Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A New Pop Queen Emerges
I've been a huge Dar fan ever since my old roomie got me hooked on Mortal City. I make sure to get to all of her local concerts, and get her CD's as soon as they're out. Last time we saw her live, we to hear a ton of the new songs. Best part of that concert was the opening act. The new songs were all pure drivel, and actually made me regret sitting outside for 3 hours to get front row seats. Having heard them in album form now (somebody else's.....this is one Dar cd I will probably never own), I have to admit that they do come out better on album than live. However, for a fan of folk music, this cd was a huge dissapointment.Dar has always written fabulous lyrics. They tell stories with such detail that you can see it in your head as she's singing them. Her music matched those lyrics beautifully. With "Beauty", the lyrical genius is mostly gone, and the simpler music that matched her unique voice is gone as well. I do appreciate having the extra musicians in this album, something that I thought was geatly missing from "Green World", but their addition adds yet more complication to a Dar that didn't need complicaion. This album will deffinately bring Dar into the mainstream, bringing in more album sales, and some actual major radio airplay. She will deffintely acquire more fans. Luckily for her, there are more pop fans out there to make up for all of the folk fans that she'll lose.
Rating:  - She's the Best there is...
Dar Williams' music just gets better and better. I ordered two of The Beauty of the Rain albums, one to give to a friend- so I wouldn't have to lend her mine... I did not get the CD yet, but am listening to it via Amazon's Digital Library. Deciding on which song to tell you about is hard, they're all 'individual'. The duet [track 9-'Whispering Pines'] is beautiful. Track 10, 'Your Fire Your Soul' does get me thinking 'this is exactly why I want to stay home during the holidays!' And the final track, 'I Have Lost My Dreams' is a wonderful choice for an ending. I get the chills. Of course it did take me quite sometime to get to the end, as I kept replaying the first few tracks. -'I Saw a Bird Fly Away' is closest (in my opinion) to her previous releases. Just get the album, you'll hear what I mean. It makes no difference what kind of mood you're in, listening to her music is always the right choice. She hits it every time! ... She truly is a wonderful entertainer as well as a terrific storyteller in both her music and her song intro's. The bonus of having her do intro's on this album is worth additional stars, bumping it past the max. 5! Thanks Dar!!!
Rating: - Her best yet...
I just bought this album, listened and loved it. I have always liked her, as I bought "Mortal City" a few years ago and last summer bought "Out There Live", sort of a greatest hits live album--which I loved, but this new album is solid. Dar's folksy story telling songs are taken to a new level. Her ballads are great but she really is strongest on the faster songs. I like tracks 1, 3 and 6 the best. On #3 "I saw a Bird Fly Away" John Popper of Blues Traveler does vocals and harmonica adding a unique element which really makes the song wonderful. Personally, I have always been a fan of the Lillith Fair crew, my favorites being Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, Paula Cole and Tori Amos. If you are looking for something different but along those same lines, Dar Williams is great, and this album is a good one.
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