Music in High Places, the ultimate international music and travel adventure series, takes top recording artists to the most ancient sites on earth. Each expedition brings music's biggest names to the four corners of the globe and features exciting acoustic performances set against the backdrop of the world's most intriguing natural locations. Take an intimate journey with Shawn Colvin as she discovers the culture, history, and spirituality of Bora Bora and Tahiti. Songs: Polaroids, Private Universe, Anywhere You Go, Diamond in the Rough, Kill the Messenger, Tennessee, Nothing Like You, Catch the Wind, Sunny Came Home, Whole New You.

Average Customer Review: ( 6 customer reviews )
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What person came up with this idea? Good lord: Even the camera work is silly. No. Not silly. Just atrocious. Diamond in the Rough (which honestly looks voiced-over) starts the first 30 seconds as a singing head shot. I am not kidding! No guitar can be seen, just a singing head! After a while, camera pulls back and there is Colvin up to her shins in shimmering blue water, her ethnic dress is partially wet, with her blue shades (sun does looks awfully bright) singing. Of course, we are again treated to the sounds of waves and wind. Egads!

Of course, the engineering of the DVD is just as silly: After each song ends -- and you go back to the main menu.

I love this artist -- so much so, that I scour the web for any performance version of her. I am not trying to be mean or spiteful here, but this DVD is simply nothing more than a monument to artsy-fartsy, superficial filming at its worse. However, the real kiss of death, and the bottom line reason for such a low rating is this: There is no energy here -- none. If you have seen her performance on the Sessions at 54th Street DVD or seen her live, you know what I mean. There is nothing going on here -- nothing.

This DVD is a compilation of one flat rendition after another of some wonderfully nice songs. It is just about the most pathetic attempt at film making and ranks as *the* most flat performance I have ever seen. Talk about DOA.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Much better than some seem to thinkSep 16, 2010
By Wayne M. Simpson "The Stag Hunter"
I read the unflattering reviews of this DVD and bought it with relatively low expectations. Why not? I love Shawn Colvin and it was only $10. But you know what? It's not bad. If fact, it's actually GOOD! The broadcast program is nice enough. We get to see Shawn in interviews, interacting with locals, singing "Happy Birthday" to her father on the golf course and, of course, singing and playing her guitar in exotic and beautiful surroundings. Nice. The music afcionados will object to the tunes being interrupted in places, but they more than make up for this later in the special features.

What makes this DVD, and makes it more than worth the meager cost, is an item in the special features called "Just the Music" where the songs are presented uninterrupted. Yes, there is some environmental noise but these are, after all, outdoor live performances so some noise is to be expected. It's in the background. What you do get is a couple of tunes that don't appear on any other Colvin release: a cover of Crowded House' "Private Universe" and a really nice version of Donovan's "Catch the Wind". As a sailor, seeing Shawn on the bow of a proa bobbing at anchor with the sunset setting the sky on fire behind her is a moving experience.

So yeah, I LIKE this DVD, and I like it even more on subsequent viewings. If you like Shawn Colvin and you're not too terribly picky about things like a little wind noise in a microphone, you probably will, too. So why 4 stars and not 5? I don't like to gush.

2 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Sonically very poor, not a good music DVDApr 11, 2007
By Glenn Mar
The idea of filming Shawn in some beautiful settings is kind of interesting, but the reality is that recording in the wind with location equipment makes for pretty poor sound. I've had this DVD for at least a year now and I find that I never choose to put it on. I'm glad to have it, as a Colvin completist, but I can't recommend it. If you want solo Shawn, the best commercial product is the Live '88 CD.

The highlight of this DVD is Shawn playing one of her songs accompanied by a bunch of island drummers. That was kind of cool. I believe this was filmed as a DirecTV music special, and it fares better in that context. As a music DVD though, there are so many better productions than this.

Actually, I think the best is actually Shawn's single track on the Best Of West 54th DVD.

2 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Wonderful DVD I loved it!Jun 07, 2006
By M. Manzino
I love Shawn and her music! She has been an inspiration to me as an acoustic musician, and her alternate guitar tunings have helped me craft songs of my own. I loved this DVD because Shawn performed classic songs like Polaroids, Diamond in the Rough, Kill The Messenger and of course Sunny Came Home in their stripped down versions. As some reviewers have already stated, I too love Shawn's music stripped down. I saw her in concert about a year ago and was mezmorized by her performance. The fact that the DVD has the songs without the voice overs and such is a nice touch and welcomed by this reviewer. If you love Shawn and her acoustic performances, buy this DVD. You will not be disappointed as this is a slice of Heaven as well as a snapshot of her career.

6 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Music video for AdultsOct 04, 2002
By zaphod0728t "tsimson"
Geez - what a pleasant surprise this was ! Sometimes these videos can be a big letdown - but this was very nicely done. Shawn Colvin songs are always best in there most stripped down version. In my opinion her live and acoustic versions always outshine the studio cuts - and all these songs are simply guitar and voice in some strikingly beautiful settings. What's really amazing is how good the sound is outdoors with the water and breeze - it just adds to the music. One really gets the feeling that your spying her playing the songs alone on the beach. There's also sections of the DVD that are travelogue of the trip there - those parts were ok - but I'm not sure I want to watch them a zillion times - so the DVD allows you to play just the music.

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