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Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis
Lyrics | Articles | Reviews  | Production Notes
The eleven songs on this CD are meant to carry the listener through the most mystical and dramatic events in Hara's life-changing journey.


Hara's Quest CD Lyrics from Hara's Quest

©All songs and lyrics copyrighted by Barbara Lewis and Cutting Edge Productions.




Click on song name to read lyrics 

1. "Journey Home" (3:31)," Hara's dream-vision of a mysterious, solitary island with a tower of light.  

2. "Cities" (4:35)," a hypnotic song about traveling by sea in search of "home." 

3. "Vision" (3:29)," a haunting story of an extra-terrestrial. 

4. "Trust" (4:55)," seductive voices offer Hara the promise of release from doubt and worry in exchange for her freedom. 

5. "Body" (5:40)," a deeply sensual body massage helps Hara recover her lost sense of purpose. 

6. "Mandala" (4:36)," the energizing, color-rich mandala image stimulates Hara's fertile imagination.    

7. "Hara's Dance" (3:01)," a rhythmic, joyful, dance that takes Hara back to her youth. 

8. "Lullaby" (5:58)," a restful song about letting go of the past and surrendering to the present. 

9. "Dolphin Dream" (5:26)," an underwater dream of a dolphin-guided journey to ancient times.  

10. "Sight" (2:58)," Hara recalls the trials and lessons of a long journey that has given her the ability to foresee the future. 

11. "Future" (5:27)," Hara's inner "voice of ecstasy" responds to the story of Earth's past, present and future. 



 

Articles

The Montreal Gazette 
by Kathryn Greenaway
(May 30, 1996)

 
     Barbara Lewis is a classically trained singer on a quest.  She is forever searching for a deeper understanding of her past and of her destiny.  Over the years she has expanded her operatic vocals to embrace the texture of world music, the meditative quality of new-age music and the highly creative improvisational quality of jazz. 

     And now after two years of work with husband Nicholas Regush, she presents the latest chapter in her journey of discovery.  Hara's Quest, a Cutting Edge Productions, is at the Geordie Space this weekend. 

     Lewis wrote the music and lyrics and Regush wrote the narrative Lewis uses to tie the story together.  She is accompanied onstage by five musicians, backup singers Beverley McGuire and Beth Katz and dancer Marija Scekic. 

     "In this madcap world we have lost the ability to wonder and remain curious," Lewis said recently.  "This show is about a willingness to pursue a dream to understand more about life." 

     Hara, the story's heroine, is searching for the meaning of a reoccurring dream.  In the dream, Hara visits a mysterious island, which she believes to be her true home.  And so Hara embarks on a search and discover adventure during which she encounters friendly spirits, demons and dolphins. 

     The story is inspired by an actual incident.  During a Florida vacation, Lewis and Regush were searching for shells along a beach one evening when they spotted a great blue heron staring intently out to sea.  Joining in the stare, they focused on a pod of dolphins floating quietly close to shore and realized the animals were staring right back at them.  Time froze. 

     "It seemed they (the dolphins) were as curious about us as us about them," Lewis said.  "It was a meeting of the ancient past and future." 

     Lewis's songs have a decided new age feel to them.  She is particularly drawn to the soothing qualities of the musical style.  One of the healing songs included in the show's repertoire is Lullaby, written by Lewis following the suicide of her brother two years ago. 

     "I wrote it for him and for myself to help the healing process after his death," she said.  "It's a song that seems to speak to everybody who wants to let go of the things that hurt and move on." 

     She believes there is an audience out there for her brand of musical journey and denouement. 

     "In the end, Hara understands the meaning of her dream - it's a surprise ending." Lewis said. 

     Lewis teaches voice part-time at Concordia University and gives voice workshops and seminars through her company, Cutting Edge Productions. 

     In 1993 Lewis performed her one-woman experimental show Book of Dreams off-Broadway in New York City.  The following year the show's music was released on compact disc. 

     A CD of Hara's Quest is in the works and a Canadian tour of the show is also in the planning stages. 

 
 


 
New Life Magazine, NYC
Hara’s Quest, Barbara Lewis
Cutting Edge Productions CD, 11 Songs

(Sept/Oct 1997) 


The songs on this imaginative CD are all like threads that weave together to form a story of fantasy and spiritual discovery. To tell the story, Barbara Lewis sings these songs in the persona of an imaginary character named Hara, who lives 26 years into the future.  

In the opening song, entitled Journey Home, Hara tells of a recurring dream she has of an enchanted island she believes to be her true spiritual home. She acts upon this belief and searches for the island. The ensuing songs chart her journey. She sails on a ship past ruins of cities all over the world into the unknown. Along the way, she comes upon an extra-terrestrial who expands her visionary powers, demons who try to seduce her into relinquishing her freedom in exchange for the fulfillment of her desires, and magical dolphins who guide her through enchanted waters to ancient times.  Eventually, Hara attains her goal of the quest, and in doing so gains insight, joy and fulfillment. 

Lewis’s songs are well-crafted, blending elements of new age, folk, classical, jazz and World music.  She uses her classically-trained soprano voice artfully to give them depth and nuance. The musical arrangements are superb, and the musicians and backup singers perform them with gusto and skill. Hara’s Quest is a beautifully conceived, ambitious work that stretches the boundaries of the New Age tradition with its originality and maturity.  


A Sampling of Reviews

(Click for Articles)



"This beautiful exotic sound matrix accentuates a great voice and visionary lyrics."

- Harry Williams, MP3.com
review of "Cities" from Hara's Quest,

"Hara's Quest is a beautifully conceived, ambitious work that stretches the boundaries of the New Age tradition with its originality and maturity." 

New Life Magazine, New York City 

"A quintessential musician...Barbara's music has a very beneficial effect... feeding our inner hungers. 


ALL TURNATIVES - California
 

"Lewis has the big voice, she drew a spellbinding sense of rapture." 

THE CHRONICLE - Halifax, Canada 

"Lewis is a gifted singer, but more importantly, a born communicator." 

THE GAZETTE - Montreal, Canada

"Barbara is a woman with a special voice... and her recordings are made with a strong personal touch. On her latest CD (Hara's Quest), 11 songs describe a ...deep and fantastic journey...Great energy...special sensitivity and emotional rhythm." 

 M. Montes - Amazings Reviews

"Two women who have operatic backgrounds and now offer albums that are both romantic and metaphysical are Sarah Brightman and Barbara Lewis. Brightman, who became known for her singing in Phantom Of the Opera, is more eclectic in her sources on the album...Eden.... Passionate melodic torch songs.

Lewis, who writes her own material, has performed on stage in shows such as Book of Dreams. (Her CD), Hara's Quest tells the story of a woman who searches for her true home and on her way meets spirits, dolphins, ET's and others as she visits both past and future cities. Quite a journey carried by a powerful voice."

- Aquarius, Atlanta

 

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