Track Listing

1. Holy Devil
2. Burnt By The Sun
3. Poison Sweet Madeira
4. Lazarus
5. A Light That Never Dies
6. Hazy
7. I Can Only Ask Why
8. Meditation On Dvorak's Slavonic Fantasy
9. Pin Pricks And Gravy Stains

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34412 in Music
• Released on: 2006-03-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 36 minutes

Amazon.com
Sophie Solomon's voice is her violin. Whether she's performing with the LSO or playing with her own band, her music is a thrilling combination of technique and passion that refuses to be confined by the conventional parameters of the instrument. Her unique musical vision reaches its full flowering on her self-composed Decca debut solo album Poison Sweet Madeira, an audacious mix of different styles and influences given purpose and unity by her extraordinary violin playing. Poison Sweet Madeira features guest appearances by Richard Hawley, KT Tunstall and Ralph Fiennes.

Daily Telegraph
"if you haven't heard of her, you definitely will"

Daily Mail
"primed for solo stardom"

Customer Reviews

an excellent record
Sophie Solomon's latest "incarnation" as a heady indie singer/song-writer truly stands out from the crowd. A very enjoyable record by "arty" standards, very smart by indie adult pop standards, a great record overall!

Good fun
This is really good and something different. K.T. Tunstall sounds so much better on this and on 'Laughter through tears' by Oi Va Voi, than on her own albums.

Not bad at all
Actually I would give this album 4 and a half stars. All of the songs on this album are well written and entertaining. What Sophie has done is to take various genres and blend them together on one album. The songs are a "nod" towards various influences, but never outright immitations. I really liked the first track "Holy Devil", and thought it conjured up images of the Middle-East in my mind. Although I did play it to a Middle-Eastern colleauge, who was less impressed, and felt that it was "watered down" compared to true Middle-Eastern music. I would agree with this statement, but IMHO that is what Sophie does best- she takes various influences (perhaps even ones that the casual listener might ordinarily not listen to) and makes them highly listenable and appealing to the average listener. One of the other reviewers also pointed out that Sophie's work lacks some of the punch and authenticity of the great Roby Lakatos, but let's be honest... when compared to Lakatos, virtually EVERY violin player will lack that certain "fire". And Sophie's work has just enough authenticity and virtuosity to make it work perfectly. I would also agree that the Fiennes song could become slightly annoying due to his monotone voice (isn't he an ACTOR rather than a singer?!), but its really not that bad. And the KT Tunstall track is superb... I wasn't a fan until now, but she really has a soft and sensual voice on this album. So, if you won't settle for anything less than 100% authenticity or purity, then you might not appreciate this album. But for the average listener, this album is highly recommended!