1 comments about Scarlet Fever.

1. A new acquaintance described the music - I thought WOW just my style...NOT! While not wholly enjoyable it may do for some special occasion that I've yet to determine.

3 comments about Celebrate Hanukkah.

1. This is my family's CD of choice for Hanukkah time. We put it on and everyone knows every song. It's a classic!



2. This cd has become a family tradition for us over Hanukkah. We play it at all our Hanukkah parties and give them out to all our guests! Fun music for a fun celebration!



3. A must have for any music library. Superb production, clever arrangments and exceptional variety of artists. This CD has been a part of my holiday music library for years...always a favorite!

5 comments about Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah.

1. How could you not like something that is so sweet. We all love this cd. Shipping was fast.



2. I wasn't certain what to expect from this odd collaboration, but it is one of the Klezmatics' best works! They seem to have taken some poems on the topic of Chanukah that were written by Woody Guthrie, who was himself not Jewish but whose wife was Jewish. They've composed music around the poetry and recorded it here.
   
   The music is terrific -- our family loves it. The two kids play this CD over and over, yet the two parents still like it (!), which by itself makes the disc an extaordinary find. But the most notable thing is that the lyrics and music sound of one piece, which is a real art given that I think the whole thing was done posthumously.
   
   Also -- I believe that there were other non-holiday poems also written by Guthrie, so they ended up making two CDs -- the other is called Wonder Wheel, though I don't own that one yet. I'll get it though, since this project was so perfectly executed.



3. Woody Guthrie...for Hanukkah. A gift every joyous Jewish family will love. And Wonder Wheel by the Klezmatics was nominated for a Grammy... and may actually win it (Grammy's are next week). Woody may be gone, but the Klezmatics have made his fun, sweet spirit come to life... with a Jewish edge.
   
   Great!



4. This is an unexpected pleasure. And it gives you what it says on the cover - happy joyous music.
   
   Is there anything for pesach?



5. I think that Gutherie's "HAPPY JOYOUS HANUKKAH" CD is great, especially for children. The songs are surely joyous and wonderful to listen to. My only complaint were the addition of 4 pieces ("Gilad and Ziv's Sibra", "Latke Flip-Flop", "Groovy"s Freyekhs", and "Spin Dreydl Spin") that were not written by Gutherie and made no sense for this project.
   Still, I would highly recommend this CD>

1 comments about Scarlet Rivera.

1. Another amazing album by Scarlet.
   I now have ALL her albums. She takes the violin to a new high. If you love beautiful music by amazingly talented musicians, then this album is a MUST HAVE. All Scarlets albums are exceptional. Would Bob Dylan have worked with anyone other than the VERY BEST?
   Heck No !!.
   
   Buy it and ENJOY. FIVE STARS.

No comments about Chatter With The Angels.

2 comments about Celtic Myst.

1. This has to be one of the most vapid, puts you to sleep, albums I have ever heard! Granted the preson who does the vocals, has a nice, if boring and monotonous, voice and the person who plays the violin is good! But...every song sounds very similiar. And the woman who sings doesn't seem to sing very many different notes! And the violin music is also fairly monotonous!
   
   Obviously, I don't reccomend this CD. Celtic Muzak! Who Woulda Thunk It!



2. This music is soft and gentle, like lullabies, with birds twittering in the background. It is music that reminds you of looking out over a lake in the evening and watching the sunset. Certainly not up to standards of previous reviewer, judging by reviews.
   Would be great for putting children to sleep. I liked it. Very calming effect.

1 comments about Ocean Dream Music.

1. This is very relaxing, pretty music that will lull your child (or you!) to sleep. I really the like the fact that there is no dead air in between tracks. It overlaps w/waves crashing, so it's a nice transition for sleeping ears. :)

5 comments about Barney's Christmas Star.

1. This is another Barney DVD that has no menu. Once you put it on you must fast forward through the initial advertisements and then you can play the Barney portion. Without a menu it is basically a glorified VHS tape that the best you can do is fast forward to get to a certain spot. There is also no spanish sound track. If you want a VHS-like product that should last longer than a tape you might be interested in this. As far as the story goes I would opt for The Night Before Christmas. That story is more little kid friendly and more entertaining. The Christmas Star didn't hold the interest of my 3.5 or 1.5 y/o children. With The Night Before Christmas they request to see it all the time. The Night Before Christmas DVD also functions like a DVD.



2. This is our first Barney dvd and my 22 month old daughter loves it. I just skip the "commercials" at the beginning by hitting the "chapter" button on my remote. The characters touch on the ways some different cultures celebrate the holidays and sing several songs -- some traditional Christmas songs as well as others like "Just Imagine" which my daughter and I loved. Its cute and fun and well worth the money I spent.



3. What is it about Barney that acts like ether on the toddler set? Just when you thought the big guy couldn't get any more annoying, he reappears with a whole new cast of wide-eyed stage brats entirely consumed with finding the star for the community Christmas tree. Along the way, your senses are numbed by an array of perky holiday songs sung by perky holiday kids, in whose dictionaries the word "overacting" apparently doesn't appear, Barney spewing a constant barrage of pithy, brilliant truths, merry-yet-creepy, nails-on-chalkboard chuckles, and the inevitable appearances of twin-lap-dogs-of-Satan Baby Bop and B.J. Attempt to watch this with your kids and you'll quickly realize you're on a slow trip to nowhere, your hair turning white overnight, inundated with the keep-it-simple-stupid philosophy of Barney's world, but one glimpse of the rapture in their eyes as they're riveted to the set, leaving you a few free moments to clean out the sink before something in there grows legs and runs away, somehow makes the price of this video all worthwhile. Anyone who's ever criticized the use of a television to babysit a kid has obviously owned neither. In spite of Barney being some sort of deity at my house, my dream is still to one day set him on fire. Live with it...



4. My kids love this movie, no matter what time of year it is they still want to watch this one, so I would have to say it is great!



5. I got this movie from a friend and was glad I didn't buy it myself. It is kind of boring and not nearly as good as "Barney's Night Before Christmas". If you are looking for a video that talks about other holidays besides Christmas, keep looking. In this video, Barney and friends sing a Hanakuh song and a Kwanza song and show a festive table for each holiday, but they do not explain anything about those holidays. The songs last 2-3 minutes and then its back to the Christmas celebration. Some of the Christmas/winter songs in the video are well done, but the search for the star in the attic takes too long and has too much dialouge. Although, my 2 1/2 year-old twins do like the nutcracker drummer scene and the ballerina scene.

5 comments about Coming Home.

1. I just returned from an enchanting weekend at my favorite place the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies where I attended their Ecstatic Chant weekend with Krishna Das, Snatam Kaur, Deva Premal just to name a few. An unexpected pleasure occurred as I happened upon Danya and Eyal singing as they sat under a tree on the Omega campus. I found myself drawn to Danya's lovely, soothing voice and Eyal's musical talents and energy. I was thrilled to learn they had a CD that had recently been released. I bought one, listened to it over and over again on my four hour drive home. The next morning, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed after being away for five days. As I read my many, many e-mails, I had Coming Home playing in the background. I began noticing how my stress level was gradually reduced. I then found myself calling Sounds True and ordered 10 CD's for family and friends. What a great Chanukah gift. I love to chant and had not had an opportunity before to chant in Hebrew. It is a joy!



2. If you are looking for a beautiful CD of music that is both uplifting and soul-soothing at the same time, then you should definitely buy this disc. This may be the first CD from Temple but I hope it is the first in a line of many to come!



3. This is one of those rare CDs that never fails to make me feel better. Each track is more beautiful than the last. The music is so healing, so angelic, so enchanting, that I never tire of hearing it over and over. This would be a great CD to listen to during yoga, meditation or massage - but I also like to listen to it while I'm washing dishes or driving in traffic! Brings a calming piece of heaven to me wherever I am. Don't hesitate to get this one - you won't be sorry!



4. OK, I am very picky when it comes to chanting and I have to say Temple has done a beautiful job capturing the spirit of these ancient Hebrew prayers. Lead singer Danya Uriel's voice is gentle, pure and relaxing and reminded me of Enya, Deva Premal, and Snatam Kaur - angelic and at the same time raw and real. Israeli producer and guitar player Eyal Rivlin's playing style is very reminiscent of early Will Ackerman and the new age sound of Windham Hill. Sounds True did a great job with the elaborate liner notes, which give the deeper translations of each of the 7 Hebrew mantras, and make the CD usable as a practice tool. Whether you are a fan of Kabbalah or Jewish Mysticism, or love to sing sacred chants and Kirtan (a la Krishna Das or Jai Uttal) this CD adds a missing component to any musical collection. Also, since the CD is 58 minutes long and has a consistent contemplative sound throughout, I found it to work very well in my massage and healing practice.



5. This CD is pure joy! Temple's music envelopes you in beauty, connecting you to your own deepest heart and inspiring you to share that beauty with others. It is beyond music, it is healing meditation, it is love and faith embodied through sound. This CD was on repeat through the long labor of my daughter, it held me steady through that amazing process and it now soothes my little one out of the womb.

5 comments about Jewish Cello Masterpieces.

1. I recently received this CD as a gift and was simply overwhelmed by how beautiful it is. The music, the playing, and the recording are all stunning. The interpretations of the well known works are magnificent and the pieces by Zilberts and Meyerowitz are a revelation. I cannot recommend this recording highly enough.



2. Perhaps no other instrument captures the sad-sweet contemplative mood of classical Jewish music like a cello. Is this because so many Jewish composers have written for the cello, that we think of it as a "Jewish" instrument? Or did they choose the cello because it sings so beautifully of the Jewish soul? Like the chicken and the egg, this question may never be answered -- but it doesn't really matter. This superb music is an important part of our Jewish legacy in its own right.
   
   On this CD, cellist Richard Locker, accompanied by Susan Walters on piano, brings together 12 classical Jewish pieces, some well-known and others not so, in an absolutely magnificent performance -- so beautiful, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. The CD starts out with a niggun (Hasidic tune) by Ernest Bloch, then moves into to the dark, somber strains of Max Bruch's "Kol Nidre." From there it rises in mood, to end with a playful Yiddish theater piece, "Wie schecht is ohne Gelt" (How awful it is to be without money!) Included is the rarely heard "Meditation Hebraique" by Bloch, which he dedicated to Pable Casals, and a trio of pieces by the lesser-known composer, Zavel Zilberts (1881-1949), who directed the Choral Society of New York and played with the Metropolitan Opera. All of this is performed on a cello made by Nicolo Gagliano, dated 1780. To hear such a fine old instrument played by a talented, sensitive musician is truly a mechayah! (pleasure)



3. I love this CD and have bought several for friends. Music is so very beautiful. Toda raba!!!!



4. "Beautiful"? I did not find anything about this music "beautiful". Most of it is very dark and depressing. A few of the songs sound like something you would hear in a horror movie. Now I know why they do not provide samples to listen to. The only two songs I found pleasant to listen to were "Zilberts: Reb Dovid'l" and "Meyerowitz: Gelt (Wie Shlecht es is Ohn Gelt)". I am very disappointed. Admittedly, I purchased this CD without really knowing what to expect. I just trusted the previous reviews. Try to find samples to listen to before you purchase this CD to see if you like this kind of music.



5. This is a wonderful album. The music is beautiful. The musicianship is marvelous. Ernest Bloch is one of my favorite composers. His piece, Prayer, is a very moving piece of music as is the rest of the album.