Soul Mining: A
Musical Life by Daniel Lanois is about Daniel Lanois' life, from his beginnings
as a boy in Canada first learning how to record, to his many musical projects,
eight of which earned Grammy awards. Setting out from the studio he and his
brother made in his mother's basement, Daniel Lanois travelled across the
country, working on various artists' records from the likes of U2 to Bob Dylan.
The book not only covers the process of making and producing these albums and
many more, but also covers some of the technology that Lanois used, the places
that the albums were recorded in, and Lanois' philosophies towards recording
those albums. It additionally focuses on the locations that the albums were
recorded in, from the Teatro, a repurposed theater, to his house in New
Orleans. Daniel Lanois' writing style is analytical, yet artistic, as he
describes everything from the microphones and pre-amplifiers used when
recording, to his experiences riding motorcycles after the recording. Lastly,
Daniel Lanois explains his take on studio work and the studio environment,
which is that the mixing engineer should be seen as a part of the band, with
the mixing process being a communal activity between the artists and the mixing
engineer.
The book did an excellent job of describing the artistic
process of creating and recording an album. Not only did it describe the
physical and emotional places each of the artists and Lanois were coming from
when making certain records, it went into detail about the technology Lanois
used when recording and mixing and why he used it. The book at times went off
on tangents about Daniel Lanois' life apart from the music he was making, so
the reader should probably familiarize themself with some of his work.
Additionally, Lanois' names many different pieces of music, some of which are
somewhat obscure, so it's beneficial to listen to the pieces of music he is
discussing prior to reading about them. Daniel Lanois' does a great job in
communicating his outlook on the music he is creating and the many years he has
spent creating music and allows for him to offer vivid descriptions of the
music he is creating and the effect it had on him. The book also offers a
unique look at the artists he recorded with and what the recording process was
like, which is quite interesting for fans of his work or fans of artists he has
worked with.
Reveiwed by Ray M.,
11th Grade
