Product Description

'Foretold In The Language Of Dreams' is the third album forMantra Recordings by Natacha Atlas. This collection of tracks is an ambient take on her brand of world-dance fusion. The album was recorded entirely in Greece with Marc Eagleton on production duties.

Track Listing

1. Etheric Messages
2. Dawn Bayati
3. Zitherbell
4. Sobek On The Prowl
5. Therapeutic Space
6. Simun
7. Power Of Vibrations
8. Damascus
9. Yeranos
10. Meetings With Reconciliation
11. Solace

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86966 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-19
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ambient, ethereal and somniferous to the point of meditative self-engrossment, Foretold in the Language of Dreams is a welcome but unforeseen deviation in the fascinating career-curve of polycentric Anglo-Asian dance-pop diva (and belly dancer) Natacha Atlas.

Bearing little resemblance to either the ethno-trance world beats of her work with Transglobal Underground or the Middle Eastern pop of her subsequent solo offerings, this album--a collaboration with the Marc Eagleton Project and featuring Greek band Avaton, renowned Syrian qanun player Abdullah Chhadeh and Britain's zither virtuoso Andrew Cronshaw, among others--represents a more progressive direction: an arid, illusory, impressionistic Arabian sound tapestry partially inspired by Sufi and the writings of Armenian-born philosopher and mystic George Gurdjieff.

While any listener may presume too far by attempting to draw any conclusions from this album--who are we to encroach on somebody else's self-assessment?--it wouldn't be too belittling to admire Foretold in the Language of Dreams purely for its exotic flight-of-fancy alone, an enticingly mysterious Eastern antidote to incessantly drizzly British afternoons. --Kevin Maidment

Customer Reviews

how to destroy a great voice
i bought this album after a friend let me hear one track from it - the final track. i thought it was fantastic. incredible voice which is not tainted by the usual crap beats & horrible synth presets. to my horror the rest of this record is laden with the aforementioned nonsense. there are even sampled vocal cut ups that are frankly disgraceful.these guys just dont do NA justice.NA would be better served working with underground electronica musicians like markus popp & fennesz, etc. its the usual problem when you get a fantastic eastern voice and throw it to hopeless western producers that are intent on giving it the BIG production and in doing so they completely destroy the record to the point that it sounds like some rubbish like enigma.this music should be the most soulful in the world - its really so sad.
if you took all the synths, beats & samples out and only kept in traditional instruments along with the voice this album would be 5 stars.

When she sings she sings to me!
I think this is Natacha's 4th album, and it is superb! She has taken a new direction and comes up with what she says she set out to do; to create an eastern - influenced ambient album. It's just beautiful. I would love to see her team up with William Orbit!

Mellow Melarkey
Breathtaking vocals from wonderful Natacha Atlas. Other terrific instrumental playing. The desert ambience shines through, but opens wider to take in other traditions in a seamless, almost stream of consciousness way. The track with Andrew Cronshaw and the icy northern instruments is marvellous. 5 stars for this wouldn't be enough, but what on earth is the "general melarkey" courtesy of Marc Eagleton about? These juvenile interjections really irritate. OK I suppose they are meant to break, or provide a contrast to, the atmosphere, or perhaps punctuate and define the story-book quality of the work, but they just sound juvenile, the sort of comments a teenager might make after his second glass of cider, and drag down this otherwise marvellous piece of work. It implies a casual lack of attention to production detail which is far from the truth. It is actually an excellently produced album. Try to start listening after about a minute and don't bother waiting for the false ending.