Music

Average customer rating:

TMV
They did it again
These guys were "punk"
Welcome back, Mars.
Good Album

Amputechture
The Mars Volta
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Frances the Mute
De-Loused in the Comatorium
Tremulant
Scab Dates
Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)

ASIN: B000GPI1BO
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Tracks:

Vicarious Atonement
Tetragrammaton
Vermicide
Meccamputechture
Asilos Magdalena
Viscera Eyes
Day Of The Baphomets
El Ciervo Vulnerado

Customer Reviews:

TMV.......2007-07-05

Before you base your judgment of this CD soley in comparison to any of The Mars Volta albums you need to realize that it isn't a Mars Volta album. It is a Soundtrack for a film and Omar is even quoted by saying it is a reaction to the film. If you're a die-hard Omar fan then you'll love it. Rapid Fire Toll Booth is now one of my all time favorites and all the other songs sound great in my opinion.

I don't usually write reviews because it's so painful for me to read someone elses review especialy ones that contain the following examples. I only like their older stuff, they keep changing their style, the guitar player is too self induldgent,they should use the same producer as on their first album, there's too much ambience, there's too much guitar noodling, they've become snobs, they're not as good without the old drummer, they're progressive, they're experimental, they took a riff from some other band, I like them less with each album they put out,etc. That was in reference to all bands not just The Mars Volta.

That kinda review irritates me because it's a bunch of garbage. I wish those kinda people would just stick to their MTV lifestyles and leave the real music to those who are true fans and are more open minded. I don't know why it bugs me so much it's not like I'm defending them because I know them on some personal level it's just that some people just don't get it. I'm tired of everyone disecting the music and the musicians. All they want to do is entertain us, not create some sort of musical doctorine that should be discussed as though one was attending a seminar. As a musician I understand the need to experiment and branch out so the music making process doesn't become stale. Do you really want your favorite band to constantly repeat themselves and never evolve. People please I beg of you quit writing these cliche pointless reviews. As for me I'm through writting about this subject for as long as I live. Omar & Cedric have been making music for quite some time now. Let's allow the professionals to do their thing and the rest of you can either tune in or tune out.

They did it again.......2007-06-13

The Mars Volta puts out some of the most complex, thought-provoking, and lyrically charged music that I have heard in the last 10 years. The beauty of their style is that it can't be criticized, because they don't claim to be a part of any genre...it is simply music at its rawest core element.

In line with this description, Amputechture delivers just as much, if not more, than their previous offerings. It's style is unpredictable, yet captivating. The jazz influence can be heard in almost every track. Some songs verge on becoming monotonous, until a slight riff change or new vocal is thrown in at exactly the right moment, and makes it perfect.

Their total disregard for "what sells" and making chart-topping music is probably what keeps their music fresh and innovative. This is easily the best album of 2006 if you're into non-mainstream, real music. Otherwise, go buy Incubus/Maroon 5/Weezer or something.

These guys were "punk".......2007-06-13

Sounds like the singer got his nutz caught in a meat grinder. I love high pitched singers voices but this guy has to go. Music is o.k. but super wanky without enough substance to make it worth the while. Take 'em or leave 'em kids, you know where I stand.

Welcome back, Mars........2007-04-17

This album redeemed them for Frances.

A continuation of The Mars Volta's stunning innovation, while not straying too far from their classic style. There is a stunning new touch in this album: "Asilos Magdalena", a heart-wrenching, tragic, spanish ballad, as tonal as they come, with the strongest cadential points heard in any of the albums thus far.

The album is a continuous study of Cedric's impressive (awe-inspiring) range, the band's famous stepwise bass lines, super-rhythmic melodies set to abnormal meters, and beautifully incoherent (though barely dissonant) guitar riffs.

The lyrics continue to shock, strewn with raw physical imagery of both human and animal body parts (see: album title "amputechture", song titles "viscera eyes" and "vermicide", and cover art), and Christian-dogmatic references/commentary (see: song titles "vicarious atonement" and "day of the baphomets").

Deloused set our expectations high, but the true fan will not be disappointed in Amputechture.

Good Album.......2007-02-17

I like this recording very much. The Mars Volta has a fantastic approach to music making. They are creative with effects and have long jam sessions with very good playing. Like a modern, more heavy metal Pink Floyd, innovative and slow burning. Doesn't get boring or start sounding the same half way through the album.

Average customer rating:

It's a Movie Soundtrack not a Mars Volta album
Feels Like Half of an Album

Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Quintet
Manufacturer: Gold Standard Labora
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Please Heat This Eventually
Omar Rodriguez
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Com Lag (2Plus2IsFive)

ASIN: B000NJWSHG
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Tracks:

The Lukewarm
Luxury Of Infancy
Rapid Fire Tollbooth
Thermometer Drinking the Bussness Of Turnstiles
Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
If Gravity Lulls, I Can Hear the World Pant
Please Heat This Eventually
Lurking About In a Cold Sweat (Held Together By Venom)
Boiling Death Request a Body To Rest Its Head On
La Tirania De La Tradicion

Customer Reviews:

It's a Movie Soundtrack not a Mars Volta album.......2007-06-06

Feels Like Half of an Album.......2007-06-01

I've been a fairly faithful Mars Volta fan since the band's first LP debuted back in 2003. However, to say that my admiration for the group has never wavered would be a lie. In fact, with each full-length album that the Mars Volta releases, my love for the band deteriorates just a little bit more. This downward trend is caused largely by the group's insistence on forgoing the largely prog-rock stylings of their debut in favor of more experimental paths. The "Hey, instead of a song, let's just play random crap for 8 minutes" approach was fresh on 2005's "Frances the Mute" but it felt unbelievably stale on their most recent album, "Amputechture." It should be of no surprise then that "Se Dice Bisconte, No Buffalo" is not my favorite of albums. In many ways this album is the embodiment of everything that I've grown to despise about the Mars Volta.

That's not to say that this is an unimpressive collection of songs, however. Quite the opposite! Despite my waning feelings for Omar and Cedric, I can still recognize talent when I hear it. It's just that the talent of these two individuals has been misplaced in recent years. "Buffalo" is just another example of that. For example, the first two tracks on the album "The Lukewarm" and "Luxury of Infancy" are utter throwaways. The first being a 26 second exercise in changing the pitch of your voice, while the second is just more of Omar's signature electric guitar "scribbling." These two tracks serve no purpose on the album whatsoever, as they're pretty much over before you realize it.

"Rapid Fire Tollbooth" may sound familiar to Mars Volta fans who have been to the band's live shows. Cedric Bixler-Zavala lends his vocals here, and as a result the song sounds very much like a Mars Volta song that couldn't find a home on "Amputechture." In fact, several of the songs on "Buffalo" that features Cedric's vocals sound like they were made during the production of that album, but just weren't good enough to make the cut ("Se Dice Bisonte, No Buffalo," and "Please Heat This Eventually" to be precise). "La Tirania De La Tradicion," on the other hand, is a fantastic song, and the highlight of the album. In this frantic 5-minute long song, Cedric's vocals are all over the place, and the end result is amazing!

In the end, the best moments on "Se Dice Bisconte, No Buffalo" are the ones where Omar and company play actual music as opposed to just random noise. Tracks like "The Lukewarm," "Luxury of Infancy," and "If Gravity Lulls, I Can Hear the World Pant" only serve as a reminder to how self-indulgent these musicians can be. However there are a few others that remind you why you fell in love with these guys in the first place. As a result, "Buffalo" feels more like half of an album than anything else. While some devoted fans may find it to be worthy of a purchase, I'd be much more inclined to download my favorite tracks and live out my life pretending that the others don't exist.

Recommended for fans of The Mars Volta and the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quintet.

Key Tracks:
1. "Rapid Fire Tollbooth"
2. "Se Dice Bisonte, No Buffalo"
3. "Please Heat This Eventually"
4. "Lurking About In a Cold Sweat (Held Together By Venom)"
5. "La Tirania De La Tradicion"

5 out of 10 Stars

Average customer rating:

TMV
Melodic sonic boom !
very cool
musicians from mars
The closest you will get to the best music ever invented.

Frances the Mute
The Mars Volta
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

De-Loused in the Comatorium
Amputechture
Tremulant
Scab Dates
Relationship of Command

ASIN: B0007GAEW6
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Tracks:

Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus: A. Sarcophagi/B. Umbilical Syllables/C. Facilis Descenus Averni/D. Con Safo
The Widow
L'Via L'Viaquez
Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore: A. Vade Mecum/B. Pour Another Icepick/C. Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma)/D. Con Safo
Cassandra Geminni: A. Tarantism
Cassandra Geminni: B. Plant A Nail In The Navel Stream
Cassandra Geminni: C. Faminepulse
Cassandra Geminni: D. Multiple Spouse Wounds
Untitled
Cassandra Geminni: E. Sarcophagi
Cassandra Geminni: E. Sarcophagi
Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus: A. Sarcophagi

Amazon.com

If one needed further proof of the contemporary revival/reassessment of the ambitiously overwrought sensibilities once so reviled in '70s rock, this aggressively mindbending second album by the Mars Volta offers it up in spades. Band mainstays Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala insist that labels like "prog" don't interest them, and that this is emphatically not a "sequel" to 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium. What it is was thematically inspired by a stranger's diary allegedly found by late bandmate Jeremy Ward, the basis for an expansive, often amorphous musical head-trip that brews psychedelia, trance, hard-rock and free-jazz into a daunting new whole. The dozen tracks here represent but five "songs" proper, though the band's disdain for conventional track banding inspire it to sound more like a stream-of-consciousness soundscape from Can--or a dark, lyrically inventive, if decidedly troubled corner of their ids. On the "Umbilical Syllables" portion of "Cygnus.." and "The Widow" Bixler-Zavala invokes the wailing, Led Zeppelin II & III spirit of Robert Plant set against a feverish, swirling melange that's anything but the blues. The vocalist coaxes "L' Via l'Viaquez" en Espanol, while his band indulges its space-mambo conceits with an evocative spirit that recalls Latin Playboys at their most mischievous. It's an album that loops back on itself in a haunting ellipse--and one whose boundless ambition makes Pink Floyd sound like three-chord bar punters by comparison. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

TMV.......2007-07-05

Melodic sonic boom !.......2007-06-08

If you want to hear some amazing song structures, melodies and all around great rock musicians Jon Theodore to Omar Gonzalez and even John Fruscante, get this album. Once you get through the few dead spots and few moments of senseless noise, this will be placed in your heavy rotation of favorite music. Cedric Bixler is one of the most amazing modern rock singers out there today.

very cool.......2007-03-08

i reviewed de loused in the comatorium and thought this deserved a review as well. the mars volta is so different from most other music out there and the first time i heard them i was hooked. i would suggest listening to some tracks before buying because the vocals aren't for everyone. i once heard someone say, "the vocals are like nails on a chalkboard", and i will admit they are not for everyone. i personally took to them and consider TMV one of my favorites these days.

musicians from mars.......2007-02-20

Put together Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", Led Zeppelin's "II" and "III", and King Crimson's "In The Court of King Crimson", and you get "Frances The Mute". My favorite Mars Volta album so far, but all of them are amazing. Could be very very strange for listeners who never listened to this kind of music. To me, this album resembles "Bitchs Brew" alot (not just in the music itself, but the way it was received by the public - you either hate it or love it).

The closest you will get to the best music ever invented........2007-02-15

The Mars Volta has an uncanny way of taking old rock styles, jazz, even metal in some light, and making it new, better and more amazing than it could've ever gotten without them. They have brought Pink Floyd back together metaphorically speaking, as well as led-zeppelin, countless jazz bands, and anything else holy in music except for a low voice and brought it to the public. Ever instrument played is played to its fullest in some form or another, and even the computerized parts tie it all together. This album is a monument to what is good in music, and its a damn shame they had to take it all apart for "Amputechture."

Average customer rating:

El Pentago-NO aveces SI

Presenta: El Pentagono
Don Omar
Manufacturer: Machete Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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El Cartel: The Big Boss
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Residente o Visitante

ASIN: B000NJWSOY
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Tracks:

Easy - Zion
Calm My Nerves - Don Omar
Veo - Zion
OK - Tego Calderon
Vida Loca - Arcangel
Mala Es - Jowell & Randy
Suave Al Odio - Franco 'El Gorilla'
Just Like Sexo - Dalmata
La Mujer De Mis Suenos - Los Yetson
Pide Mas - Joan Y O'Neill
Dame De Eso - Andy Boy
Ellos Quieren - Cosculluela
Yo No Se Porque - John Erick
Nosotros Dos - Wibal & Alex
Corre Peligro - OG Black
El Brindis - Mario VI
No Seta Lo Mismo - Aniel
La Bella Crisis - Alberto Stylee
Contigo - High Rollers Family

Customer Reviews:

El Pentago-NO aveces SI.......2007-05-19

El CD esta mas o menos bien. Mitad de las canciones son buenas.
Pa'los tigueres de la Republica y Puerto Rico aqui van las canciones que son buenas en el CD.

1) Easy
2) Calm My Nerves (Tiguere El Don Omar)
3) Veo
6) Mala Es
7) Suave Al Oido
9) La Mujer De Mi Sueno
10) Pide Mas
11) Dame De Eso
14) Nosotros Dos
15) El Brindis (Encendio)

Po na, espero que este review haya ayudado a alguien.

Dominicano!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

a true KING of kings
Hot hot hot!
Da Don!
I'm sorry - I just dont get it
IS GOOOOOOD!!

King of Kings
Don Omar
Manufacturer: Machete Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Underdog/El Subestimado
Masterpiece
Da Hit Man Presents Reggaeton Latino
Top of the Line
Los Rompe Discotekas

ASIN: B000FBFTSC
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

Intro: Predica
Reportense
Ojitos Chiquitos
Conteo
Cuentale
Tu No Sabes
Candela
Salio El Sol
En Su Nota
Angelito
Jangueo
Bomba
Infieles
Belly Danza
Munecas De Porcelana
Not Too Much
Bailando Sola
Armarga Vida

Amazon.com

The self-aggrandizing title and cover art may indicate otherwise, but Don Omar's King of Kings isn't your average reggaeton mash-up. Most genre stars (Daddy Yankee, Voltio, Wisin & Yandel) diffuse their heady personas with weak vocals, insipid lyrics, and repetitive arrangements. Omar, however, is an entirely different animal. King of Kings is a dark, adventurous journey through reggaeton, supplemented by surprising rhythms and a careful selection of collaborators. Hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari adds urban elegance to "Intro-Predica," and Juelz Santana brings a genuine grit to "Conteo." King of Kings also finds Omar experimenting with creative variations on the reggaeton sound. "Ojitos Chiquitos" benefits from a moody Middle Eastern vibe, and "Cuentale" soars via a start-stop salsa hybrid. Omar slows things down during "Tu No Sabes," a piano-driven tale of heartbreak; and "Candela" incorporates reggaeton beats into a searing rock arrangement. Omar's former life as a preacher has obviously influenced his lyrics (which touch on religion, love, and life's hardships), but it's also given him a heady, passionate approach to music. There are lighter moments of standard reggaeton and dance hall, but even those simmer with intensity. Omar's vocals aren't always strong--particularly during the slower moments--but King of Kings stands tall amid so many throwaway reggaeton releases. We'll allow him a few moments of boastful frivolity. --Joey Guerra

Album Description

King of Kings is building on the impressive foundation set by Don Omar's previous albums, "The Last Don" and "The Last Don Live".

King of Kings does feature its share of ballads, like "MuÃ±ecas," "Tu No Sabes," "Angelitos," and "Infieles." But that doesn't mean that Don Omar stops rocking out to reggaetÃ³n's eductive dance rhythm and Bachata Fixation with hard-driving tracks like "Conteo, "Bailando Sola" and Cuentale get you bumping and dancing across the dance floor. The album also includes collaborations MCs Juelz Santana, Beanie Man, and Zion.

King of Kings parte de la base sÃ³lida de "The Last Don" y "The Last Don Live".

King of Kings sÃ contiene una buena cantidad de boleros, como "MuÃ±ecas," "Tu No Sabes," "Angelitos," e "Infieles." Pero eso no quiere decir que Don Omar dejÃ³ de utilizar el ritmo seductivo y bailable del reggaetÃ³n y su obsesion con la bachata. Temas fuertes como "Conteo" y "Bailando Sola" y Cuentale hacen menear y sandunguear en la pista de baile. El disco tambiÃ©n incluye colaboraciones con raperos como Juelz Santana, Beanie Man, y Zion.

Customer Reviews:

a true KING of kings.......2007-01-28

Don Omar as always shines in this cd, he is one of the best reggeaton singers right now, some of the best songs that this cd have are "conteo", "bailando sola" and "reportense".

if you are a real reggeaton fan then you should add this cd to your collection, this is a must buy.

Hot hot hot!.......2007-01-14

Don hit's us with his seconde studio c.d. and doesnt seem to fail! Although the last Don may have been better this King Of Kings c.d. has a different groove to it! Don works with alot more reggae beats on this album then reggaeton! Altough its still hot!

Hot song:

1)Reportense
2)Ojitos Chiquitos
3)Conteo ft. Juelz Santana
4)Cuentale
5)Tu No sabes
6)Salio El Sol
7)Angelito
8)Infieles
9)Bella Danza ft. Bennie Man
10)Not Too Much
11)Bailando Sola
12)Armagada Vida

Da Don!.......2007-01-10

I love this guys music and I met him! He is cool. At first I wasnt sure of this album but I now cant get it outa my car. considering Im only just beggining to learn spanish so dont understand teh lyrics, I am addicted to this spanish regaetton music! The beats on this album are all very different and some I found are more catchier and better to dance to than others but all in all its a great album. Look forward to another one coming out...........

I'm sorry - I just dont get it.......2006-09-20

I listened to this after listening to "The Last Don". I just dont see what the critics and masses are seeing. It seems like Don is holding back at times and then being overly experimental at other times. I found him leaning towards rap, which is unfortunate. Someone needs to tell him that rap is fading quickly from the pop charts and that all rappers are trying to jump on the Reggaeton craze. Don Omar seems to be going the wrong way.

Nothing on this compares to "Dale Don Dale" or "Pobre Diablo".

This just seems like a lot of talent wasted. In this case, "Angelito Vuela" is not the tip of the iceberg - it is the whole iceberg. Buy the song if you like it, but beware.

Recommend: his last album first and then Pa'l Mundo from Wisin & Yandel or Ivy Queen's Flashback.

I have no doubt Don Omar can be the king of Reggaeton once again, but this will set him back a little.

IS GOOOOOOD!!.......2006-09-13

When i first bought it, i didnt know what to expect, i had not heard them b4. Once i heard the album, is good, is VERY GOOD! Don Omar still got it, and this album proves he is the King of Kings.
It might not be the best album of the year, but is up there. Top 5, easy!

Average customer rating:

One reason The Mars Volta evolves gracefully
A fresh obsession
Great Stuff !!!
Treads Familiar Ground with a Difference
Another Masterpiece

Omar Rodriguez
Omar Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Willie Anderson
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack, Vol. 1
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Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo
Amputechture

ASIN: B000C5E7MA
Release Date: 2005-12-05

Tracks:

Een Ode Aan Ed Van der Elsken
Regenbogen Stelen Van Prostituees
Jacob Van Lennepkade
Vondelpark Bij Nacht
Spookrijden Op Het Fietspad

Album Details

The Mars Volta Guitarist's Second Solo Album. It was Written and Recorded with his Fellow Bandmembers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in Early June 2005. Most of the Overdubs and Mixing were Done on the Road in September 2005. Musically, It's Everything and More that You'd Expect from Rodriguez; Very Freaky a La Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", Funky, Groovy, Interesting.

Customer Reviews:

One reason The Mars Volta evolves gracefully.......2007-03-26

It is fair to say the album "The Omar Rodriguez Quintet" is just as good--if not better--than The Mars Volta, one of the hardest-working, original rock bands to emerge this decade, which shares four members.

It is also fair to say this album carries less production quality and vision found in The Mars Volta, lacking a cohesive flow from start to finish, sometimes driving the senses mad.

Regardless, this album sheds light on The Mars Volta's creative evolution--most notably, the vision frontman Omar Rodriguez embodies with the addition of Adrián Terrazas-González, who plays flute and saxophone. For the first time in his career, Omar finds a musician who can carry the melody of a song in the classic jazz fashion. This page features several comparisons to Miles Davis, arguably the greatest and most creative jazz trumpet player of the 20th Century. With recent efforts, Omar is the Miles Davis of guitar.

After refusing to work with Rick Rubin, who helped produce The Volta's 2003 album "Deloused in the Comatorium," Omar bought homes in Amsterdam and Australia, working relentlessly to record 2005's "Frances The Mute," where Adrián made his first appearance. He joined the band on its 2005 Frances tour.

Omar formed the quintet by the year's fall. This yellow-colored, simple record is the result. The track names and liner notes are written in Dutch. Missing is the collaboration with Damo Suzuki, who sings scat-style on a 24-minute single released in December. Two tracks are direct inspiration for tracks on The Volta's 2006 record "Amputechture": "Vondelpark bij nacht" for "El Ciervo Vulnerado," and "Jacob Van Lennepkade" for "Viscera Eyes."

If you want a preview of their sound, visit YouTube or the myspace profile for Omar's record label, Gold Standard Labs.

A fresh obsession.......2006-04-22

This is not a Mars Volta album, and it is not the experimental rock of Manual Dexterity. So what _is_ it? It is comparable to Miles Davis' electric period.

"I've never heard Miles Davis, so what does that mean?" -- this is a jazz album. If you enjoy the pop sound of Mars Volta, you may not enjoy this album much, but if you like the musical improv interludes, you will love this album. It is packed with guitar, keyboards and horns.

Horns blare while the latin rhythm pounds in your veins. Simple horns cool the songs down. Cedric-Bixler is credited, but there are no vocals.

I will do my best... This is the pop-jazz breakdown: "Manual Dexterity" and "Omar Rodriguez" would combine as "Frances the Mute". If you impose order on Frances the Mute, you would hear "De-Loused in the Comatorium."

Great Stuff !!!.......2006-04-21

Man I love this cd just got it yesterday and it rocks. It's a total Jam cd just pop it in and groove to the awesome sounds or Mr.Roriguez-Lopez.

Then go out and buy anything else related to his music hahaha. Omar has really influenced my musical directions.

and oh yeah if you want a Omar solo album I recommend starting with this one in a transition from The Mars Volta, it's more rock based and accesable to a larger audience.

~Adios
~Electro

Treads Familiar Ground with a Difference.......2006-04-02

This album is not as much a divine revelation as others here might lead you to believe. It certainly has nothing on Omar's more challenging and diverse solo offering, _A Manual Dexterity_ (see my review on that). This album is fun, has some scintillating moments, and even unexpected turns (Omar playing sitar!), but it offers few advances on the tradition from which it arises: funky jazz fusion a la Miles.

The only things that differentiate Omar from his more advanced forebear, John McLaughlin, is that Omar is more concerned with Hispanic rhythms (which is great!) and that where McLaughlin offers exotic scales in strategic placement over exotic modes, taking the guitar to places it had never been before (hear him on the albums from Miles Davis's _Bitches Brew_ to around the time of _Jack Johnson_ and also on anything by Mahavishnu Orchestra), Omar runs out of scalar sophistication and instead resorts to formless dissonance and outright noise. Now, I am a big fan of formless dissonance and outright noise (I am the biggest fan of Stockhausen that I have ever known), but on these Latin fusion jams, these strategies turn into a distraction after the fifth time or so Omar resorts to them after some particularly refreshing guitar workouts.

What I am trying to say is this: This album is a decent jam session. It is far short of the voice of God, though. The musicianship, outside of what I have spoken of in regards to Omar's leads, is all in all decent. Another highlight is Adrian Terraza's horn contributions. I hope he continues to be highlighted more in Mars Volta. The rest of the musicianship I can take or leave. Omar's brother is a competent drummer, but only that. The bass parts, handled mostly by Omar, are mostly repetitive and largely uninspired bass runs, my only complaint about Mars Volta's last album as well. The rest of the band goes completely free for long stretches, why not the bass? (Listen more to Charlie Haden's playing on Ornette Coleman albums, guys; master free-jazz bass lines on the next album and I will call Mars Volta the best rock band hands down since Radiohead.)

Lest you think I protest too much, this album IS good. It's more inspiring than 90% of the music coming out today. Its main use, though, is to get me dreaming of where Mars Volta will be on the next album. If Omar keeps honing his chops more in the direction of John McLaughlin, if they continue to integrate Latino rhythms in new ways, if Terraza's horns continue to take the band out there, and they keep on throwing my brain curveballs, then great. As far as paying twenty-five bucks for the jam session that hints to me the future directions of Volta, well, I am obviously a fanatic. Would most people think these moderately-inspired jams worth all this money? I doubt it.

Another Masterpiece.......2006-03-04

When i heard the first track off of this album i was far from disspointed. Omar Rodriguez (the modern day jimi hendrix) ceases to amaze the musical world. If you are looking for something new or something different to listen to then this CD is deffiently for you. With a touch of jazz mixed with some experimentation and some rock n roll this CD will shock and devour you whole. If you have never listend to TMV or omar Rodriquez than you are seriously missing out on some of the most amazing music

Average customer rating:

Just GREAT , GREAT MUSIC !!!
Omar "Free as a Bird"
What Would Bach Say?
an amazing talent
Dreamy, Romantic, Exotic

Free as a Bird
Omar
Manufacturer: Real Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001XAMT0
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Free as a Bird 5:05
Passage into Midnight 4:21
A Day With You 5:08
Falling Through the Rain 4:49
Beauty Unveiled 4:25
Dancing with the Wind 4:51
Surrender 6:41
Riding the Current 3:59
Never Let Go 3:33
Trust Unspoken 3:59
Flight of Mystery 5:05

Album Description

Composer/Pianist Omar thanks piano legend David Lanz in his liner notes, and like Lanz has done recently, takes a radio friendly smooth jazz sojourn on many of the tracks here. Every other track alternates between soaring, self-produced atmospheric and exotic pieces and more in the pocket rhythmic tunes produced by smooth jazz keyboardist Gregg Karukas (who has also produced Lanz). Working with top outside musicians (from violinist Charlie Bisharat to saxman Eric Marienthal), Omar creates a wonderfully diverse collection, which allows him to remain firmly at center stage.

On the title track, his sensual musings are given dreamy and elegant harmonic support from Bisharat, while other pieces involve interaction with strings and percussion ("Passage Into Midnight") or gentle, electronic grooves...Omar's nod to the Orient is the sensuous and atmospheric "Beauty Unveiled," which begins in an ambient trance state with intermingling sitar and flute before the pianist enters and begins a more upbeat adventure.

For all the lush production values, it's Omar's piano, beautiful in its elegance and rich in its quiet rhythmic power, that proves the most unforgettable element.

~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews:

Just GREAT , GREAT MUSIC !!!.......2007-05-13

One of the songs was one of the free samples that came with my laptop when I played Windows Media for the first time and i loved it. I started my research about OMAR and found here on AMAZON. The music is just great, instrumental that combines guitar, piano and some violin . If you like something smooth but at the same time not boring this is your music and also has a twist of arabic music, JUST AWSOME I really enjoy it.

Omar "Free as a Bird".......2007-04-16

What a truly gifted artist! Omar's CD, Free as a Bird, is hauntingly beautiful. I could hardly wait until my copy of this CD arrived so that I could "rip" it to Windows Media Player. After that task, I downloaded the entire CD to my MP3, so that I can listen to it while I am working out at the fitness center. What relaxing music Omar has composed. I play it over and over and never get tired of any of the eleven songs on the CD. My next task? To find out where Omar is performing and enjoy a live performance.

What Would Bach Say?.......2007-03-29

My mother was a very talented pianist and had quite the ear for music as well. She once said of jazz "it doesn't go anywhere." I understand the frustration that some might feel about jazz. Especially smooth jazz as it is really the light version of the old American invention.

However, I have a bad feeling, a really bad feeling, that for the most part: it has all been done before. The last rock riff, the final power cord, the last minuet, perhaps, even the last solo...has been done. Smooth jazz perhaps is where we tie it all together and rearrange the music for the encore. And this is where Omar shines the brightest. His music will not challenge your ear. In fact, I think he just nudges it in the slightest way with "do you remember when?" His music revisits the history of music. I hear flamenco, and latin sounds, Handle's garden parties, the dark ages...perhaps even Pan playing his flute.

This CD is a good place to turn to when you need to unwind, take a bubble bath, entertain some friends in a quiet moment, or turn down the lights and caress your lover. Its good. Thanks Omar, you and your musicians have a smooth sound, a quiet moment, a riff, a beat to make even the most jaded ear a happy one.

-John

an amazing talent.......2006-03-31

After hearing a sample of Free as a Bird, I was instantly drawn in and extemely impressed. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this cd. Omar's music is beautiful, romantic, and brings a sense of peace and calm. It's music that you can't get tired of. I highly recommend it to all music lovers.

Dreamy, Romantic, Exotic.......2005-08-23

I sampled omar free as a bird album and i bought it instantly, the music is so much dreamy , the piano sound seems like he is playing in front of me and its flawless, my favourite tracks are all of them,now im listening to beauty unveiled, all i can say is wow,it takes you to a different world, i cant skip any,its that good, if you are a fan of yanni, chris spheeris buy this album, cant wait for his next album, keep it up Omar.

Average customer rating:

lovely, danceable, and kind of New Age?
Beautiful Eastern collection. A must for lovers of Turkish music
music that transports
music that transports
superb

Mystical Garden
Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Turkey | Middle East | International | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000007XY
Release Date: 1996-08-06

Tracks:

Other Side Of The River
Magic Of The Evening
Laz
Shashkin
Hasret
Egyptian Dance
Three Last Words
Mystical Garden
Hu Allah

Amazon.com

Working with longtime producer-multi-instrumentalist Brine Keane, Omar Faruk Tekbilek creates evocative soundscapes of Middle Eastern origin, both original compositions and arrangements of traditional material. Ney, kavala, zurna, baglama, oud, bendir and cumbus are set in a discreet wash of synthesizer drones and percussion parts performed by five members of his ensemble. The tone is light but spiritual, retaining an affinity to his heritage--but with a nod to contemporary New Age sensibilities, especially in the simple arrangements and occasional use of ambient nature sound effects. However, the strength of musicianship and commitment to tradition assures that Mystical Garden stays firmly rooted in the pastures of Allah and not in the organic flower borders of background music. Tekbilek makes original and uplifting music that consistently rewards the listener. --Derek Rath

Album Description

Omar Faruk Tekbilek continues to delight Western listeners with a vast array of Middle Eastern musical traditions. As the follow up to his debut solo recording Whirling, Mystical Garden combines Faruk's musical mastery, composition and mystical influences creating a soulful and emotional musical journey. Mystical Garden (and the self-titled track) is a variation on a theme. It is the reflection of Faruk's inspiration by "the unity of the Mystical life. The garden is an island surrounded by the ocean of sincerity. Everyone with their sincere hearts chanting God's name in their language. In essence, we are the flowers owned by the one and only Gardener." Mystical Garden places more emphasis on Faruk's writing, featuring five original tracks. And there is a greater emphasis on the stellar musicianship of the players. Egyptian Dance demonstrates traditional Egyptian motives, with variations on the rhythm and the scales. Hu Allah continues to tell Faruk's story in the garden, with his soulful voice over a bed of chanting, nature sounds, and orchestration, along with oud, ney, and bendir. As the last track, this piece leaves the listener in a peaceful trance. To compare Faruk to Western musicians, it would be as if one musician was a master of the drums, percussion, guitar, flute, recorder, oboe, and more. Add to this Faruk's mystical influences, and the listener is in for an extraordinary experience.

Customer Reviews:

lovely, danceable, and kind of New Age?.......2006-05-16

I really enjoy Omar Tekbilek's various musical endeavors, and this one is no exception. For dancing, it's set up a little differently, as in mostly very slow, dreamlike pieces which would be good for slow floor work. The three faster pieces seem sort of out of place on this particular album, but can be used for dance, although the 'Laz' (a 7/8 rhythm) is very tricky to dance to, the other two being easier; a malfuf and a saiidi rhythm. Very usable, but for two very different moods.

Beautiful Eastern collection. A must for lovers of Turkish music.......2006-01-17

I had doubts before buying it. Thought it was not what I was looking for and hoped that it doesn't come out to be boring. Some intrumental turkish songs, eventhough beutiful, do really bore you after a while. But this is really cool! I liked 2nd track and #10 and others too. I am now a fan of Omar Tekbilek:)

music that transports.......2003-04-09

mystical garden transports me to another place, another time, rekindles my imagination, and makes me want to and dance ...

music that transports.......2003-04-09

mystical garden transports me to another place, another time, rekindles my imagination, and makes me want to and dance ...

superb.......1999-07-02

must hav

Average customer rating:

Musically Eclectic Malange
Eclectic
Eclectic
An Incredible Artist who needs more air-time!
Chill out in the sun.

Sing (If You Want It)
Omar
Manufacturer: Ether Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000F8O210
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Tracks:

Lift Off
Sing
Be A Man
Kiss It Right
Get It Together
Your Mess
All For Me
It's So
Gimme Sum (Rap Version)
Feeling You
Lay It Down
I Want It
Stylin'
Ghana Emotion

Album Description

2006 release by this R&B vocalist featuring guest appearances from Common, Angie Stone and Stevie Wonder. Ether.

Customer Reviews:

Musically Eclectic Malange.......2007-05-16

This album is a 4.5 rounded up to 5. The offerings this time seem like Omar took a sampling of what was good about his previous albums and put them in this one. You can hear the trademark Omar Funk, heavy bass, heavy percussion, falsetto smooth ballads/duets, and instrumental orchestration in this album. Lyrically this album is all over the map too (good thing). He has the "finding a girl songs", "lost my girl trying to get back songs", the "leaving her alone songs", and socially conscious songs. As such, this album doesn't try to be in a certain groove, which is why I call it a musically eclectic malange. This album is part Hip-Hop, part R&B, part Bossa Nova/Jazz, and other forms. Although it probably was not intentionally made to apply to a wide audience, it actually does.

My favorites (as in get heavy rotation) in order are:

5. Get It Together - Jazzy Bossa Nova
14. Ghana Emotion - Dance Hall Bassline
8. It's So - Calypso Beat and bassline, percussions
4. Kiss It Right - Funk with a catchy hook
6. Your Mess - Funk with a catch hook
9. Gimme Sum - Hip-Hop suggestive mix with cameos from Common, etc.
10. Feeling You - R&B w/ Stevie Wonder cameo, simple lyrics.

The rest can be categorized via a genre:

Moog Mood Music
1. Lift Off - Nice instrumental mood music, typical Omar Moog effects

R&B Soul
2. Sing - Up beat falsetto
7. All For Me - Slow Funk
3. Be A Man
13. Stylin' - Up beat falsetto
11. Lay It Down - Anti Violence song
12. I Want It

All in all, there isn't a bad track on the album. A breath of fresh air for those looking for R&B alternatives and those looking to broaden their musical palatte.

Eclectic.......2007-05-14

Omar definately has a message in his music aspiration, peace, love & inspiration. His music is very potent, with very funky grooves to complement. Sometimes so funky that you don't realize the positive messages within the song, Sing If You Want It" is a good example, but not the only. This is quite an enjoyable CD. Ghana song is so special.

Eclectic.......2007-03-28

This is my first CD of Omar's. I guess his music and style is an acquired taste, that I haven't quite savored yet. My favorite track was 2 the title cut "Sing (if you want to)". Track 1 "Lift Off" is a nice lead in song. No. 4 "Kiss it right" along with the Stevie Wonder joint were good. The song done with Common & Co. was alright, he showed versitility. The songs with Jill Scott didn't quite work for me, with No. 7 the better of the two. Track 12 "I Want It" rounds out the songs that I connected to. Will check out some of his earlier work to get a better feel.

An Incredible Artist who needs more air-time!.......2007-01-10

Sing (If you want it) is an excellent album. Omar is an outstanding vocalist who has his own style that works well in today's cookie-cutter world of music. Omar's music is smooth, yet edgy. This is his best work yet. This says a lot since I have all of his albums. I will continue to be a fan of this multi-talanted artist.

Chill out in the sun........2006-11-13

Omar is most likely best remembered amongst the general audience for his timeless and still superb 1991 soulful hit, "There's Nothing Like This". Astonishingly he has endured a five-year recording break during which time he has constructed his own studio and established his own imprint. He as ever has constantly been touring and for some, the master musician has never really been away. Now Omar is back with "Sing (If You Want It)" which is the British soul supremo's sixth and perhaps most smoothly produced album so far.
"Sing (If You Want To)" is everything you would expect from Omar and in its genre is one of the stand out mellow groovesome CDs that have been released so far this year. What looks like an expensively put together offering should bring Omar back to the limelight, and he seems ready to grasp that now.
The CD gets going with the sublime and headnoddingly seductive "Lift Off", an all too short offering which is classic Omar and as such is ridiculously silky. The title track "Sing" follows which with its shuffling beat and heavy bassline makes for wonderful soul over which Omar easily but expressively drops his vocals ably backed up on the chorus.
"Be A Man" comes next with JC Bently giving her all on the vocals. The production starts off simple, but increasingly Omar can't leave the keys alone and interjects with jazz solo moog keys over the verses.
"Kiss It Up" is a simple back to roots bassline driven track which is funky in the extreme and needs to be set on repeat. "Get It Together" is classic Omar where he gets to warble as only he can, whereas "Your Mess" has a touch of the Jamiroquai's about it.
The album sees Omar collaborate with a variety of established acts from the likes of rapper / singer Estelle - on the evocative and downbeat anti-gun track "Lay It Down", and for Hip Hop fans the major hook up with the biggest UK name there is Rodney P (ex London Posse / Riddim Killa / 1Xtra), who, as ever delivers in his unique vocal style on the ridiculously catchy "Gimme Sum". "Gimme Sum" also featues Chicago's Common and a very yound sounding Ashman. All this makes for an interesting set of voices.
The production still maintains elements of Omar's soul but also features classic sampled drum sounds and a Herbie Hancock type bassline.
Prior to "Gime Sum" we are got into the mood with the big beated "It's So" which is contrastingly upbeat with a double bass bassline. In the track Omar espouses his love for all types of music and says how he is affected by music. For home grown soul heads Angie Stone graces the hybrid and slow tempo "All For Me" for some insights into love.
The biggest coup of the album may be the fact that Omar has held Stevie Wonder to his 1991 promise to appear on one of his records and here he turns up on "Feeling You".Whilst slightly muted and not quite having the sparks fly as you would expect, this is a creditable offering which is undoubtedly a rare situation. Omar should be congratulated for producing a really pleasing album which with summer finally on us should suit the purpose of backing music for a chill out in the sun.
Omar has tried to keep it simple, but years in the studio and practise have left the sound too over polished and lacking the hunger and grimeyness of his earlier work. No doubt this is the work of an established artist who is confident in his abilities, but at the same time has become a bit too comfortable in his own sphere. This album touches all the obvious easy listening buttons, but doesn't seem to offer anything outstanding.

Average customer rating:

Great Album
The Best of the All the ATDI/Mars Volta Side Projects
Charles in charge.
No Doubt That This Is Great
Mood Music

A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack, Vol. 1
Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Manufacturer: Gold Standard Labora
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amputechture

ASIN: B0002J4866
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

Around Knuckle White Tile
Dyna Sark Arches
Here The Tame Go By
Deus Ex Machina
Dramatic Theme
A Dressing Failure
Sensory Decay Part II
Of Blood Blue Blisters
Dream Sequence
The Palpitations For A Limit

Customer Reviews:

Great Album.......2007-04-17

This album is a must have if you are a fan of Omar's work in At The Drive-In, The Mars Volta, De Facto, and his other various works. It is very groovy and experimental. It features musical appearances from many popular and underground musicians. If you haven't looked into much of his work, then this would be one of the first to pick up.

The Best of the All the ATDI/Mars Volta Side Projects.......2006-04-02

It took me a year or so to appreciate all the places that this one goes, but after careful deliberation and a continuously ballooning obsession with Mars Volta, I have decided that this is better than DeFacto and Omar's newest solo album, the projects that have come outside ATDI and Volta. It goes all over the place, the highlight to this approach being the acid-soaked salsa freak-out "Deus Ex Machina." Really, this is true salsa, with a salsa singer singing about "la reina de [su] vida" or the queen of his heart. The whole time the traditional instruments are drenched in phaser and distortion, creating a salsa song like none you've ever heard.

There are some very intriguing guitar-noise experiments that differ from track to track, the whole thing being capped off with a song that sounds like Mars Volta since Cedric sings on it ("the palpitations form a limit"). The rest is pure instrumental esotericism. If you are curious to hear what Omar and Co. do outside of ATDI and Mars Volta, this is the place to start. I have a strong feeling that you will want to buy all the other side project material after this one, exposing you fully to the constant joy, wonder, and mind-blowing that goes with being a Mars Volta fanatic. I would love to describe all of these strange excursions on this album, but I am not going to mar with words the terrains that Omar plumbs with sounds. I am going to leave it up to your perception to discover them for yourself.

Charles in charge. .......2006-03-03

I really miss Charles Bronson. I'll bet OAR-L does too.
The brilliant Mars Volta guitarist completed this soundtrack for a film he's been working on the last few years. It's got a similar vibe to those 80's "Deathwish" scores Jimmy Page composed; lots of guitar squeals and synthesizer moans, conjuring images of a nighttime filled with dread and danger.
"Dyna Sark Arches" could be one of those creepy, calm before the storm moments, where Bronson examines his impressive collection of firearms, just before slaughtering various sneering, swarthy, evil men with greasy ponytails.
"Around Knuckle White Tile" is a cross between Floyd circa "Meddles" and "Puppets"-era Metallica. There's also the rock salsa of "Deus Ex Machina"; Santana crossed with 60's latin jazz albums from Blue Note and Verve.
Many great influences appear here. But the predominant one would seem to be that of an old man kicking some serious ass.

No Doubt That This Is Great.......2005-12-02

I like this kind of music in the first place so that was help already, wehn i frist lisented to it i thought it was great. The second time around i though it was mostly "garbage". I still listen to it and i do like it that one time was weird. It is mood music for sure no one can say it's not, most Mars Volya fans will like this. I am one of them.

Defenitly worth a good few listens in different places to set the mood

Mood Music.......2005-10-29

This album is one hundred percent mood music. It has very little actual structure to it, which should hardly surprise you if you think about the fact that its a soundtrack to what will probably be a very strange artsy movie.

I'll be honest, when I first heard it I was unimpressed. I skipped over half the tracks after a few minutes of listening to them. The one track that came recommended to me, Track 4, was the worst on the album.

I put the album away for about a year, then pulled it back out after exhausting the two Mars Volta and all the ATDI that I had. Turns out, I was wrong. The music is great for listening to when you are doing other things, like driving or playing a video game. It consists almost entirely of layered guitar tracks. The music is highly experimental and I can imagine that many people will not like it much.

The ambient noise on many tracks and the exceptionally low volume at the beginnings of most of the songs makes for a very inaccessible album. But once you've heard it a couple of times and your ears are accustomed to the sound, I can tell you that you will enjoy every moment.

The reason I gave this four stars: As an exception to my enjoy every moment comment above, you will probably hate track 4, I know I do. In addition, while the album is great on mood and layers, I find that it suffers somewhat from its lack of any kind of structure. If you are paying close attention to the songs, you will quite probably find them somewhat repetative. Not to say that it is totally without sections, but the sections tend to go on a long time without extreme variation.

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