asked to write the lyrics for 'Raise Your Voices'. That goes further - it neither more nor less than a hymn (albeit quite a pleasant one), and wouldn't sound an iota out of place in any Christian church. The sleeve notes describe the lyrics as 'sacred and uplifting', and they include 'Praise to Him - the Living Word ... Raise your voices to the Lord'. Sure, there's nothing wrong with expressing your beliefs - but you can't take an audience with you that doesn't share those beliefs. This is crossing a line...

Overall, 'Earthsongs' is disappointing and uninspired by the standard of previous SG work; but the SG standard was high and this is certainly not rubbish, nor easy listening in the sense of lift music. Unfortunately if they follow the usual pattern it'll be 2 years before we see whether the trends continue...

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Good Effort ! 18 Mar 2006
Format:Audio CD
As a long term avid fan of 'Secret Garden' I have all their albums they have released over the years, but this one 'Earthsongs' is not too bad, not their best though I admit. Why oh why did they play the same song twice but give the intstrumental version a different name ???? I talk of No1 'Sometimes When It Rains' is the same as 'Half a World Away'. I have to say that their version of 'You Raise Me Up' from a previous album just takes the top award, no matter how much modern bands try to do their best to perform this, its NOT the same, I am afraid 'Secret Garden' have the prize on this tune, its just remarkably outstanding! If you want some truly amazing instrumental sounds, to relax or dream to, then please try their first album 'Songs from a Secret Garden' is the tops, it never fails to send me everytime I listen to it, forget your troubles and woes, you won't regret relaxing to this album, with a loved one, or alone and a good bottle of red ! ENJOY!
Roughquest x x x
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Secret Garden's latest album, Earthsongs is good, but it just cannot live up to the standards of Once in a Red Moon (2002). Earthsongs is a great album full of beautiful songs. However, if you have listened, bought, or seen any Secret garden DVD's or CD's before, this will probably not be anything new. A few songs, particularly Always There and Daughters of Erin, are extremely similar to songs that were wrote by Secret Garden earlier. Always There has a [over] striking resemblance to You Raise Me Up, one of the best songs in Once in a Red Moon (2002). Also, Daughters of Erin, is quite similar to The Rap, in the album Secret Garden (1995).

I think (like another reviewer) that the 2046 movie song, Searching for the Past (a song that is in this album, by the way) basically sums up this album. Secret Garden was searching for the past. I hope that Secret Garden has not peaked yet, and I hope that soon another album like Once in a Red Moon (2002) will come out. I think that this album was a good attempt, but it cannot beat their previous album. If you do not have a Secret Garden album and want to get one, this one would be a good introduction to you. If you like it, go on and get Once in a Red Moon, it will not disappoint.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Earthsongs
Really good relaxing music either for just chilling out with or as gentle background for either dinner party or just busying about the home.
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Anne West
Secret Garden-Earthsongs
An eclectic mixture of folk and New Age music. A hidden gem. There is an ideal balance of instrumentals and lyrics. Russell Watson's contribution provides a different edge.
Published on 27 Feb 2010 by Mrs. Fiona E. Heslop
Earthsongs
Earthsongs is a wonderful collection of myusic. Some tracks remind me of Irish traditional music. I particularly love the tracks 'Half a world away' and also 'Raise your Voices'. Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by Mr. J. R. Bradley
On the downhill slope?
Don't spend your money on this one, unless you really need a comprehensive Secret Garden collection. Read more
Published on 23 July 2007 by Dr. Aivar Bracka
Earthsongs
We really enjoyed this CD, wonderful melodic tunes which make the world seem a better place! Yes it is similar to their other work, but who cares?...it is all excellent.
Published on 25 Dec 2006 by BFPO teacher + 1
Overall review
I believe Secret Garden has put in a lot of effort to come out with this album. I have listened throughout the whole album and I can say the whole impression is very good. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2005 by Bryan79
5-star production, 4-star music
For technical quality, this album is amongst those very few which just ooze professionalism and attention to detail. Read more
Published on 16 May 2005 by "audioanalysis"
Oh Dear!! What a letdown
It has been over two years since the release of the last Secret garden album 'Once in a red moon', but whereas that album was pure class, this new album is just DRAB!! DRAB!! Read more
Published on 4 May 2005 by Martin R. Wedge
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