Harem

Label: EMI Int'l
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 724355753724
EAN: 0724355753724
ASIN: B00009B8FE

Release Date: 2003-06-05

Related Categories:

Brightman, Sarah

General

| Classical | Styles | Music

General

General

| International | Styles | Music

General

| Middle East | International | Styles | Music

General

| New Age | Styles | Music

General

| Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater

| Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Brightman, Sarah

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

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| Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

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| Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

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| Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic

| Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative

| Pop | Styles | Music

General

| Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Interviews

| Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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| Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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| Imports | Stores | Music

Pop

| Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Harem
What a Wonderful World
It's a Beautiful Day
What You Never Know
Journey Song
Free
Mysterious Days - Sarah Brightman, Ofra Haza
War Is Over - Kazem Al Saher, Sarah Brightman
Misere Mei
Beautiful
Arabian Nights: Scimitar Moon/Voyage/Promise/Hamesha/Alone
Stranger in Paradise
Until the End of Time
Tout Ce Que Je Sais [*]
Gueri de Toi [*]

Similar Items:

Eden (US Release - 16 tracks)
Time to Say Goodbye
La Luna
Sarah Brightman - Live from Las Vegas
Fly

Customer Reviews:

not the best.......2007-04-12

I agree with "music fan" about this CD. Eden is a good album, and she's a good artist. But either this album was poorly produced or something, because this does not show her best. I wouldn't classify this as world music at all, because the instruments aren't used and it's more classical pop; if that's a genre. It seemed rambly to me with many of the songs sounding similar and lacking originality. I love her, she's unique in her genre. But she really shines as a classicist, with Classics, her work by Andrew Lloyd Webber (who she married) and operatic albums. This is what she's best at, so her collaborations on Eden and La Luna, which are classical in nature but still allowed her to branch out musically, turned out good. I have a lot of her albums, but I wouldn't buy this one. It's more something to listen to once. A few of the songs are good, the album isn't terrible, but it's not very good.

Excellent CD/DVD set.......2007-03-31

This is a very good CD/DVD set, beautiful music and performance.I enjoyed it.

Magical Sarah Brightman.......2006-12-24

Sarah's voice soars! I love her voice and I'm a new fan. ^^ I've heard her name lots of times before from people I know and when I received some of her CDs and videos as early Christmas present, I was in awe! She definitely has the voice of an angel.

Welcome to the Forbidden.......2006-06-10

"Harem" is probably one of Sarah Brightman's most unique albums to date. Rarely an artist can captivate the sounds of the far east and be able to mix them in well with a western feel. west meets east if you will. Its nearly impossible to pick out one favorite out of the 14 tracks on the album. You can't choose "Harem" over "The War Is Over" or "Arabian Nights". All the songs on the album are the best and do the album justice and fit perfectly in their own way, as the theme is quite clear: Middle-Eastern music with a hint of pop and some club sounds. And while the album could have ended at "Until the End of Time" (yet another beautiful song on the album), Brightman ends the album with "You Take My Breath Away" (originally from her album Fly). Personally, this track should have been only present on "Harem" and not on the album "Fly". An excellent way nonetheless of ending the album.

The DVD shows the making of the album, and the video Harem is also on the DVD along with an alternate version to the video. Its the first time i've ever seen a video from Sarah Brightman and i must say, i'm not disappointed at all.

I'm anxiously awaiting a new album. I'm a new fan of Brightman's and i love what i'm hearing from this album. Highly recommended.

Erotic, sensual tribute to the shrouded world of the harem..........2006-04-09

Sarah Brightman is well known for her thematic classical crossover albums such as Dive, Fly, Eden, and La Luna, each of which explored a new realm for Ms. Brightman's delicate, shimmering soprano. From exploring the oceans on Dive to outer space on Fly and La Luna, Harem takes us to the veiled, sensual world of the harem (Arabic for "forbidden") through a blend of pop (Stranger in Paradise, What You Never Know from Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams, What a Wonderful World) and sweeping classically-inspired tunes such as Until the End of Time and It's A Beautiful Day (an update on Un Bel Di from Puccini's Madame Butterfly).

What's different about Harem is that Brightman has shifted away from the more even balance of classical and cover tunes found on Eden and La Luna, and has moved closer to a territory occupied exclusively by uptempo pop bordering on dance, last seen on Sarah's European import album Fly. The orchestrations by Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) support Sarah's voice with lush layers of sound: electronic drums, Arabic-influenced instrumentals, haunting choirs on Misere Mei. The guest stars are out in force as well: the late Ofra Haza, Iraqi singer Kadim Al Sahir, and Nigel Kennedy all contribute.

The ballads are exceptionally crafted, from the powerhouse "Free" and "What You Never Know" (available as French bonus tracks "Gueri de toi" and "Tout Ce Que Je Sais" on the Canadian edition), to the timeless "Until the End of Time," the fragile "Beautiful," and the Bollywood-inspired "The Journey Home" from Lloyd Webber and A.R. Rahman's Bombay Dreams.

Harem leans heavily towards dance, and this is evident on nearly every track. Sarah fans expecting the frequent quiet classical interludes of earlier albums such as Eden will have a rude awakening; the album barely pauses to catch its breath. Uptempo tracks such as the evocative "Arabian Nights/Scimitar Moon/Voyage/Promise/Hamesha/Alone", a nine-minute soundscape of belly-dance bliss fuelled by derbukka drums, ululating vocals, sliding strings, harpsichord, and a pulsing dance beat snaking through the various segments, and the second half of "Harem" seem made for the dance floor (several remix singles were issued for Harem).

The final pleasant note is the reappearance of "You Take My Breath Away," a track that first appeared in Europe on 1995's Fly. A haunting, Indian-inspired blend of vocals, tabla, and haunting choir, the song was not commercially available in North America. It's wonderful to hear an earlier Sarah, and the song feels at home on "Harem."

"Harem" is a solid, enjoyable tribute to the exotic soundscapes of the East, although decidedly different from what earlier Sarah fans may be used to. The uptempo tunes and lush Eastern orchestrations hold up well to repeated listenings, and unlike some of Ms. Brightman's earlier classical crossover albums, the sequencing and song choice is excellent throughout.

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