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Songs from the Rain

Hothouse Flowers - Songs from the Rain Audio CD

A fair review of the Hothouse Flowers "Songs from the Rain" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Hothouse Flowers reviews here, or go back to the Hothouse Flowers tabs.

Band: Hothouse Flowers
Title: Songs from the Rain
Rating:

Release Date: 1993-03-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: This Is It (Your Soul) 2: One Tongue 3: Emotional Time 4: Be Good 5: Good for You 6: Isn't It Amazing 7: Thing of Beauty 8: Your Nature 9: Spirit of the Land 10: Gypsy Fair 11: Stand Beside Me

Dazzling
" It is still a set that I return to repeatedly for songs of faith & inspiration. Eleven years have passed since the release of "Songs from the Rain. The opener "This Is It (Your Soul)" is one of my all-time favorite songs with its driving beat, hypnotic bass line, Liam O'Manonlai's impassioned vocals, and the great tune and lyric, "And they're talking at you not with you; and you're bored with what's around & you've tried all the quacks, all the doctors & all you really need is a healing sound. " "Be Good" is another resonant classic that I've been playing for the last decade with the great upbeat chorus, "Be good, be kind, be truthful & feel free; and keep your wholly loving eyes on me. " The rest of the set is also consistently strong. "Thing of Beauty" has a great sense of urgency associated with appreciation of the beautiful, "Can't you feel it in the wonder of the birds first flight, . . . Can't you see it in the gentle falling snow . . . like a mother feels when she knows her child has grown. " For me these songs resonate as some of the most spiritual recordings in my collection. I think of the teachings of The Urantia Book that define Truth, Beauty & Goodness as qualities by which we approach the Divine; and Hothouse Flowers hits on all of the big 3 in these two songs. "Isn't It Amazing" is also another great song with its tasty lead electric guitar giving a spiritual flavor much as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin plays his electric guitar, "Every cry is a song & every song is a prayer & our prayers must be heard, fill the air. " Sometimes spiritually oriented music falls into a trap of sounding more as if it is coming from the head than the heart. This set is exquisite because it so dazzlingly embodies the spirit of the heart. It is a wonderful achievement, not to be missed! As I wait for my copy of the new Hothouse Flowers set "Into Your Heart," I'm again in awe of this wonderful set. Bravo!.

Stunning
The musicians are at their very best, the songwriting is inspired, and the vocals are so genuine, that you just want to keep listening and you hope it will never end. This album is unbelievable.
I own about 500 CDs. This is the best one I own.
the upbeat folk/rock tunes will have you smiling and singing along. But personally, when they slow it down (Your Nature for example) they are at their very best!
GET THIS CD!!.

An Emotional Time
Lo, Creed, or any other flavor of the month one cares to mention. The Hothouse Flowers' SONGS FROM THE RAIN has more soul in one song than any ten albums from the likes of J. The title of this album could very well have been "An Emotional Time", the name of one of the songs here. But it's an emotion that comes straight from the hearts of the musicians rather than being manufactured in some manager's office.

The music is mostly a combination of folk and rock, but you'll also hear elements of gospel, blues, and jazz. It's a very strong sound that these guys put out. They definitely seem more careful and practiced than spontaneous, but this makes their music sound wonderfully crafted. The instrumentation is quite tight, yet there is still lots of room for the individual musicians to show off their skills. I dare anyone to listen to something like the "One Tongue" without tapping his or her foot or "Isn't It Amazing" without wanting to sing along.

This is one of the few albums that I can describe as being genuinely joyful, with none of the emotion feeling false or faked. Even the songs detailing sadness manage to keep a hopeful attitude. But this isn't a sugarcoated or sickening form of delight; it's much more authentic than that. The title of the CD is quite appropriate; these are songs sung by people sheltering from the rain, but keeping their spirits up all the same. The lyrics are powerful, and as haunting as the music.

There are only a few sections where the album drags. I admit to preferring their faster songs to their ballads, but even their slower stuff here is pretty good. In fact, I think that's a fair summation of the CD. At its worst, it's merely slow and fairly decent. But at its best, it is almost magical. And best of all, it's really fun music; this stuff is a hoot to listen to. SONGS FROM THE RAIN is definitely a recommended purchase, especially if you've never heard of this band before.

Beautiful, moving music

This Irish band played soulful music that combined gospel elements, blues and pub rock with equal parts musicianship and vocal flair. "Songs from the Rain" was Hothouse Flowers most commercially successful release, but "People," "Home" and the hard to find "Born" are also excellent selections. It's like Van Morrison meets Springsteen.

Liam O'Maonlai brings impassioned vocals along with outstanding keyboard skills. Fiachna O'Braonain plays a variety of stringed instruments. Peter O'Toole rounds out the core group with bass guitar, bouzouki and backing vocals. Leo Barnes adds saxophones and Jerry Fehily is on drums.

Some of the key tracks I like are "This is it (Your Soul)" with lyrics like "now you're body's tired and sore/well there's rest that's in the water/and there's an answer on the streets/and if you take the time to listen/there's a chance you will meet/your soul. . . "

"An Emotional Time" has a touch of Chris Isaak/"Wicked Game" twang guitar and vocal falsetto. "It came in a dream you and I were there/you found me while I was frightened/you said/change should not be difficult/you said change should lead us home/to an emotional time/songs from the rain. . . "

"Thing of Beauty" is perhaps their best known song, with it's gentle picked electric guitar, underlying piano and growing crescendo of vocals that builds to a joyous choir of voices. ""Look out you window on a winters morning/your breath is steam and there's frost falling/and the sun casts a spell upon the road/a thing of beauty is not a thing to ignore. "

"Spirit of the Land" picks up more upbeat tempo, like a horse galloping along a sandy beach, and the lyrics are charged with energy and social consiousness. "there's a gathering of races and a gathering of soul/there's be choosing of direction and a distribution of roles/earth is turtle island/and air is isle of green/water is an Indian/fire is aborigine. " There are powerful wordless vocals and outstanding piano in this tune.

The entire disk is full of strong tunes, a finely crafted set of music. The songs are gentle and powerful, spiritually moving, with lyrical imagery that transports one far away and makes one reflect upon the world around us and our part in it.

A spiritual essential for todays fearful world.....
I have had this album for a while now, but haven't heard it for a while. Since the insane terror brought upon this country last week, this country has been in a state of tension, anger, and patriotism. I picked it up, and maybe its the times, but inspired feelings like no other time I can remember came over me listening to this album again. The entire album is a spiritual awakening, and it deserves a listen during these trying times. Just amazing songs. . . One after the other. . So if you need a time of reflection, a spiritual pick me up, pick up this cd and feel the raw emotion, and poetry of each beautiful song. This CD is definitely a thing of beauty!.

You can see a complete list of all Hothouse Flowers discography, or go back to the Hothouse Flowers tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.