Many Worlds Are Born Tonight by Happy Rhodes (Review)

This is the first record massively marketed by this talented, yet underrated chanteuse named Happy Rhodes. Before this record, however, she has had a growing cult of followers in different parts of the United States, being heard on independent spiritual music programs such as “Echoes.”

Happy Rhodes owns a unique voice, capable to go from the lowest range of PJ Harvey to the highest of Kate Bush. She also makes an intense music that has had modern electronic effects, but with spiritual content.

After 1994’s somewhat disappointing Building the Collossus, and a four-year absence during which Happy left the Aural Gratification label for Samson Music, Happy Rhodes released her most perfect album ever in 1998.

The style of “Many Worlds Are Born Tonight” balances somewhere between trip-hop, ambient, and goth. Most of this album is dark, yet very beautiful; from the Nick-Cave-meets-Kate Bush-and-Björk “Looking over Cliffs,” to the Tangerine Dream-ish “Ra is a Busy God,” to the somewhat trip-hoppish “100 Years” and “Proof.”

This record is one of the greatest jewels of emotion and creativity to emerge from 1998.

Written by Pekky Marquez.