An easy listening album that is, paradoxically, extremely hard to listen to, Dominic Miller's Shapes offers simplified classical themes and popular songs in insipid arrangements and is guaranteed to disappoint all but the least critical listener.
Backed by a bland string orchestra, Miller displays an unremarkable technique and a propensity for pretty arpeggios and ardently plucked melodies.
If this guitarist has any personality, artistry, or emotional involvement with his material, then they are well hidden behind the veils of cliché and commercialism.
Miller appears in the CD's booklet as a poetic minstrel on a journey of personal discovery; yet his dumbing-down of familiar classical pieces to suit his pop style -- or, more likely, his limited abilities -- negates any sense of exploration.
The rich complexities of Bach, Beethoven, and others are reduced to jejune tunes, and it is clear early on that Miller has taken the course of least resistance.
Guest artists are drawn into the tepid proceedings, perhaps to deflect attention from the featured performer, but their contributions are as unimpressive as Miller's are unmemorable.
Pop singer Sting, tenor Plácido Domingo, Latin vocalist Alejandro Lerner, and jazz trumpeter Chris Botti add their earnest efforts to the jumbled crossover mix, but the results are unsatisfying and more than a little confusing.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prelude No. 3 for ClavierJohann Sebastian Bach | Dominic Miller, Chris Botti | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | Mass In B Minor, BWV 232 Qui Tollis | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Mass In B Minor, BWV 232 - Adagio In G Minor | Dominic Miller | Play | 05:07 | 11 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Mass In B Minor, BWV 232 - Shape Of My Heart | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | Suite No.3 In D, BWV 1068 Air On The G String | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | Partita For Violin Solo No.1 In G Minor, BWV 1001 - Arranged | Dominic Miller | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 7 | Partita For Violin Solo No.1 In G Minor, BWV 1001 - Ave Maria | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | 9th Variation From Enigma Variations - Nimrod | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Gymnopédie No.1 | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | Misa Criolla - 1. Kyrie (Vidala-Babuala) | Dominic Miller | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 13 MB |
| 11 | Partita For Violin Solo No.2 In D Minor, BWV 1004 | Dominic Miller | Play | 02:14 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 12 | iano Sonata No.14 - Moonlight Sonata | Dominic Miller | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 16 MB |
| 47 mins | 107 MB | |||||
| 47 mins | 228 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomaso Albinoni | Composer |
| 2 | Jennifer Allan | Label Direction |
| 3 | Johann Sebastian Bach | Composer |
| 4 | James Banbury | Cello, Keyboards, Programming |
| 5 | Ludwig van Beethoven | Composer |
| 6 | Chris Botti | Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 7 | Miles Bould | Percussion |
| 8 | Budapest Film Orchestra | Orchestra |
| 9 | Mark Cavell | Label Direction |
| 10 | Richard Cottle | Keyboards, Programming |
| 11 | Paul Cox | Photography |
| 12 | Brian Deming | Engineer |
| 13 | Plácido Domingo | Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Tenor (Vocal), Vocals |
| 14 | Edward Elgar | Composer |
| 15 | Geoff Foster | Engineer |
| 16 | Meredith Friedman | Label Direction |
| 17 | Andy Green | Engineer, Mixing, Project Coordinator |
| 18 | Nick Ingman | Arranger, Conductor, String Arrangements |
| 19 | Andy Jackson | Mastering |
| 20 | Marc Johnston | Label Direction |
| 21 | Alejandro Lerner | Featured Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 22 | The London Session Orchestra | Orchestra |
| 23 | Dominic Miller | Arranger, Guitar, Primary Artist, Project Coordinator |
| 24 | Rufus Miller | Guitar |
| 25 | Monique Mizrahi | Assistant, Assistant Engineer |
| 26 | Simon Osborne | Engineer |
| 27 | Pino Paladino | Bass |
| 28 | Pino Palladino | Bass |
| 29 | Nick Patrick | Arranger, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Project Coordinator |
| 30 | Fabio Patrignani | Engineer |
| 31 | Costa Pilavachi | Label Direction |
| 32 | Marianna Pleszkan | Cello |
| 33 | Jim Raid | A&R, Project Coordinator |
| 34 | Ariel Ramírez | Composer |
| 35 | Jason Rebello | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 36 | Jim Reid | A&R, Project Coordinator |
| 37 | Erik Satie | Composer |
| 38 | Jacky Schroer | Label Direction |
| 39 | Franz Schubert | Composer |
| 40 | Giles Stanley | Project Coordinator |
| 41 | Sting | Composer, Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 42 | Sting & Placido Domingo | Featured Artist |
| 43 | Claudia Wafer | Art Direction, Artwork, Design, Direction |
| 44 | Carol Sue Wright | Label Direction |
| 45 | Gavyn Wright | Leader |
Dominic Miller
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |
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