Sarah Brightman - Harem Desert Fantasy
Theater star Sarah Brightman turns up the heat in this sexy, baroque DVD counterpart to her 2003 world music CD,Harem. Brightman's artistic purpose on that album--marrying the rhythms of the Middle East to her otherwordly pop sound (as opposed to her boomy, operatic sound)--aren't lost here, but don't expect to catch a glimpse of such exciting studio collaborators as violin star Nigel Kennedy amidst countless shots of the diva in various states of undress. The lavish visual production sets several songs in exotic recreations of fabled harems, where lust is tempered by decorum but sex is clearly on the menu. For a change, Brightman's ethereal version of "Stranger in Paradise" (fromKismet) is shot against a starkly beautiful, mountainous backdrop, and "What You Never Know," a song about the passage of time, includes touching images of children and old people.--Tom Keogh