The SARAH BRIGHTMAN Special
- HAREM a desert fantasy…

This one-hour journey takes you through the creation of Sarah Brightman's Harem album. The Arabic word for forbidden place, the Western association is usually misconstrued as a brothel, which is not exactly the case. Contributors to the sound of the record include Egyptian musicians lending a haunting North African and Middle Eastern desert mood with traditional pipes & drums, like the Lebanese percussion. From these location recordings they also zipped by Abbey Road studios for some Nigel Kennedy violin. There is the orchestra and choirs, all supplementing Brightman's amazing voice. At the German studios the vocals and modernized electronics are added to the organic, earthy sounds, produced by Frank Peterson. Jaz Coleman (ex-Killing Joke) created the orchestration. Sarah's fantastic voice is obviously one of the highlights. A half hour behind-the-scenes documentary takes you through the process and includes the Harem video shot in Morocco and Egypt. The video can also be viewed in an alternate version (depicting the recording process & locations). Tracks from the album are scattered throughout the DVD and the music has a vast cinematic feel to it, sometimes tasting like a 007 movie. Makes you think, isn't it time they use Sarah for a James Bond theme song i.s.o. some mainstream pop choice? There's a location photo shoot & Photo Gallery. Sarah is extremely photogenic, seeming like a bushy haired frumpy lass, but styled & lighted she looks amazing. You've probably seen bits of this on TV with the album's release, but the DVD contains the whole deal. You'll can also access a detailed text Biography and Discography. With 15 million album sales under her garter, Brightman has come a long way since the Phantom Of the Opera... but I'm not so sure whether the album's release was good or bad timing (coming out around the 2nd Gulf War).

4 / C
- PB

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