Belladonna

It is a huge relief for Lanois fans to find him active a mere 2 years after the superb 'Shine' album. The wait between that album and the previous solo effort 'For the Beauty of Wynona' was a long 10 years.

For those not familiar with Lanois' career, you can start your journey by knowing that he is a now legendary producer who brought his unmistakable signature to the likes of U2 (Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and more), Bob Dylan, The Neville Brothers, Peter Gabriel (So) - the list is enormous. He is a longtime collaborator of producer/musician Brian Eno, bringing an altogether more humanist, organic warmth to his productions - nothing sounds synthesised in Lanois' sonic world, everything is alive.

I must admit, I have always been chasing an album from Lanois that rivals his first solo outing 'Acadie', still equal to any album I've ever heard. If you don't know 'Acadie', I cannot urge you enough to seek it out.

If you had ever wished that Lanois would abandon lyrics and vocals and paint an album with melodies and textures, Brian Eno style, then 'Belladonna' will have you in raptures. It's a complex, rich, ethereal thing of beauty with enough detail to keep the most discerning listener happy for months.

At first you might miss the organic warmth of Lanois' voice and his sense of lyrical poetry, but his real contribution to music has always been his unique sound and this album allows us the freedom and pleasure of exploring musical journeys that are rich and beautiful, ranging from ambient soundscapes, soulful New Orleans style melodies, latin refrains and endlessly inventive instrumentation and production. Tellingly, Lanois' old collaborator Malcolm Burn is here, playing a variety of instruments and no doubt contributing ideas to the richly detailed, experimental production. Some tracks, 'Flametop Green' for example are just achingly beautiful, perfectly executed.

If you are familiar with the early works of Lanois and Eno (for example the 'Apollo atmospheres and soundtracks', you'll have some idea of what to expect from this cd, although I find, unlike Eno, Lanois always focuses his work melodically and spiritually. You often feel as if you are in a private church, so overwhelmingly spiritual is the movement of chords and instruments; the depth of sonic atmospheres created on this disc are just astonishing.

Lanois fans have been owed a suite of songs of this quality for some time, and it's been worth the wait. Absolutely essential listening.

If you were ever looking for a metaphor to describe the conundrum of dark beauty and spine-tingling warmth that is the music of Daniel Lanois, then "belladonna" is it: a beautiful poisonous flower revered for its power to heal. Eschewing lyrics as he did for several tracks on his previous album, Lanois gives listeners the chance to "make up their own scenarios" as he puts it. And you will: these songs are tremendously evocative of desert nights, broken hearts, contemplation, vulnerability and moments of human connection. You'll be writing your own Wim Wenders movie in your mind. Pedal steel and feedback are the stars here, but Lanois and his collaborators twist them via Latin and desert country influences to produce a suite of tracks that sound much bigger and richer than you might give the arrangements credit for. These are soundscapes you can disappear into. They're all given the unmistakable Lanois treatment in the mix which could be accurately described as Taoist: I have no idea how he does it, but he consistently conveys a sense of emptiness and overflowing immensity all at once. It's magical.

Ok...Daniel Lanois. Talented, successful, mysterious. Love everything he's done. Is Belladonna a perfect record? No. But it definitely grows on you. I'm big into Lanois' characteristic 'atmospheres' and his wonderfully sensual playing. This album gets a 4 because 1) I'm still listening and learning about it, 2) It's not what I expected- which is good and bad, 3) It's a bit self-indulgent, and there's really nothing new here. All of which is good and bad. Buy it, experience it, just don't expect it to blow you away, expect it to soak into as you sip tequilla and dream of a beautiful lover you have yet to meet.

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