Angel On My Shoulder

Angel On My Shoulder

ASIN: B00004UF99

Track Listings

1. Tough Times Don't Last

2. Angel On My Shoulder

3. Drive You Right Back To Me

4. Higher Ground

5. One Heart Out of Two

6. Read Between the Lies

7. The Coat

8. As Long As You Go With Me

9. I Will Work For Beer

10. Steppin' Stone

11. Santa Ana Wind

12. A Life Worth Leaving Behind

Editorial Reviews
Jim Marks KPCR Radio, Bowling Green, MO
Shandy's music is written and sung from the heart. When you hear him sing, he takes you back to that moment in time, as if you were there.

Product Description
Shandy's music is a refreshing blend of rock and rural music in the tradition of artists such as Steve Earle and Willie Nelson. He is a singer/songwriter who combines solid meaningful lyrics with good melodies and a rocking backbeat. The album is dedicated to his mother who lost in a battle with cancer in 1998.

Angel On My Shoulder

Tracks:

No Wonder
Baby Plays Around
Go Leave
Rope
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
Broken Bicycles / Junk
The Other Woman
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Green Song
April After All
You Still Believe In Me
I Want To Vanish
For No One
Shamed Into Love
Just A Curio
This House Is Empty Now
Take It With Me
For The Stars

Amazon.com

At a time when popular music has been micro-marketed to the far side of ad nauseam, Declan MacManus, a.k.a. Elvis Costello, has traded on his reputation as the brightest songwriter to emerge from the new wave era to foster any number of delightful, cross-genre/generation musical surprises, including soundtracks and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, Paul McCartney, jazz artist Roy Nathanson, and songwriting legend Burt Bacharach. The latest fruit of that generous, insatiably curious artistic spirit is this elegant partnership with Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne-Sofie von Otter. Though an admitted pop novice, Otter couldn't have picked a better confederate than Costello, an artist whose taste in songs has seldom been tainted by trend.

Together, they weave material from disparate sources--including a slate of compelling Costello material, a pair of Brian Wilson's evocative "Pet Sounds" confessionals, a Tom Waits song from Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart (oddly, though effectively, coupled in medley with McCartney's "Junk"), an Abba song, and the Beatles' "For No One"--into a musical tapestry of stately power and grace. Costello sparingly uses his voice as seasoning throughout, though his masterful touch is everywhere. Otter's novice pop singing reveals an easy knack for jazz phrasing that should tempt further explorations and a warmth that belies the rigidity that's so often a byproduct of classical training. Most gratifying of all, this album ultimately achieves what's become one of the loftiest plateaus in Pop music: common ground. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Loved this CD .......2006-06-13

Who would pair Costello and an opera singer?? Elvis, and somehow it works. I really love the tone and moodiness of it and lyrics that talk about love and life, failure and success. It's soulful, in a contemplative way, music for those tucked away, rainy days .

I LOVE this CD!.......2005-09-01

Finally, an opera singer who knows how to channel her Classical training into a sound that is, as one critic aptly described it, "what pop singers would sound like if they could actually sing"! Although Elvis Costello does not join Ms. von Otter very often in the vocals, when he does they harmonize beautifully. With great melodies (some beautiful, some catchy) and sensitive (but not sappy) lyrics, this album makes a fine addition to any CD collection.

Costello Partners with Hubris and Yields Variable Results.......2005-05-08

Having just heard Elvis Costello's masterful collaboration with Burt Bacharach, "Painted from Memory", for the first time this past month, I had high hopes for this equally unusual partnership with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter released in 2001. This time, however, Costello acts as arranger and producer, and it is von Otter who is front and center on vocals. She is among the most revered of singers on the opera and recital stages, and she has impressed me in the past, in particular, with her Dejanira in the 2002 Marc Minkowski-led performance of Handel's "Hercules", among many other roles she has embodied. Here she is called upon to be a pop chanteuse, and while the beauty of her voice is inarguable in any setting, her ability to interpret the diverse lyrics in these songs is far more debatable. This is where a Marianne Faithfull, a Blossom Dearie or even a Joni Mitchell could capture more of the underlying feeling with a fraction of the vocal power von Otter can provide but with twice the nuance. There is a rather sterile sameness to the performances here, somewhat jazz-inflected in a cocktail lounge manner at times and at other times, rather morose and dirge-like.

Take, for example, her rendition of Brian Wilson's "Don't Ask (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" from the legendary "Pet Sounds" album. It moves so glacially that it actually extricates the romantic subtext almost surgically. The same can be said for Jessie Mae Robinson's "The Other Woman", which has at least Magnus Persson's vibraphone to provide relief from the tedium. She's better on the other "Pet Sounds" classic, "You Still Believe in Me", where she cannily soars with the chorus, though Costello damages it by adding some odd, muffled rapping in the background. Ironically, it is on the Costello compositions where the recording most noticeably flails. The opener "No Wonder" starts as a "Greensleeves"-like madrigal and then turns into Beatlesque pop; "Baby Plays Around" seems to suffer from exhaustion by all parties; the two Fleshquartet collaborations, "Rope" and "Just a Curio", sound somewhat like extraterrestrial hymns done in a series of minor keys; and the closing title track, "For the Stars" includes peppy, Beach Boys-sounding harmonies which escape her grasp. In fact, "Just a Curio" would have been a more appropriate title for this entire recording.

On the other hand, the Gallic flavor of Benny Andersson's accordion effectively informs her rendition of Tom Waits' "Broken Bicycles", which melds perfectly with Costello's vocal on Paul McCartney's "Junk". Speaking of Andersson, a fellow Scandinavian, von Otter admirably covers a piano-led ABBA ballad, "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room". She also displays a meticulously casual bounce on Lennon-McCartney's "For No One", though it stops rather abruptly. Von Otter acquits herself surprisingly well on the jazzy "Shamed into Love", written by another unlikely duo, Costello and Rubén Blades, and performed as almost a smokier variation of Bacharach's "Alfie". And speaking of Bacharach, she does a nice turn on the lovely "This House Is Empty Now" from the 1998 Bacharach-Costello disc. Costello and von Otter are masters of their craft, but I think some of the collaborations reflect simply irreconcilable differences. While Costello seems to have an insatiable desire to expand musically, his hubris here appears to constrain the often preternatural vocal skill von Otter displays on the opera and recital stage. Consequently, what we have here is a nice album, a generous one with eighteen tracks, that doesn't seem to capitalize on either contributor's talent fully.

what's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?.......2004-04-22

Nothing's funny about this boring duo. I picked this up FREE at my library and it didn't take me too many tracks to see why it was donated. The musical arrangements are hapless and dull, and her voice is Dion without the Vegas power finale. Come to think of it, the lyrics remind me of Dion; they are as saccharine as anything Dion has ever sung. I wasted a blank CD on this limp, sleepy pairing of two otherwise good artists.

No life in her (pop) art.......2004-03-15

I am a big fan of both artists and wanted very much for this combination to work. It avoids the traditional trap of "oversinging" the pop material. But a few years after its release, in these American Idol era, is that really such a terror for pop music any more? So-called oversinging seems pretty popular these days!

The big problem is that von Otter has not found a way to communicate any emotion in this scaled-down form of singing. All her classical techniques are stripped away, and there's nothing to replace them. Sure, her voice is gorgeous, but it sounds exactly the same no matter what the lyrical content. The songs could have been made up of nonsense syllables for all the emotional life she communicates.

Deeply disappointing - but someone, somewhere, will figure out how to bring classically trained singers to the wonderful pop song repertoire that has been composed over the past 50 years. Elvis may very well be the person to do it, but not on this album.

Angel on My Shoulder
Average customer rating:
Angel on My Shoulder
Gareth Gates
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music
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Changes

ASIN: B000QGDHOE
Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

Angel On My Shoulder (Edit)
Horizon Shining

Album Description

2007 single from the UK's 2002 Pop Idol runner-up, the second track to be pulled from his album Pictures Of The Other Side, which he recorded with Martin Terefe, who has produced the likes of James Morrison and KT Tunstal. 'Angel On My Shoulder' is coupled with 'Horizon Rising'. UMTV.

Album Details

Second Single from his 2007 Full Length 'pictures of the Other Side' which He Recorded with Martin Terefe, who Has Produced the Likes of James Morrison and Kt Tunstall. Includes Exclusive B-side Track.

Average customer rating:

Spirit lifting, feel-happy music

Angel On My Shoulder

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Knowing Myself
Take Your Power Back
It's Me In Here
Deep Blue
Jiva Mukti

ASIN: B00008BR0Y
Release Date: 2001-06-28

Tracks:

To Free Myself
Listen
Gifts of Time
Ocean of Love
Our Awakening
Angel on My Shoulder
Stay in My Heart
If I Never Say No
Now Im Seeing You
Let There Be a Healing
Over the Years
I Held Your Head

Album Description

This CD is an absolute gem! And it's Charley's fastest selling one ever, filled with twelve effervescent songs of deepening and encouragement. The more you listen, the most you'll hear. The song, "Stay in My Heart," speaks to that part of us that may go in and out of our heart throughout the day, reminding us that it's all a choice. Our choice! "Listen" is a big favorite and gently reaches to that place of connection with God in the silence. The title cut, "Angel on My Shoulder" is an instant classic and gets regular radio airplay on alternative California stations. It's theme is trust, reminding us that there's more help at hand than we might see "urging us to fly." If it's dancing around the living room you're looking for, then you'll rock out to "Ocean of Love," a retro-60's tune with an uncontainable joy. The ending song to the CD is a lullaby, called "I Held Your Head," which Charley wrote for his son when he was one day old. Now years later, the two of them sing it as a brief duet, bringing this album to a beautiful close. What an amazing shift, from a babe in arms to a teeneage, headphone-wearing, "professional singer" in the studio! Life is a trip. And this music is guaranteed to enhance your journey. Enjoy!

Customer Reviews:

Spirit lifting, feel-happy music.......2004-11-17

Charley has a style that is so genuine and sincere that you can't help feeling warm and happy when you listen to him. This is my favorite in the Charley Thweatt series. The lyrics are meaningful, the tunes are hummable, and I find if I listen to this CD in the morning, the music stays in my heart for the rest of my day. I believe that if I truly embraced the words of these songs, then I would be a better human being. Thanks to Charley for the gifts to the planet that are contained on the tracks of this CD!

Average customer rating:

Angel on My Shoulder

Manufacturer: Tatoo Angel Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAGBRO
Release Date: 2005-01-04

Average customer rating:

Angel on My Shoulder
Beth Fitchet Wood
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Sing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000FTAZT2
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Average customer rating:

Angel On My Shoulder

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004UF99
Release Date: 2000-03-13

Tracks:

Tough Times Don't Last
Angel On My Shoulder
Drive You Right Back To Me
Higher Ground
One Heart Out of Two
Read Between the Lies
The Coat
As Long As You Go With Me
I Will Work For Beer
Steppin' Stone
Santa Ana Wind
A Life Worth Leaving Behind

Album Description

Shandy's music is a refreshing blend of rock and rural music in the tradition of artists such as Steve Earle and Willie Nelson. He is a singer/songwriter who combines solid meaningful lyrics with good melodies and a rocking backbeat. The album is dedicated to his mother who lost in a battle with cancer in 1998.

Average customer rating:

Angel on My Shoulder
Lisa Dudley
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000FTB2B2
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Average customer rating:

Angel on My Shoulder

Manufacturer: Blue Light
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAEAQS
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Album Review:

Album Review

Album Review