Happy Rhodes
Many Worlds Are Born Tonight

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Last modified: Sunday, 14 August, 2016
 

Release Information

Samson Music - GC0141 - 1998

Personnel

Happy Rhodes - vocals, acoustic guitar, programming & sequencing
Kevin Bartlett - various percussion, bass, E-bow
Jerry Marotta - drums & percussion
Carl Adami - bass
Rob Taylor - violin
"Barney Rubble" - drums
Kelly Bird & Mitch Elrod - additional voices

Production

Produced by Happy Rhodes

Track Listing

100 Years (Rhodes)
Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (Rhodes)
The Chariot (Rhodes)
Ra Is A Busy God (Rhodes)
If Wishes Were Horses, How Beggars Would Ride (Rhodes)
Roy (back from the offworld) (Rhodes)
Tragic (Rhodes)
Proof (Rhodes)
Looking Over Cliffs (Rhodes)
Winter (Rhodes)
Serenading Genius (Rhodes)

Comments

After the disappointment of 1994's Building the Colossos it's wonderful to find Happy back to her top form on this album.  I'd rank it right up there on a par with  Equipoise (1993) and only marginally below the seminal Warpaint (1991) as one of Happy's most accomplished records.

The delightfully crisp production allows each song to inhabit its own sound-world while providing a unifying consistency of approach across the album as a whole.  On initial listens, songs like "Ra is a Busy God" and "100 Years" have the most immediate impact. After living with the record for a while the beauties of "Roy (back from the offworld)", "Tragic", and (most compellingly of all) "Serenading Genius" grow on the listener irresistably.

This is most definitely an album that repays repeated listening, revealing a wealth of vocal and instrumental delights.  As always, Happy's extraordinary vocal prowess is often well to the fore (the recording captures and presents her superb voice perfectly) and the varied instrumental combinations tickle the ear deliciously. In addition, there is on this album (more so than on any of Happy's previous records) a wonderfully groove-like feel to many of the songs which builds an impressive momentum.

Anyone who likes the later work of Kate Bush (The Dreaming onward) will find much to enjoy in this music. Lovers of the female voice will be delighted. Open-eared music-lovers of all sorts will find something rewarding here.

Happy's fans had to wait a long time for this album.  Was it worth it? You bet it was! This is quintessential Happy Rhodes. An impressive return to her very best form and a record that should be in every collection.

(Review by Steve Fagg)

Links

To buy a copy of Many Worlds Are Born Tonight, visit:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com