Rating:  -
Unexpectedly,Donovan has snuck beneath the music industry radar with a great new CD that invokes and reincarnates the spirit of the Beat poets. Himself a witness to,and participant in,the Beat explosion of the 60's, Donovan taps into that spirit(and it's roots in the 40's and 50's),exhumes it,and incarnates it in the hear and now, bringing us a delightful CD of beat infused jazzy tunes. Like a breath of fresh air, Donovan sings, speaks, and chants to spontaneous rhythms that reach back to the coffehouses of the time and achieves his goal of creating a "beat virtual-cafe". Wonderfully accompanied by session stalwart,Jim Keltner(who has never sounded so freed up),and Danny Thompson,an acknowledged wizard on stand-up bass,with some B3 organ thrown in for good measure and atmosphere by his producer, John Chelew, Donovan weaves his spell of love songs and mystical ideas which fly in the face of the current musical climate. Resurrecting poems like "Two Lovers" which hale from that golden age, and adding spot on "beat readings" of new songs, Donovan breaths new life into that old, nearly forgotten spirit, culminating in a beat dream rendition of Dylan Thomas's poem "Do Not Go Gentle" ,which serves not only as a sterling example of the Beat's dream of fusing music and poetry, but also serves as a metaphor for these dark times when artists are stifled by the repressive atmosphere of the post 9/11 culture, rife with debates and control over "intellectual properties". The song serves also as a reminder of Donovan's,and all of our journeys, toward death and aging. In it he rasps like some new age Robert Burns channeling the spirit of the Scottish Bard. While sounding at times almost like rap,and at others invoking the minimalist spirit of Jack Johnson, Donovan,in the liner notes, appeals to younger artists "to experiment in the studio, to return to the root sounds". He has accomplished this himself, not only returning to his roots, but also sharing the fruits of those roots grown in the soil of experience. This CD is nostalgic in the root sense of the word, a return to a spiritual "home". Unlike many of his contemporaries,Donovan's voice hasn't lost a thing, his mellow,soothing tones and trademark vibrato are alive and well. For those who have frozen Donovan into some hippie past, this CD should help them to catch up with him in this back-to-the-future release. Because Donovan has been perennially underrated and underheard, this CD should help him gain recognition for his entire body of work, which compares favorably with the best of his contemporaries,and has continued on unbroken since the 60's.
Rating: -
I really won't even get into the music, without even a listen this would be a 5 star album just because its Donovan. Donovan is the greatest songwriter of all time so therefore everything he puts out is 5 stars. He has out done himself once again. This is an album very similar to Open road seeing that some of these songs were written around the time of Open Road. All I can say is buy it, BUY IT NOW, IT WILL NOT LEAVE YOUR CD PLAYER FOR MONTHS!!!!!!! The Enchanted Gypsyo from Scotland is back with authority, the album will knock you on your ass!!!!! "O MAEVE MAEVE MAEVE MA LOVER, SAKKA PAKKA RAKKA PAKKA TEEE, O MAEVE MAEVE MAEVE MA LOVER, SAKKA PAKKA RAKKA PAKKA TEEE, LOVE FLOATS IN SPACE, THAT SPACE BETWEEN US"
Rating:  -
I couldn't help but stereotype what I expected from Donovan having listened to his music for about 40 years. I stand corrected. The songs and arrangements on this cd are timeless. Its a fusion of acoustic jazz with mystic poetry and crystalline voice that echos throughout the ages. Its cool.
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