Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Daniel Lanois: Rockets
Daniel Lanois: Rockets
ByCompared to his production work with other artists, his personal work has been minimalisticstripped to the basics, slightly distorted, yet creating beautiful tapestries of sounds, distant drums, and his hauntingly beautiful voice. This record is a collection of live recordings and a few alternate takes from his previous record and masterpiece, Shine. It opens mysteriously with "Power Of One, where Lanois' voice and guitar beautifully express the song's melancholy mood. This is followed by "Sweet Soul Honey, a passionate and bluesy ballad. The new version of "Sometimes is more mellow and sweet, but is nevertheless as beautiful as the version that appears on Shine. The title track is a fierce instrumental with distorted improv-guitar solos. The live versions of "Devil's Bed and "The Maker bring out certain folkish tinges, with "Stormy Sky even featuring vocalists Emmy Lou Harris and Willie Nelson. Rockets ends with "Space Kay, a spacey instrumental with distorted echoes.
It is obvious that this is not intended to be a hit record, and it's an opportunity to see the other side of the coin. Although the approach is minimalistic, it features many of Lanois' characteristic sound design features. All of these sounds are used more to evoke a mood more than anything else, and the emotional impact is stunning.
Visit Daniel Lanois on the web.
Track Listing
Power Of One; Sweet Soul Honey ; JJ Leaves LA; Sometimes; Rockets; Devil's Bed; The Maker; Panorama; Stormy Sky; Space Kay
Personnel
Daniel Lanois
guitarAlbum information
Title: Rockets | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Unknown label
< Previous
Suspended Animation