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All Music Guide
by Mathias Sheaks
Although it is often misplaced as a bootleg item
for its frequent unavailability in the US, Alhambra is actually an enhanced
CD-ROM EP that doubles as a showcase for alternate -- and, in some cases,
more revealing -- acoustic versions (and one ill-fated remix) of several
songs from the band's 1995 album, The Edges Of Twilight; in fact, the
only new material to be found here is "Time," a collaboration
with the band's close friend and long-time British folk legend Roy Harper
(a collaborative favor returned by Martin on Harper's 2000 release,
The Green Man) that, to most Tea Party fans, will probably be worth
the price paid alone. However, despite this lacking wealth of new or
previously unreleased material, these renovations of past songs shine
with such an ineffable light and speak with such ingeniously thick accents
about the striking ability and vision of the music here, that the band
is still able to create something entirely worthwhile for the die-hard
and casual fan alike; the only stumble to be found is on Rhys Fulber's
remix of "Sister Awake," which is interesting, to be sure,
but cannot hope to offer up the passion and power of the original, and
thus, is doomed in the steep trap of its own purpose. In stripping down
the electric-oriented arrangements for songs like "The Bazaar"
(entitled "The Grand Bazaar" in this version) and "Silence,"
the band demonstrates just how talented they are in any setting by allowing
their abilities in blending extremely strong melody with eastern instrumentation
and arranging to flourish away from the high alters of rock and roll.
Furthermore, almost everything to be found here continues to prove what
a truly gifted -- and more importantly, unique -- songwriter and lyricist
Jeff Martin really is. The enhanced capabilities of the CD contain such
things as the videos to "Sister Awake" and "Shadows On
The Mountainside," live performance clips, a complete discography,
and other collected amenities for the fans, but it must be noted that
many people have had difficulties with getting the enhanced section
to work properly on their CD-ROM for whatever reason even though the
album, itself, plays without problem. At the end of the day, Alhambra
may not win over hordes of new fans, but it is a must-have for anyone
already familiar with the Tea Party and an essential entry into the
collection of the fanatic.
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