Something that always seems to draw the ire of rock fans is when a veteran artist decides to suddenly change his sound to fit with current trends in hopes of winning over a new set of fans.
This certainly isn't the case with Chris de Burgh's 2004 release, The Road to Freedom.
Continuing with the same stately and pristine sounds that resulted in a flirtation with the U.S.
Top 40 during the mid-'80s ("The Lady in Red," etc.), Freedom could have easily been released in 1984 rather than 2004.
As a result, the focus remains the same -- stark arrangements, de Burgh's Peter Gabriel-esque vocals, new age-ish lyrics, etc.
The string-heavy "Snow Is Falling" may sound a bit too much like a tender Broadway ballad for fans of "Don't Pay the Ferryman"; likewise the more sonically understated "Songbird." De Burgh does pick up the pace elsewhere (e.g., "What You Mean to Me" and "Read My Name"), but it all tends to sound the same from both a musical and emotional standpoint.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When Winter ComesChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | The Road to FreedomChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | Snow Is FallingChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | The Words "I Love You"Chris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | SongbirdChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Five Past DreamsChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Here for YouChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | What You Mean to MeChris de Burgh, Phil Palmer | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Rose of EnglandChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | The JourneyChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 11 | Read My NameChris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 43 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 283 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Cameron | Orchestral Arrangements, Piano |
| 2 | Danny Cummings | Drums, Percussion |
| 3 | Chris de Burgh | Composer, Cover Design, Guitar, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Pete Gordeno | Keyboards |
| 5 | Isobel Griffiths | Conductor |
| 6 | Mike McCraith | Cover Design |
| 7 | David Morley | Cover Photo, Photography, Portrait Photography |
| 8 | Phil Palmer | Composer, Guitar |
| 9 | Chris Porter | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 10 | Kenny Thomson | Cover Design, Management |
| 11 | Gavyn Wright | Leader |
| 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). |