Lisbeth Scott

Lisbeth Scott is the most famous voice you've never heard of...she's the vocalist behind The Passion of the Christ and a bazillion other "film" vocals. But, that is not what defines this singular talent - not in the least.

Lisbeth has been creating soulful music for quite a while - writing, playing and singing to a privileged audience that has long known she's special.

Her latest solo album Passionate Voice is a collection of her voices - hence the name. The cd has a glorious common denominator however; the flowing notes that dance about her strong sensual voice.

Passionate Voice is very romantic, musically exquisite, and has a peaceful earthy breeze running through it - so much so you can practically feel the wind jostling your hair gently as a soothing coastal air zooms up beside you - where ever you are...

The title track, 'Passionate Voice', is a kind of mystical plains drifter haunting piece that conjures up images of lost Lakota or Sioux tribesmen still holding their blood stained peace pipes, smoke bellowing across a dusty defeated valley...me at least.

track 8, 'Stones' (co-written and performed with Lisbeth's handsome husband Nathan Barr), the cello weeps and begs you to hear her tale of relationship ups and downs. It's breath taking musically and exact in its message.

n track 6 called, 'Surrender', you quickly realize it's not an ode to a bad day stuck in traffic with a spit of gas. No. It's Lisbeth styled surrender a gentle multi-layered vocal where she softly gives in to what is.

Ms. Scott wrote all songs with a couple being assisted by equal talents like Bernard Locker (who has a whole Rolling Stone look going gals...), John Luker and the fore mentioned manly beau Nathan. This is a strong work and a must have for lovers of voice.

~Emily Blunt

http://www.bluntreview.com/reviews/libethscott.html
- Blunt Reviews

Scott has never been short of work, often recording wordless vocal sequences for films and TV, releasing her own albums of soothing original songs that lie somewhere between New Age and Chill Out, and collaborating with Windham Hill artist Paul Schwartz on his "State of Grace" albums. But she has enjoyed her biggest success with her haunting end-credits composition for Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," the score for which was nominated for an Oscar last week. The reference to the movie is made in the title of this collection, which received limited release in '04 but just got larger national distribution, and whose passion is of the soft-touch, slow-hand variety as opposed to the more rigorous and aggressive approach of soul.

Coproduced by Scott and her husband, Nathan Burr, "Passionate Voice" carefully avoids specific religious sentiment; the name of Jesus is evoked but once in the 10 cuts, which are book-ended by two versions of its most memorable melody, "Reveal." But there is no mistaking what or who Scott is singing about in "No One But You," in which she asks "How do you love us at all?/ It must be hard some days," or "Surrender" with the lyrics "I surrender these desires I speak/ I surrender and open my heart to what will be." There is no sermonizing, and the music is more simply produced than Kenya's, to whom she is understandably compared. But if you can open your heart, these songs will find their way there.

~By Terry Lawson, Knight Ridder
- Knight Ridder

Passionate Voice, the latest CD from Lisbeth Scott, has an atmospheric, spiritual, almost angelic quality to it. Scott's lyrics and vocals figured prominently in the film, _The Passion of the Christ_, and she has taken the spiritual essence of the film and infused it in the 10 songs here. Her powerful yet gentle vocals lend passion and urgency to the pieces. The songs range from the ethereal, contemplative and spare ("Reveal", and the title track) to the upbeat "No One But You," which conveys the emptiness and lack of faith we may feel at times but how we ultimately pull ourselves up with the help of God or a higher power. The underlying theme for all of the songs is hope, faith and all-embracing love, and how spirituality can foster this despite the inner hardships we may endure. This album, adorned with instrumental backup that is arranged to effectively frame the songs and helps to convey their quiet power, continues to showcase Scott's range as a lyricist and vocalist. She can make mention of contemporary figures (James Dean, for example in "All of These Years") and juxtapose this with spiritual metaphors that make this work unique and something to both uplift listeners and make them think about the essence of spirit.

~Chris Chagaris - www.tollbooth.org

Lisbeth Scott is both multifaceted and ubiquitous, although she's not a household name--yet. Multifaceted because she sings and writes her material and she also plays a multitude of instruments: piano, guitar and djembe to name a few. Ubiquitous because her ethereal vocals and lyrics have graced many television shows and movies, most notably Scott contributed lyrics and her voice to the movie score of The Passion of the Christ. That film directly influenced and inspired her new CD, Passionate Voice (Sarathan Records).

This new album consists of 10 songs focusing on the spirit that aim to transcend earthly boundaries and explore the essence of spirituality in all of our lives. "It's sort of complex for me, but my work on the film was an affirmation for me for what my voice would be used for, which is to comfort and move people," she says. "It think that when The Passion came along, the lyric writing and the vocals I did for the movie really were a clear affirmation as to how to use my voice. It felt right. Regardless of how a person feels-whether they are Christian or not-there's a strong spiritual presence in the film. And, that sense of spirit figured prominently in making Passionate Voice."

Scott, a practicing Christian who says she has a deep belief in God and Christ, does not subscribe to any specific religion (she was raised Episcopalian). The songs on her CD resonate with a strong, positive message that is life-affirming. "To Love and Be Loved" focuses on the beauty of love. "For me, that song's personal, and universal," she says. "It's the core of what I believe we're here on earth for. (The lyrics) Just came out, and they were exactly what I wanted to say."

Another track, the upbeat "No One But You," centers on the beauty in all of us despite times we may do things to obscure that beauty. "That songs shows that we all have moments of doubt, moments when we think, hey, I've totally screwed up, but we get right back on track again," Scott says. "Even people who don't believe in God may turn to Him in a desperate moment and not admit it. Which is okay, because it's between God and them." This very personal view of God and spirit permeates Passionate Voice, as it doesn't aim to profess any particular religious view; rather, listeners can take whatever spiritual meaning from the songs that may speak directly to them. The songs have a loving, comforting quality to them, which is what Scott aims to accomplish.

Scott, who is originally from Boston but now resides in California, co-wrote some of the songs on Passionate Voice with her husband, Nathan Barr, with whom she also co-produced the album. He also plays various instruments on it. "I love writing and working with my husband," she says. Scott has more projects in the pipeline to follow-up this CD. "I will be releasing a 6-song EP, which will be vocals and piano, covers of spiritual songs, songs that have touched me. I also am looking to do another piano/vocal EP of original material."

Whatever music Lisbeth Scott does, you can count on her to infuse it with her spiritual, soul-searching and ultimately uplifting style. "The bottom line for me is that I love singing, and want to use it to touch many people."

~Chris Chagaris - www.tollbooth.org

This brand new and exquisite CD from one of our favorite vocal artists is entitled "Passionate Voice," and much of the material is inspired by her work on the film "The Passion of the Christ". Not to be confusing, there are no pieces that were part of that movie score, but all new songs written or co-written by Lisbeth. It is about spirit ... how we define it .. how we interact with it ... how we experience and embrace it. The music is very much a reflection of realizing how our world is so full of beauty, aggression, light, darkness, love, anger...everything hurtling forth at an unbelievable speed. We all need something to believe in, to keep us grounded, give us faith, lead us to beauty and reveal the divine nature that lives in all of us. She created this CD to move you, to touch you, to transport you, to comfort you and to bring you joy. "Passionate Voice" is co-produced by Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott and features many brilliant and open-hearted musicians such as Greg Ellis on percussion (Vas, Mickey Hart), Dan Lutz on bass, Bernie Locker on guitar (who co-wrote one tune), Chris Bleth on duduk (also played on "The Passion" score) . Nate played a bunch of instruments as usual such as cello, guitar, ocarina, bol bol and many others. The result is quite magical. Lisbeth performs vocals and vocals and also vocals, in addition to keyboards and guitar and harmonium. Throw in a few lyrics in Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic & there you have it.

~Lloyd
- Ambient Visions