Middle-Earth Music Reviews - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

mark12_30 · 01-23-2004, 04:52 PM

TITLE: The Starlit Jewel
MUSICIANS: Broceliande; Margaret Davis on lead vocals.
GENRE: Very Celtic.
CANONICAL TOLKIEN or ORIGINAL? Very canonical.
REVIEW:
I love this CD. Some of the intro's take a little getting used to; these are folk instruments. The album has more of a Renaissance feel than I associate with Tolkien. But it is still the most Middle-Earthy instrumentation I have yet heard. If there is anything electric used, I don't remember it (maybe a background synth here and there but it doesn't stand out.)
The only songs on this album I'm not crazy about are The Merry Old Inn (but they do the best rendition out there; I'm just generally weary of it) and Durin's Day (a fine rendition, really; I'm just not into that particular song.) Everything else is just... glorious.
Where did they manage to find the genuine hobbits and elves? Sam is very believably Sam. In Western Lands is touching and simple. The Troll Song makes me laugh, reliably, wherever I am. Hobbit Walking Song is just wonderful.
Margaret Davis has a lovely, lovely voice. She's on the Soprano side for Galadriel (who's voice is described as "deeper than woman's wont") but that's a really minor nitpick. Her version of Galadriel's Lament is just gorgeous. And her rendition of Elvish Lullabye takes me straight to Rivendell.
I do wish they'd found a guy to sing Legolas's part in Lament for Boromir; but the woman who sings it does a very believable job given her assignment, and the song is successful anyway. (Aragorn is fine.)
DO YOU RECOMMEND IT? Absolutely.
PRICE YOU PAID: an astonishingly honest price: $15 plus shipping.
WHERE YOU BOUGHT IT: A rather bizarre online store called Southern Fried Filk. When I bought mine last September he said he had "a few left." http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stat...2/celticcd.htm
You can listen to clips here (20 secs of each song) or
here, 3 songs but different clips.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:05 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:14 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

01-23-2004, 04:52 PM	#1
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	TITLE: The Starlit Jewel MUSICIANS: Broceliande; Margaret Davis on lead vocals. GENRE: Very Celtic. CANONICAL TOLKIEN or ORIGINAL? Very canonical. REVIEW: I love this CD. Some of the intro's take a little getting used to; these are folk instruments. The album has more of a Renaissance feel than I associate with Tolkien. But it is still the most Middle-Earthy instrumentation I have yet heard. If there is anything electric used, I don't remember it (maybe a background synth here and there but it doesn't stand out.) The only songs on this album I'm not crazy about are The Merry Old Inn (but they do the best rendition out there; I'm just generally weary of it) and Durin's Day (a fine rendition, really; I'm just not into that particular song.) Everything else is just... glorious. Where did they manage to find the genuine hobbits and elves? Sam is very believably Sam. In Western Lands is touching and simple. The Troll Song makes me laugh, reliably, wherever I am. Hobbit Walking Song is just wonderful. Margaret Davis has a lovely, lovely voice. She's on the Soprano side for Galadriel (who's voice is described as "deeper than woman's wont") but that's a really minor nitpick. Her version of Galadriel's Lament is just gorgeous. And her rendition of Elvish Lullabye takes me straight to Rivendell. I do wish they'd found a guy to sing Legolas's part in Lament for Boromir; but the woman who sings it does a very believable job given her assignment, and the song is successful anyway. (Aragorn is fine.) DO YOU RECOMMEND IT? Absolutely. PRICE YOU PAID: an astonishingly honest price: $15 plus shipping. WHERE YOU BOUGHT IT: A rather bizarre online store called Southern Fried Filk. When I bought mine last September he said he had "a few left." http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stat...2/celticcd.htm You can listen to clips here (20 secs of each song) or here, 3 songs but different clips. <font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:05 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ] <font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:14 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ] __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.