Here Is What Is
| Here Is What Is | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 15, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 64 Minutes | |||
| Label | Red Floor Records | |||
| Producer | Daniel Lanois | |||
| Daniel Lanois chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Filter | 80%[3] |
| Mojo | |
| Now | |
| PopMatters | 8/10[6] |
| Q | |
| Uncut | 6/10[8] |
Here Is What Is is the fifth studio album by Canadian songwriter and record producer Daniel Lanois. It was first released on December 15, 2007, through Red Floor Records as a high-quality download, and later released on CD on March 18, 2008.[9]
The album is the result of the same project that led to the 2007 documentary "Here Is What Is" that premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival in September. The movie documents the aesthetics and creative process behind Lanois' approach to music making and recording. The album has been presented as a direct soundtrack to this film, and some of the tracks ("Beauty" and "Chest of Drawers") are conversations with Brian Eno.[10]
Track listing
All songs written by Daniel Lanois unless otherwise noted.
- "Chest of Drawers"
- "Where Will I Be"
- "Here Is What Is"
- "Not Fighting Anymore"
- "Beauty"
- "Blue Bus"
- "Lovechild"
- "Harry"
- "Bells"
- "This May Be The Last Time"
- "Smoke #6"
- "I Like That"
- "Duo Glide"
- "Bladesteel"
- "Moondog"
- "Sacred and Secular"
- "Joy"
- "Luna Samba"
"Where Will I Be" is a new version of a song which had been previously released on Emmylou Harris' album Wrecking Ball in 1995.
The tracks "Lovechild" and "Sacred and Secular" respectively incorporate the pedal steel guitar melody used on "Carla", from the Belladonna album, and the guitar melody used on "Transmitter", from the Shine album.
Personnel
- Daniel Lanois – guitar, bass, vocals
- Brian Blade – drums
- Garth Hudson – keyboards
- Jim Wilson
- Daryl Johnson
- Tony Mangurian
- Tony Garnier
- Marcus Blake
- Steven Nistor – drums
- Ada Small
- Shawn Stroope
- Willie Green
- Aaron Embry
- Brady Blade
References
- ^ "Reviews for Here Is What Is by Daniel Lanois". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Here Is What Is - Daniel Lanois". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Lanois' impeccable production outshines his songwriting, but it's truly beautiful what this man can build. [Winter 2008, p.100]
- ^ It's top quality stuff. [May 2008, p.106]
- ^ Perlich, Tim (April 10, 2008). "DANIEL LANOIS". Now. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Henderson, Stuart (31 March 2008). "Daniel Lanois: Here Is What Is". PopMatters. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ It's an undeniably chin-stroking effort, songs revolving with quiet, Dire Straits-ian grace around a pedal-steel guitar, while a variety of vocalists take his musical atmospherics and run with them. [May 2008, p.135]
- ^ This collection, like all of his work, conjures a world unto itself, drawing from seemingly random sources to weave a work of mystic, spiritual power. [May 2008, p.102]
- ^ Amazon.com: Here Is What Is: Daniel Lanois: Music
- ^ Red Floor Records