Beneath the Surface

I have a wide array of musical tastes, but of all of the music I own and listen to, Beneath the Surface is my favorite album. Every vocalist provides a unique and enjoyable talent to the album, and the music is just plain beautiful. I don't know how he does it, but Garrett Schwarz has an amazing ability to make music have this classical yet ethereal and otherworldly feel and when you are done it does nothing more than to leave you begging for more. I have had this album on my turn-table for quite sometime. If you are into soothing, relaxing, enjoyable, and, for lack of a better term, magical music... you'll love this.

Wow!! That is what you will say after listening to this for the first time. Balligomingo is the brainchild of basically one man, named Garrett Schwarz. The music acts like a tornado as it pulls the listener into its funnel of sound. This is one hell of a great debut. The singers are a little pop sounding at times, but the music is the star, and the singing is just the background. Let me tell you my five favorites of this magnificant album. 1)"Beyond". Incredible. Be prepared to be blown over by this one. 2)"Sweet Allure". Another spellbounder. The beats and rhythms come from all areas, and is just awesome. 3)"Heat". Garrett needs to release this one, this is a hit begging to be a smash. 4)"Marooned". The music shimmers on this one, and is reminescent of Enigma's sound with its own uniqueness. And the singing on this is perfect. 5)"Lust". The title of this one says it all about what you will feel after listening to it. After reading this please go buy it, we all need to do what we can to keep the talented Garrett Schwarz making more of this great music. And hurry up, Garrett, I am wearing this CD out.

I've been following Balligomingo for over a year now but it's been well worth the wait. This sonic soundscape of lush, female singing with ambient-pop and smooth electronic beats is enough to send anyone soaring, and we have Garrett Schwartz to thank for that. He is the master genious behind Balligomingo for most of this is surprisingly done on mixing sounds with a computer or programmer. The atmosphere is all so dreamy with downtempo chill-out amidst swirls of worldbeat and feminine lounge, but that's only part of the reason why Balligomingo is so effective in seducing the listener. The lyrics are steamy and hot while the singing is breathy and mysterious with artists such as Kristy Thirsk of Delerium and the Rose Chronicles getting us all sweaty and bothered on songs like the scorching "Heat". Even Bill Leeb & Chris Peterson of Delerium and Frontline Assembly co-produce to add their own ethereal touches. Jazz vocalist Beverley Staunton casts her spellbinding vocals on songs like "Falling" and "Lust" (which resonates deeper in bass than the others) while Camille Miller provide her vocals on the more familiar single "Lost" (which is featured on the Elevation 3 compilation) and Jennifer Hershman on my favorite track, "Sweet Allure". "Privelege" is another personal favorite with its wonderful string arrangments. I only wish that the song "Waiting" was on here which featured the vocals of kaRIN who sings with the electronic-goth group Collide. That song was featured on their sampler CD a while back, which I never received because of supplies running out. Overall, though, Balligomingo's BENEATH THE SURFACE is a worthy debut that will appeal to fans of Enigma, Enya, Zero 7, Delerium and Massive Attack.

Hope my review was somehow helpful.