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| | Sea Sew | | | Music Artist : | | Lisa Hannigan | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | ATO RECORDS / RED | | Release Date : | | 2009-02-03 | | Store Price : | | $13.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $12.99 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. An Ocean and a Rock
2. Venn Diagram
3. Sea Song
4. Splishy Splashy
5. I Don't Know
6. Keep It All
7. Courting Blues
8. Pistashio
9. Teeth
10. Lille
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Simply Amazing
Submitted on: 2009-10-29 |
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| This album is simply amazing. I first heard Lisa's voice on her collaboration with Herbie Hancock, and it was hauntingly beautiful. I am a connoisseur of most genres of music, but mostly hip-hop, rock and electronic. But I cannot deny the beauty of this album. Still the best album of 2009. |
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 My heart is sewn up in this vibrant (not so) new voice...
Submitted on: 2009-09-28 |
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I am a huge fan of Damien Rice. He is, without question, my favorite musical artist out there today and maybe even ever. It was on his stellar `O' that I first heard Lisa Hannigan. A few years ago, shortly after the release of Damien's `9', Lisa broke away from Damien to pursue her solo career. While it came at a inopportune time for me (right after I purchased tickets to see Damien Rice in concert, thus resulting in a Lisa'less experience) it was a smart move for Hannigan, for she certainly has the charm and the voice to succeed on her own; and she proves that here on `Sea Sew', her debut album.
I will say this right off the bat; the album is pretty close to flawless. So, you may wonder; why only four stars. The only issue I have with `Sea Sew' is a pretty big one. Nothing here, aside from one song, really POPS. Musically it is very similar to Damien's albums, but there is no `Blowers Daughter' or `Cold Water' or `Rootless Tree'. There is nothing that makes you sit back and say "wow", and you really need that. `Sea Song' is the one real standout here; but with an album filled to the brim with impeccable tracks I was expecting them to reach that `other' level they should have been aiming for.
It's a splendid album, but it's just lacking that special something for me.
And where is Damien? She really could have at least collaborated with him on ONE track!
So, I'll start with my favorites. Like I mentioned, `Sea Song' has that special something that makes it my favorite of the album. There is an edge here that is not really on the rest of the album; an almost sinister advance that entices me. `Keep it All' also has that vibe, but it is sharper, losing some of the melodic incorporations that made `Sea Song' so vibrant. The opening and closing tracks are also delightful; especially `An Ocean and a Rock', which just touches my soul with its soft embrace. `Lille', the albums closer, is perfectly simplistic. It may seem to be almost `too' simple to some, but it is within that simplicity that the song soars.
It is truly beautiful.
`Splishy Splashy' has warmth to it that I really like; something soft and tender and delicate on the ears. I love the execution of `Courting Blues'; an almost eeriness that corrupts (in a good way) the musical arrangement. The melancholy way in which `Teeth' is delivered is entrancing to say the least; and the track was one of my favorites upon my initial listen. It has fallen down a bit for me upon repeated listens, but it is still very effective. `Venn Diagram' has had the reverse effect on me, starting off very low yet rising with every listen. It has a buoyancy about it that I really enjoy. `Pistachio' is almost as delightful as the nut from which it borrows its name (no, I didn't just say that). Hannigan's sweet vocal's just swallow us whole.
`I Don't Know' reminds me of `Dogs' or `Coconut Skins'; light fare Damien Rice. It's a sweet and charming little ditty that doesn't carry the weight of her other work but it has a bounce that is sure give the listener a fun experience.
In the end `Sea Sew' is a very nice debut from a wonderfully talented artist who is sure to improve with each release. I hope that more and more people listen to and fall in love with this astonishing singer. I cannot wait for her sophomore release! |
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Beautiful CD/Beautiful Lisa
Submitted on: 2009-08-04 |
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If you go to [...] you can find her video performance of I Don't Know. It was/is completely captivating and on that basis I purchased her CD. I am very pleased with the purchase. I don't know the precise genre she or Damien Rice belong to but I would call it Irish alternative rather than folk. Her music is a bit more chamber-like than folk and the lyrics and singing are more poetic than folk. You really owe it to yourself to experience her official video of Lille on youtube. I was absolutely stunned when I saw it, and have never seen a more affecting music video. If Damien Rice (who kicked her out of his band in March '07) ever sees it when he isn't on his anti-depressants he will likely commit suicide.
Some have said that they prefer her work on Damien Rice's CDs, but I believe the lyrics on Sea Sew are more poetic (since she wrote them!) and, as opposed to Damien's work, not at all depressing except perhaps for one exception. In fact, Lisa has written one of the few real love songs worthy of the name with her An Ocean and a Rock. I would be interested if anyone knows a superior love song.
You should know that Lisa has been officially designated an Irish national treasure and granted a tax-exempt status. Go Lisa! |
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Beautiful voice, and promising song-writing talent
Submitted on: 2009-07-28 |
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Lisa Hannigan is well known to, and dearly loved by, all Damien Rice fans, for her hauntingly beautiful vocal work on Damien's "O" and "9" albums. For reasons unclear to me, Damien decided after the 2007 "9" album that their partnership had run its course, and all of the sudden Lisa was on her own. Now comes Lisa's debut album.
"Sea Sew" (10 tracks; 40 min.) starts off tenuously with "Ocean and A Rock", which at first listen made me think "oh no, a Norah Jones-wanna be". It's the worst track on here, but thankfully Lisa recovers immediately with "Venn Diagram", a great tune (featuring a trumpet of all things). The first half of the album falters a bit, even though "Sea Song" is quite nice, but the album finally comes into its own on the second half. Starting with "Courting Blues", Lisa seems to have invented her own little world, and the great tracks follow one after another, exposing vulnerability, beauty and self-sense all along. "Pistachio", "Teeth" and the closer "Lille" are the best tracks on the album. At 40 min., this album clips by in no time.
It is so hard not to make comparisons to Damien Rice's work in which Lisa Hannigan played such a core element for many years, and I think it will take a few more years for her to find her own place. I saw Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan in concert here in Cincinnati a number of years ago on the "O" tour, and what a magical evening that was. But this is quite a nice album. Can't wait to see where Lisa Hannigan will go from here. |
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 Decent
Submitted on: 2009-07-09 |
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| I bought this after getting a couple of the free singles from Amazon. The free songs were the best ones on the album. Overall a good album, but not as strong as I had hoped. |
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