When a science fiction
actor casually mentions they're working on a CD, it's inevitable--you
think of Bill Shatner warbling "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." No
matter how much you like the actor, no matter how many of their movies
and TV appearances you've watched in a state of fannish rapture, there
is always that underlying terror that the product they lovingly produce
will be...well, crappy.
Fortunately, this is
not the case with "Songs from Movies that have Never Been Made" "But
Debbie," you might ask "You're a huge Mira fan; how can you be unbiased?"
Well I can't. If Mira had put Out a terrible CD, I would have listened
politely...and kept my mouth shut.
But as a singer, songwriter,
arranger, and performer, I can honestly say that this is an excellent
project. The CD (which doublcs as an interactive CD-ROM, although
I can't get my computer to believe it) contains ten tracks that highlight
Mira's vocal abilities, as well as a diverse range of musical styles.
"Songs" starts out
with "Dreaming," a techno dance number reminiscent of the early Eurythmic
songs. Mira's vocals are solid on this one and, while the song may
go on a little long for my attention span, it could easily draw a
crowd onto any dance floor.
The album really begins
to show its spirit with "Izawe." an easy, rhythmic number which has
possihly the best arrangement on the CD A simple song, it conjures
up images of cool island evenings.
By the time we've made
it to "Feo Bajondo," it's apparent that the strength of "Songs" lies
in its stylistic diversity. I find it almost impossible to listen
to this song without a huge grin covering my face I don't get the
"Mouse" and "Squirrel" bit, but hey, just bob my head and enjoy the
pretty musical colors.
"Travelling" was somewhat
disappointing for me. The song itself is an excellent, sultry 40's
noire ballad. The problem is that the instrumental mix overbalances
Mira's vocals. which are very high in her range Instead of complementing
her performance, the background music overpowers it. Consequently,
the song loses a lot of its magic as the lyrics are obscured by the
arrangement.
Mira makes a huge stylistic
jump from "Travelling" to "Not Your Way." I must admit, I didn't care
for this hip-hop dance track at first. However. the more I listen
to it, the more it gets under my skin. I never expected Mira to delve
into the Friday night, techno-rave thing, but it works in a weird
way.
From this number, we
go straight into one of the most lyrical songs on the CD, "The Sea
More." As in "Travelling," Mira stays mainly in her upper range on
this track. (Actually, the word "stratospheric" might be more appropriate.)
This time, however, the mix is perfect and produces a truly haunting
and beantiful piece.
"Seventeen Names of
Marduk" is, for the lack of a better word, cool Mira goes all out
on the vocals, kicking up the lower ranges, and putting all that wonderful
Eastern European passion into every syllable. I have no idea what
she's singing about, but it's okay. A very, very cool song.
"Children's Song,"
which is dedicated to Mira's mother and grandmother, is a compilation
of excerpts from her favorite children's books. Mira speaks... no,
purrs these wonderful passages in four languages with a background
of melodic, yet rhythmic instrumentals and vocals.
The vocals on "Ugom"
are credited to "Mr. Mira," which pretty much says it all. The song
comes "from the ultimate Balkan action movie.. production was halted
when it became clear that the idea of a female action hero was inconceivable
in that part of the worId" (liner notes).
The last complete sung
on the CD is "Fear of Love," sung in French. A strong closer, this
slow, romantic piece conveys Mira's ability to express emotions in
any language. The CD closes where it began, with a reprise of "Dreaming."
To be perfectly honest,
I bought the CD because I'm a fan of Mira's. But I listen to it (often)
because I love world music. A multitude of different textures, sounds,
and rhythms make "Songs from Movies that were Never Made" a must-have
for any fan of international music.
Debbie
"Faith Manages" - Delenn, Babylon 5
"Be Kind" - Mira Furlan