Music Reviews: Ceu, Enigma, Braveheart, Kodo, Sounds of Wood and Steel

Here is a set of reviews where there are no favorite tracks because they are fairly uniform on each CD. Each of these CDs is good for setting an ambience for dinner or reading or whatever. :)

Ceu - "Ceu": It certainly helps that this CD is in Portuguese. :) No English lyrics to interfere with thought or conversation. It's a throwback to the Bossa Nova music of the 60's, but with an updated style. Very smooth, and laid back, and the singer has a voice not unlike Astrud Gilberto's. All that's missing is Stan Getz's saxophone. ;) Well, maybe it's more modern than that. The beats and bass are certainly not 60's bossa. Lovely CD - two thumbs up.

Enigma - "MCMXC A.D.", "Sadeness, Part 1", "Mea Culpa, Part II": Not sure what to call these people, or this music. It's a hodgepodge of Gregorian chant, American Indian tribal singing, operatic soprano warbling, soft spoken parts in French, all overlaid with jazz/house drums, chimes and winds, plus electronica. Religious overtones abound. I guess it's as much background chill music as anything.

London Symphony Orchestra - "Braveheart Soundtrack": as the title says, soundtrack music to the Scottish epic, replete with bagpipes. James Horner is the composer, who has also done soundtracks to other epics like Titanic, Troy, Apocalypto, plus The Spiderwick Chronicles, Legends of the Fall and Zorro. This, I think, is his best music. The songs conjure up the movie, as they should, but they stand on their own as well. Some of the best background music I've heard in a while. Two thumbs up. :)

Kodo - TATAKU (Best of, II): Japanese tataku drums, made more approachable with the addition of pipes and acoustic stringed instruments. Percussionist will love it, but.. I can even listen, too; there's more going on than just drums. :)

Various Artists -"Sounds of Wood and Steel": Taylor Guitars brings in a wide variety of players to do sampler albums to showcase their steel string instruments. Gorgeous sound and the best players in the business doing their favorite pieces on Taylor instruments. Fantastic stuff for ambient and chill. Two thumbs up for this 3-CD series.