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.
Dominic Miller
Shapes
Add to Custom List
Add to My Collection
Share on
AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson
Track Listing
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass in B minor, for soloists, chorus & orchestra, BWV 232 (BC E1) | |||||||
| 1 | Dominic Miller | 04:02 | |||||
| 2 | Dominic Miller | 05:05 | |||||
| 3 | Dominic Miller | 04:26 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
| Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 | |||||||
| 4 | Dominic Miller | 04:30 | |||||
| Sonata for solo violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 | |||||||
| 5 | Dominic Miller | 02:18 | |||||
| 6 | Dominic Miller feat: Plácido Domingo / Sting | 04:24 | Amazon | ||||
| Enigma Variations, for orchestra, Op. 36 | |||||||
| 7 | Dominic Miller | 02:42 | Amazon | ||||
| 8 | Dominic Miller | 04:08 | Amazon | ||||
| Misa Criolla, for tenor, piano, chorus & orchestra | |||||||
| 9 | Dominic Miller | 03:07 | Amazon | ||||
| Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 | |||||||
| 10 | Dominic Miller | 04:38 | Amazon | ||||
| Work(s) | |||||||
| 11 | Dominic Miller | 04:47 | Amazon | ||||
| Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor ("Moonlight"), Op. 27/2 | |||||||
| 12 | Dominic Miller | 04:07 | Amazon | ||||
