Editorial Review:

Album Description:
The title of the album is 'The Silver Tree', not Silver Tree.

Amazon.com:
Few artists last long in the rarefied terrain occupied by singer Lisa Gerrard over the last quarter-century. She shares a passion with composers like Arvo Pärt in the unrelenting pursuit of the divine. In fact, Gerrard evokes Pärt a few times on The Silver Tree, her first non-collaborative solo release since The Mirror Pool in 1995. The Silver Tree is an album of ancient echoes, ghostly refrains, and hymns to the heavens. On 'Abwoon,' she intones the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic, orchestrating her own voice in choral harmonies that unfold beneath her like winds on waves. But 'Spaceweaver' sends chills through the soul as Gerrard unlocks this peculiar nasal, back-of-the-throat snarl that she only adopts on such tracks, with a menacing blues groove that recalls 'Meltdown' from her score to The Insider. You can hear much of Gerrard's soundtrack work mirrored here: 'The Sea Whisperer' picks up at the spirit-affirming end of 'Now We Are Free' from Gladiator. And I suspect that the 10-minute opus 'Towards the Tower' might be her rejected overture for the film Constantine. With Ligeti-like voices, suspended glissando strings, and ominous percussion shifts, it certainly would work in the cinematic context of a supernatural thriller. The album has been available for half a year in Australia (worldwide via digital download), so as a bonus, the American release tacks on a bonus track, 'Entry.' Its thudding electronic drum loop and sketchy vocal makes for a disruptive exit. But until you get there, The Silver Tree is an embracing experience. Whether singing Aramaic, English, or that language of her imagination, Lisa Gerrard makes the most heavenly music heard on earth--and maybe beyond. --John Diliberto









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Disc 1:

1. In Exile
2. Shadow Hunter
3. Come Tenderness
4. The Sea Whisperer
5. Mirror Medusa
6. Space Weaver
7. Abwoon
8. Serenity
9. Towards The Tower
10. Wandering Star
11. Sword Of The Samurai
12. Devotion
13. The Valley Of The Moon
14. Entry

Rating: - * Gorgeously Divine ... Can't rave enough about this album. Has been a daily listen for a long time now. Perfect for any mood. Simply incredible. Fully recommended!!!!! Rating: - * Great Relaxation Music ... My friend turned me on to The Silver Tree and I love it! I use it in my treatment room during service. It has a peaceful, other-worldly feel that lets you drift away. Rating: - * Prayerful, Haunting Music ... I had never heard any of Lisa Gerrard's music. I am not familiar with Dead Can Dance, nor have I heard any of her soundtrack work. So I truly do come to this music without any preconceptions or expectations. And I am now an instant fan. I can see why Ms. Gerrard would be sought after as a music score composer. "The Silver Tree" is a very cinematic album. The music is spacious, and suggests that it may be telling some ambiguous story. It truly does feel like a journey of the soul, with moments of sorrow and joy, loss and ecstasy. It has a mournful quality, as if the music itself is weeping. I see in the other reviews that many of the disappointed listeners may be victims of their own expectations since this doesn't "sound like her other work." I can only say that I may be in danger of being a "reverse victim"; I am so entranced by this music, I fear that her previous works will leave me disappointed! (EDITED TO ADD: This did indeed turn out to be the case! After initially writing this review, I purchased some DCD music... and failed to connect with it at the same level that I did with "The Silver Tree".) This is the kind of music that instantly sets me on a search to find more that sounds just like it. I have a feeling that in this case I just won't find much that will match the unique qualities of The Silver Tree. It's a one of a kind. Lisa Gerrard has bared her soul, and it is a wonderful gift she gives us. If you pray or meditate, I think you will find Lisa Gerrard to be a worthy companion. Rating: - * Lisa's Slow Descent Continues : A Huge Disappointment ... Remember the days of "The Mirror Pool". Remember the opening strains of the album "Duality" and how it blew your mind? Well, both those albums were made by Lisa Gerrard, which is why there is no excuse for this disaster, especially since we know Lisa can make tracks such as "Shadow Magnet", "Venteles", and "Nadir". Those were great achievements, and ever since "Gladiator" (how I despise that soundtrack!), things have been getting worse. I think Lisa's descent started IMMEDIATELY when she became a soundtrack composer. Until then, her albums were stunning, but ever since then she has relied on long passages of orchestral work, tracks that never go anywhere, and she has started humming in the lower register of her voice (which doesn't work for me - she sounds better in the medium to upper). This album was originally released only in Australia, and I downloaded this upon first release over the Net. What a crushing disappointment. At best, and make no mistake - these all sound like outtakes from both the 'Gladiator' and 'Whale Rider' Era. That is not a joke or an insult. It is what it is. I could not believe it. Most of the songs are very directionless and sound like they were lying around in an editing room without any purpose, and Lisa and her producers decided to clump them together onto one album. No wonder they didn't bother releasing this as a retail album in Oz. The worst part is, the final track on this US Edition is the bonus track for this release. I don't know how they decided to release the worst track of the bunch as a 'bonus'. This song distorts Lisa's vocals upon some very meandering instrumentation, and is a very startling and disjointed conclusion to a very unsatisfying album. Remember when you've made yourself a dinner with all the right ingredients, but somehow they all didn't come together - that is what this album is. Sorry Lisa, you've lost it. I was once a fan, but too much sub-standard material has been released and I will continue listening to her first two albums as a reminder of the great potential Lisa once had. Rating: - * Far from previous works quality ... If you never get bored, that is the one way to learn. Don't get me wrong, I am really a fan. I love DCD materials, I love her first solo record, I love Duality. Songs like "The Unfolding", "Sacrifice" are just one the best things I have ever heard. But let us not kidding ourselves. We are far far away from that. Less emotion in her voice, no interpretation, noise more than music. Please. I do a better music when I am cooking, and it smells better. I think what she needs is a good song writer and a good producer (Brendan, Boorke), people who are actually good at creating music. And let her sing something meaningfull again. Please Lisa, play the old tunes during your tour!!!