SoMa

1. Love Magick

2. Nightshade

3. Going Inland

4. Silk Ridge

5. Blood Music

6. Soma

7. Seduction of the Minotaur

8. Touch

SoMa,Robert Rich With Steve Roach,Hearts of Space,Ambient,Ethnic Fusion,Jazz Music,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Progressive Electronic

---

Average customer rating: Awesome cd Absolutely Incredible Great album Highly Underrated Clearing the Air

Soma Holiday Greenwheel Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Swim Back to the Innocence Superkala Sleepwalker Remedy ASIN: B000066S32 Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

1. Shelter
2. Sustain You
3. Breathe
4. Louder Than Words
5. Strong
6. Drowning Man
7. Faces
8. Identity
9. Disappear
10. Dim Halo
11. Radiance
12. The End

Amazon.com

Talk about making a good first impression. "Shelter," the leadoff track from Soma Holiday, is a carryover from the blockbuster Spider-Man soundtrack. It's the ultimate score for Missouri newcomers Greenwheel, a meat-and-potatoes American rock band that operates somewhere between Matchbox Twenty and Nickelback. Heavy guitars and easy hooks propel songs like "Strong" and "Dim Halo" into pyrotechnic-shooting arena territory, but the group also has a sensitive side to contend with on more contemplative cuts like "Breathe" and the impressively colossal "Identity." The platinum records are theirs for the taking. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews:

Awesome cd.......2005-08-24

This was the first cd I ever bought and it has been one of my greatest buys. I heard the song Breathe on the radio but it wasn't getting played that much in West Palm Beach, Florida so I called the radio station a couple times asking them to play it and they told me what the album and band was called and told me to go buy it. I did and to this day it is still one of my favorite cds. I can listen to the entire album. The band is so talented and it's a pity they don't have more recognition. The type of music is rock but it's not to heavy and it's not to soft it's just right. They also care a lot about their fans which you can see by going to their website: greenwheel.net Greenwheel is awesome.

Absolutely Incredible.......2005-08-19

Soma Holiday is, without question, one of the best rock albums I have ever heard. Every time a song from it comes on in my playlist, I get that feeling you get when your favorite song comes on the radio or something. ALL of the songs on Soma Holiday are like that. How many albums can you say that about? Not many.

Greenwheel are not nearly as well-known as they should be, considering their level of talent.

Great album.......2005-06-22

fabulous album, every song is good. Kind of annoying listening to melissa etheridge botch my favorite song off of their album, though

Highly Underrated.......2005-04-24

How have guys as talented as Greenwheel not gotten more recognition? Especially given the current and aweful state of rock music, this group should have come rocketing up to the top. Sadly, they are currently being hidden in the shadows for only those lucky few of us to discover. The album is ripe with powerful lyrics, emotion filled vocals, and great instrumentals. This is a band that has started at the top and is looking to take the top to a whole new level.

Clearing the Air.......2005-04-01

First of all, this CD is amazing! I first heard "Strong" on EA Sports NHL 2003. I told myself I had to get this album and it did not disappoint whatsoever! This album is consistent throughout which is a big plus. This is not one of those albums that falls off after getting halfway through!

As far as whether or not "Breathe" is theirs or not. Greenwheel wrote "Breathe". Melissa Etheridge is/was on the same record label as Soma Holiday. The record company came to her saying that Greenwheel was not going to release "Breathe". The record company did this before they decided to release it as one of their track. I thought it was odd that I totally knew the lyrics to a Melissa Etheridge song, until I realized she was covering them. I give Greenwheel a lot of credit for someone like Melissa Etheridge to even consider covering on of their song.

Go buy this CD!

Average customer rating: Good, but no future. . Great album Smooth Latino-Trip-Hop

Simplicity Soma Sonic Manufacturer: Subsonic Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: Future Nuages du Monde Wholeness & Separation Modernism No More Sweet Music ASIN: B000FJH1EE Release Date: 2006-07-01

Tracks:

1. Lovestory
2. The Well (remix)
3. Memories
4. Simplicity (instrumental)
5. Life's Seasons (remix)
6. Could It Be Real (remix)
7. Oxygen
8. Love In 3D
9. The Well (french mix)
10. The Carousel
11. Simplicity

Tracks:

1. Could It Be Real
2. Everything
3. Rien
4. Life's Seasons
5. Stormy Evening (remix)
6. Memories (remix)
7. Corona
8. The Well
9. Domino
10. Stalemate
11. Simplicity (epic remix)

Product Description

A scintillating blend of jazzy rhythms, electronic grooves and live instrumentation with awe-inspiring vocals. Soma Sonic's 22 song sophomore release "SIM-PL-CI-TY" featuring the stunning vocal style of French chanteuse Christelle Pechin was recorded over 2 years in France, Switzerland, Canada and the U.S., these truly unique songs bring together the genres of nu- jazz, lounge, chill-out, house, triphop, pop and dub.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but no future. . .......2007-06-23

Great beats, a bit more uptempo than Future.

A little too much vocals for my taste.

I bought this album with the thought that it would be like thier first album, and its nothing like it.

So, if your looking for a sound like "Future", do not buy this album.

Great album.......2007-04-10

The best song definetly is "memories" original version. It has this latin flare to it and this very sensual rythms which turn any boring environment into a spicy warm tropical ambient... that's the only reason I bought this album. Then I found a few other songs are good as well. Good for sex or just to get inspired and lounge around.

Smooth Latino-Trip-Hop.......2006-07-19

Lovers of smooth Trip Hop are gonna love the latests offering from Soma Sonic. Much brighter and warmer than « Future Shock » (which is an essential for anyone's electronica collection with its industrial shadows and mechanical rhythms), Simplicity is closer to France & Dom's disks - both light and melodious. If you like it smooth and sumptuous with a bit of latino, and you're looking for something new, and you like france&Dom or Thievery Corporation then Simplicity is for you.

Average customer rating: A lot of range whie remaining true to the genre Emulation slightly outweighs imitation Stunning - Years of Pleasure Electronica Noir on Melting Ice Times Exists To Fool Me and Our Lives Are Just a Game

Future Soma Sonic Manufacturer: Sonic Images ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Simplicity This Utopia Melodica Wholeness & Separation Elevation, Vol. 3 ASIN: B00004S57N Release Date: 2000-03-21

Tracks:

1. First Wave
2. Twenty Past Midnight
3. Crazy Moon
4. Blue Skies
5. Falling
6. Future
7. Road To Nowhere
8. Bound
9. Relapse
10. Backslide
11. Metro
12. In The Blink Of An Eye
13. Backslide (Remix)

Amazon.com

In Soma Sonic we find the elusive potential of a group that mixes seamlessly through the various genres of their electronic domain. Instilled with creative and technical dexterity, Dominic and Francois Paterson combine cavernous layers of music to offer a powerful dose of deep listening. With hauntingly seductive tracks, Future picks up on the electronic currents forged by Portishead and Massive Attack. But by scratching beneath the surface of their ambient trip-hop appeal, the group further fashions downtempo cadences and melodies that weave through a futuristic urban soundscape. The effect is refined by the tranquilized vocals, droning guitars, and brassy synth tones. Displaying its sonic diversity, the concluding portion of the album advances into snared drum & bass, electro new wave, and a symphonic trance selection wrought with the tension of an Orbital track. After brushes with major-label courtship, the duo released this first-rate, self-produced album through independent channels, including Amazon.com's Advantage program. But after receiving repeated accolades through these unconventional networks, it didn't take long for the music industry to notice the siblings' dynamic talent. And so they have arrived after securing major-label support. To glimpse the prospect of what's to come from these electronic purveyors, follow the elemental progressions of their Future album. --Lucas Hilbert

Album Description

Down-tempo electronic trip-hop. Slow, funky beats over lush string soundscapes and enhanced by female vocals. Bristol- styled British trip-hop. For those who like Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky etc.

Customer Reviews:

A lot of range whie remaining true to the genre.......2006-12-23

I too must compare this to one of the greatest albums ever, Mezzanine. I don't, however, feel like they are trying to imitate. This album contains an incredible amount of variety but none of it reaches too far beyond the expected moody-down-tempo. Backslide and Blueskies is a little on the jazzy side while In the Blink of and Eye is down right Techno. But Crazymoon, Falling, Future and Bound are just perfect. Unfaltering back beats, good bass with female melancholy lyrics.
In my mind there are three albums woven together by three of the best songs of the genre, Portishead - Roads, Massive Attack - Black Milk and Soma Sonic - Crazy Moon, so it would be difficult not to compare them.
In the end though all the songs on this album do work well together. Soma Sonic - Future just feels good.

Emulation slightly outweighs imitation .......2006-10-04

Diverse electronic stew of tracks may be dating already, but is still a worthy entry into any Portishead, Massive Attack, even early Aphex lackey's collection for the impressive combination of alot of the better old school references. Working within the tried and tired standard trip-hop/electro engineering, to the album's credit the songs, though predictable and sometimes routine, manage to take the exploited genre on quite an eclectic trip with an impressive palette of downtempo ditties, and a few refreshingly upbeat ones, even if they do sometimes drag a bit. I guess the best way to classify something of this nature is to either label it an amazing mediocrity or a mediocre amazement, like most all the grey area of that vast music ocean, barring our cruel subjection inciting countless, usually fruitless debates. This is an album that falls under the must-own-for-fans-of-the-genre/stick-to-other-premier-artists-of-the-field-if-you-are-just-starting type decisions, and a pretty good case is made for Soma's debut.

Stunning - Years of Pleasure.......2006-06-15

It's not often that you end up listening to a disk continuously for 4 years, but Future is on my ipod, in my car and on my home hifi, and I continue to find it the most satisfying electronica album I have.
Deceptive in it's intitial simplicity, Future is deeper and darker and more complex than almost any other trip-hop out there.
If you don't have this album in your collection... well, that's what's missing in your life.

Electronica Noir on Melting Ice.......2004-04-07

Mellow and chill with an erotic groove, like melting an ice queen. The sort of record you can leave on repeat and not be distracted while you paint, smoke, or makeout. Has a mood similar to Mojave 3, though more electronic and driving. "Bound" is the high point for me, one of the sexiest songs of the past decade.

Movie buffs should note how the main guitar lick in "Road to Nowhere" is inspired/sampled straight from William Olvis' score to John Dahl's 1993 noir film "Red Rock West" starring Nicholas Cage and Lara Flynn Boyle.

Times Exists To Fool Me and Our Lives Are Just a Game.......2004-01-18

I'm not really sure how to describe sonic layers of beauty and do them justice when they walk off-the-beaten path of what one is accustomed to, so I'll try it another way. When I'm sitting in my house all alone, finding the turmoil of the day a little too much or the depression of the day-to-day existence too vivid to struggle out from under, I oftentimes want to forget it and pretend the day away. I simply want some form of escapism to take it all away, some mental form of Calgon to make life seem right again, and that's normally when I turn to music.

Its honestly times like those that made me a music addict and have extended my collection because I know that it can give me what I want legally. With it I can set a mood that allows my mind to wander, and I oftentimes find myself utilizing that function and turning my mind onto something electronic to specifically fit that notion I'm catering. Experiences don't have to be spontaneous, after all, but can instead be tailor-made from the cloth of different stimuli and that's the therapeutic gospel a third of my compact disc collection preaches. Depending on the moment and what I'm feeling, I've adopted many types of music to induce a setting. Electronica, synthpop, ballads; they all join together on the crusade that helps me feel above all the weights in a sometimes dreary world. And that feeling, that wanderlust that allows you to travel a lot farther than the confines of your own back yard, is one of the reasons I like Soma Sonic.

While trip-hop as a whole is a wide range of selections and all of Soma Sonic doesn't have the same effect on me, one song on the album is actually pretty bewitching when my minds demands it. I initially picked up the album because of it, too, noting that I could set "Fallen" on repeat, let the sounds wrap around me like a audio shroud, and that it would allow me to zone my cares away. The voice inside the music is calm and soothing and enticingly female, and the beat moves enough to not be too fast and not be too slow but to set a mood that's just right. I can simply set with my feet up, a drink in my hand and the volume at an optimal level, and that song alone carries me away because it hits on the way I feel and yet it makes things sound all-too-surreal.

Besides that song, there are some other pieces that complete it as a work and that I return to time and again. "Road to Nowhere" is one of those, with the beat that reminds me of desert storms for some reason, and "Bound" is another because I like a lot of the musical layering and, of course, the vocals. "Relapse" is a song that grew on me after a while, with it blending into the blur of the sounds and fitting some of my moods pretty well, and a lot of other songs took up that mantle as well. And then there's the beauty in "Backslide," the oddity in the beat composing "In the Blink of an Eye," and the list goes on and on.

Because of some of the composition of the album, this is actually one of my favorites and is one I try to push on everyone I run across. To put it another way and to give it credit for its impact, this would be one of the first discs I'd replace if all of my music were to suddenly vanish and I was forced to start from ground level. I absolutely fell in love with the way its layered, the substance within its songs, and the way the music simply allows me to feel. If you've never found an album that allows you to enjoy electronic sounds and a voice that soothes you like a ghost floating through your headphones at night, then it's a taste that I'd recommend for you to try out. You simply need a place you can sit, calm at your heels and something warming you from the insides, and it - especially the vocalist Katalin Kiss - will provide the rest of the experience.

Average customer rating: Relaxation to the Heights! Excellent a little disappointing Wife and I have loved this for over a year. disappointing

Soma: Experience in Psychoacoustic Healing Tom Kenyon Manufacturer: Relaxation ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation Music | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: White Gold Alchemy : Tools for Transformation Sound Transformation Mary Magdalen Energy Meditations: Alchemical Practices To Elevate And Balance The Serpent Power Within The Ghandarva Experience Ambient Support: For Learning, Working, and Creating (Ultimate Brain) ASIN: B00000C40Q Release Date: 1998-09-29

Tracks:

1. Lullaby
2. Healing Waters (Chant To Amakua)
3. Oceana (Oh-Shee-Ahna)

Customer Reviews:

Relaxation to the Heights!.......2001-09-28

I will never tire of this CD. I play it for prayer time, relaxation before retiring at night and whenever I just need calm, peace, tranquility and quiet. This CD has a haunting way of taking you into another state of mind and helps to release any tension. The chants of the monks lulls you to the above places and to your deep center. The background music is a marvelous mind alter-er that soothes you. This CD lives up to its subtitle: psycho-acoustic healing! Take it to your massage therapist to play while you relax! Outstanding!

Excellent.......2001-08-08

The first time I meditated with this CD, I had the best meditation that I have ever experienced. I seemed to go to a level where external noises and extraneous thoughts just didn't register. My meditation group now uses this CD regularly with powerful results for everyone involved. We are all in agreement that the second part, the chant to Amakua, is the best.

a little disappointing.......2000-07-10

After reading the other reviews I was very exceited to get this CD. However, I had none of the experiences others noted. In fact, I found some of the vocals very depressing - wailing sounds of someone in a lot of emotional pain. The last song is good, and that is why I gave it 3 stars. The last song has what I believe are whale sounds and good vibrational tones to which my body responded.

Wife and I have loved this for over a year........2000-06-03

My wife and I listen to this during the night. If one of us wake up we press the play button and we're back to sleep in no time. It's also awesome to meditate to. I've had some training in using music for healing and over the years I've heard nothing I love so much and never tire of hearing.

disappointing.......2000-05-30

If you've listened to Tom Kenyon's Ghandarma and are looking for something similar you'll be disappointed. This music is completely different and the experience is not spiritual. This is ordinary background music

Average customer rating:

Human Response Slam Manufacturer: Soma ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music ASIN: B000PLXFII Release Date: 2007-07-10

Album Description

Club Slam have played all around the world, championing UK underground Electronic music, whilst always living and working in their home base of Glasgow, where they have helped to develop and influence one of the best music and party cities anywhere. Ask any of the bands and DJs who have performed at their monthly Pressure parties. People like Vitalic, Luciano, Beyer, Villalobos, Mills, Hawtin, Green Velvet and Weatherall all cite the city and the club as being amongst their favourite gigs in any year. The Soma Records label is another example of their dedication to the cause. At a time where its daunting to be an independent label, Soma are incessant in their march forward, after confirming their position in history with last year's Soma 200 release in the label's 15th anniversary year. Soma artists like Alex Smoke, Vector Lovers, the Black Dog and Funk D Void all help to make their label one of the most forward thinking around. 11 tracks. Soma.

Average customer rating: Groovalicious syncopation On fire! start to finish

Staring into Space Silicone Soul Manufacturer: Soma ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pouti ASIN: B00078804I Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. When The Devil Drives
2. Folie A Deux
3. Les Nocturnes
4. Inferno
5. Feeling Blue
6. Smoke And Mirrors
7. You Cant Lose What You Never Had
8. Under a Werewolf Moon
9. Room 666 At The Deadly Hotel
10. Burning Sands
11. The Poisoners Diary

Album Description

Clear your mind and drift into Silicone's soul…

Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie are back with their new album `Staring Into Space', a stellar composition of deep and emotive music. It has been four years since Silicone Soul conquered the world with their stunning homage to Curtis Mayfield, `Right On!' which truly deserves the `classic' accolade and propelled the boys into the UK top twenty.

Since then they have been working non-stop, from Djing around the world to building up their Darkroom Dubs imprint, remixing and putting together a new studio to develop the Silicone Soul sound. Although they list punk and rock n' roll as their early influences, bands such as The Stooges, MC5, Hendrix, The Stones, The Clash and Glasgow's own Primal Scream, they were converted to the house sound of Glasgow by Slam in the early Nineties and since their early releases on Soma they have been refining their unique deep groove. Debut album `A Soul Thing' was a lauded by critics upon its release in March 2000 and established Silicone Soul as one of Soma's most prominent and popular acts. Now with `Staring Into Space' they have taken their music to a new dimension and have incorporated live instrumentation and vocals, with outstanding performances from Chippy (Guitar), Tom MacNiven (Trumpet) and Brian Molley (Sax).

Fans of the Silicone Soul sound will not be disappointed. Their trademark liquid house, tight beats are here in abundance, fused with a marvellous musicality and substance that prevails throughout. Hypnotic, dubbed out grooves like `Folie A Deux', `Inferno' and `Smoke & Mirrors' are reminiscent of vintage Silicone Soul tracks, brimming with lush textures, echo and space. `When The Devil Drives', `Room 666 At The Deadly Hotel' and the post - apocalyptic `Burning Sands' are psychedelic expeditions into space-jazz, and the delicious `You Can't Lose What You Never Had' is a down-tempo highlight, a moving and emotive song featuring soulful vocals from Soma labelmate Hope Grant aka Envoy.

This is a genuinely remarkable album from two of dance music's brightest stars.

Customer Reviews:

Groovalicious syncopation.......2006-01-09

A seriously good grown-up party album, guaranteed to get even the shyest and stodgiest wallflowers moving to the beats.

Especially recommended are tracks 3 (Les Nocturnes), 8 (Under A Werewolf Moon), and 9 (Room 666 At The Deadly Hotel). If these don't get your smoove thang going, check for a pulse 'coz nothing ever will again.

This hepcat gives it 4 whiskers.

On fire!.......2005-08-18

Deliciously smooth and groovy. Feelin' blue will get even the most dance-averse grooving and shaking. Deep & soulful-not to be missed.

start to finish.......2005-05-19

Simply brilliant. As an avid house music fan for many years, I can't recall too many albums as impressive. Each track evokes smooth house blends, rising strings, thick basslines, and thoughts of how easy it should well be to enjoy an artist album the whole length through. Production is inevitably flawless from this duo. Vocals further add to the refreshing slim choice of tracks that resemble Weekend Players after a nice scotch.

Average customer rating:

Soma Coma Various Artists Manufacturer: Soma ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music | Ambient | Dance Pop | Disco | Drum & Bass | Electronica | Freestyle | Techno-House | Trance | Trip Hop General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music ASIN: B000QGE74I Release Date: 2007-06-05

Average customer rating:

Book of Dogma The Black Dog Manufacturer: Soma ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music IDM | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Steingarten Dip From the Archives, Vol. 1 From the Archives, Vol. 2 & Harold Budd - Before The Day Breaks ASIN: B000MMMUFY Release Date: 2007-04-02

Tracks:

1. Virtual
2. Weight
3. Ambience with Teeth
4. Age of Slack
5. Tactile
6. Weight [Liposuction Mix]
7. Techno Playtime
8. Apt
9. Chiba
10. It Felt Like It
11. Seer & Sages
12. Dog Solitude

Tracks:

1. Parallel
2. Squelch
3. Erb
4. Glassolalia
5. Hub
6. Vanttool
7. Aural Wallpaper
8. Rainbow Bridge
9. Virtual Hmmm
10. VIR2L

Average customer rating:

Stained Glass Soma Fountains The Legendary Pink Dots Manufacturer: Soleilmoon Records/Revolver ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Neo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000JKI3 Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

1. A Pale Green Introduction/Love On A Pale Green Postage Stamp
2. Premonition 12
3. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......(First Version)
4. The Lifesucker
5. The Divorce
6. Jungle (First Version)
7. The Haunted Supermarket
8. No Bell No Prize
9. Plague 2
10. Find The Lady
11. Judith A Hum/Praum Naizh/A Pale Green Sequel
12. Sucide Pact

Tracks:

1. Waiting For The Call/You 'N' Me
2. April's Song
3. Frosty
4. Defeated
5. A Mesage From Our Sponsor (Version I)
6. Ice Baby Cometh
7. Hanging Gardens (Flowmotion Version)
8. Jack/Thursday Night Fever #1/Die With Your Eyes On/Opus Dei
9. Premonition 18 ( Part One)
10. Premonition 18 ( Part Two)

Average customer rating: Salem is probably the most underrated in years! Exxxxxxxxxxxxxcellent. essential listening a harder rocking Graham Parker... A great debut

Soma City Kevin Salem Manufacturer: Roadrunner Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ecstatic Glimmer ASIN: B000000H67 Release Date: 1994-10-25

Tracks:

1. Lighthouse Keeper
2. Amnesia
3. Will
4. Shot Down
5. Forever Gone
6. Diviner
7. Falter
8. Deeper Hole
9. Resist
10. Remain
11. Ruin You
12. In a Whisper

Amazon.com

Despite the merits of Kevin Salem's debut solo album, it's difficult to get past his association with that other no-frills guitar-playing singer-songwriter with a receding hairline. Compared to Freedy Johnston, Salem's neither as engaging nor as dynamic. Given a fair chance to strut on Soma City, though, the former sideman for Johnston proves himself a mature, sophisticated songwriter and bandleader in his own right. Midtempo rockers like "Will" and "Lighthouse Keeper" and the moody ballad "Ruin You" come off as faceless and boring at first, but blossom with repeated listenings. As with many better records, gratification on Soma City is hard won--it's better the twentieth time than the third. Still, the stylistic marks of his days with Johnston weigh heavily on Salem. And with his apprenticeships done, the question remains whether he can emerge as a viable frontman out of the shadows of his former employers. But if he proves he can't, we still gain from more of the same. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

Salem is probably the most underrated in years!.......2006-08-01

The first CD I ever heard of Kevin Salem was "Glimmer" and after some years looking for "Soma City" I came across it in a recent trip to the United States. The price tag said $1, but I would have picked it up even if it had said $20. I loved "Glimmer" so much I needed to check this out. And it was what I expected and more.

Again, the first listen wasn't too much. But after three or four plays, when you start learning the songs, the color of it all simply changes. The songs sound tighter and then you cannot help but spinning the disc once more. And when you realize it, you are already an addict. The production by Niko Bolas is not as muscular as in "Glimmer", but it is simple and pure rock and roll. And I love that.

As for the songs, they are simply stunning. "Lighthouse Keeper" is the first one that got a hold of me, but then I started discovering other gems like "Shot Down", "Forever Gone" (great tune co-written with Butch Vig), "Amnesia", "Will" or my favorite tune at the moment, "Falter". Salem and his band can go from fast rockers to paused moments, or even long rants á la Crazy Horse like "Diviner" (in fact, Poncho Sampedro would end up playing in "Glimmer", Salem's second album). Good old classic rock like "Deeper Hole" is almost a manifesto and text book at the same time of how to write rock music.

All in all, another excellent album by Kevin Salem who is, in my opinion and together with Todd Thibaud, the most underrated singer of the last 15 years. Just check it out if you don't believe me. And remember, it's critical that you give the songs a chance. This CD is made of the good stuff, and it takes a bit of work to get to it. It will pay off, guaranteed.

Exxxxxxxxxxxxxcellent........2005-06-03

"In A Whisper" is worth the price of admission alone. If you like melodic, power pop-like rock, spend the 3 or 4 bucks on this album (the cost is mostly shipping!), and you'll be glad you did.

essential listening.......2005-03-20

this is an absolute gem. very few albums can boast this combination of soul, craft, and overall elation. there is a such a rare sense of urgency here. to compare salem to freedy johnston is a mistake; while they may be kindred spirits, the music here is unique and quite charged. there are many highlights and not a throwaway in the bunch, though "ruin you" seems a bit contrived until the bridge kicks in. Overall, a triumph.

a harder rocking Graham Parker..........2005-01-14

1994 release by former singer/guitarist of Dumptruck is a nice find. I would describe him as a harder rocking Graham Parker with a tiny touch of Tom Petty and maybe Cracker. When I first started playing this I wasn't impressed but by the 5th or 6th track I was totally into it. Best tracks are "Forever Gone", the almost 8 minute "Diviner" with a blistering Neil Young like guitar solo, and the very Jesse Malin like "Falter". Syd Straw sings back-up on four songs. This can be yours for the very low price of 53 cents on Amazon.com. Act now...operators are standing by.

A great debut.......2004-06-26

From one of the best guitarists on the planet; atop that he has an interesting soulful voice; and writes haunting melodies and lyrics; Kevin does great work on Lighthouse Keeper, Will and virtually every sublime track. Both this disc and Ecstatic are great examples of rock and roll heart and talent.

Meditation Music:

1. Soul Searcher
2. Street Dreams
3. The Absolute Sound
4. The Best of Denean
5. The Fairy Ring
6. The Light of the Spirit
7. The Luminous Rainforest
8. The Magic Horse
9. The Mummers' Dance [CD-single]
10. The Mysterious Planet

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Friends & Relatives

Peteris Vasks: Stimmen

Ryabov: Concerto of Waltzes Op36

Music: So Many Hits It's Sinful!

Rude Girl [Import]

Put It in Your Mouth [Explicit Lyrics] [EP]

Secret Garden [Import]

The Jive Collection, Vol. 1

That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles

Piano Hits From J.S. Bach to Elton John

Selector Dub Narcotics

Ponte Aérea [Import]

That Girl [Clean]

Blues Music blues-music-16

Siesta (1987 Film)