Mike doesn't appear to be breaking any new ground here (which, after all the new ground he's broken in the past, is ok with me). The CD moves along nicely, with no real outstanding tracks to catch your attention. I would compare this outing to be better than "Guitars", but not as good as "Millennium Bell". The only disappointment I have is that it took Mike 3 years to come out with a disc that, while pleasant to listen to, is really nothing special (at least for Mike's high standards of music).

One last item; this CD has a highly polished piece of engineering behind it. As usual for Mr. Oldfield, the music tracks are so professional laid down, that it's amazing more people don't seek Mike out just for his skills in the booth.

It is hard for me to write the first review to this material, so I'll be short:
This is not Amarok or TB II, but more than Platinum or Crises.
Between the two.
Good, but sometimes leaves the feeling that something should come.
For Oldfield-fans, it is a must, and still enjoyable for newcomers also. It is something like The Songs of distant earth, with many electronic beats, but not so complex like that one.
Still, no bad tracks at all.
Buy it!

If, like me, you've been a fan of Mike Oldfield's music and still think of Ommadawn or Incantations as masterpieces, you'll probably be disappointed by Tres Lunas. Some tracks may sound good, bu others just don't resonate, and anyway most of them are far too long. Before writing this review, I tried to listen to the record at least 4 or 5 times and in the end I didn't even find it really PLEASANT. The more you listen to it, the more boring it tends to get - it doesn't really grow up on you. As to the saxophone he uses, it doesn't fit with the music. That was a very bad idea I think.
Had the record come from someone else, I would have called it a deserving effort - not so great but still promising.
Yet, it is Mike Oldfield and as he is such an old hand in the business, he should know better than that. Tres Lunas just doesn't stand up to his usual high standards.
I'm starting to think he might be dead as a music composer, but doesn't seem to know it yet.

For an album to produce much critical differences between listeners could only mean that the album is different from the old and it is very hard to relate it to the old. A number of people make the mistake in comparing older albums of artists to the newer ones. Look at the Beatles, Elvis and heck why not Michael Jackson while you're at it. No one album is closer to the next exactly. If one album pleased the listeners, should the artist continue cranking the same tunes just to please them? I, for one, would like to see them explore new territory and come up with other different aspects of music that I may like or dislike, but will surely make me wonder at the same time.

Oldfield has surely changed from the days of his Tubular Bells. His music has grown to fathom more of the soulful, majesty of the ethereal synth. Though he may be one of the best guitarists on the planet, Olfield still finds himself more at home withe the piano and synthesizer. In the case of Tres Lunas, the saxophone, which he used masterfully in this new album. People still complain that his songs are long and most others just simply keep on churning in monotony. Not really. The music is just right and his choice of instruments are right on track from the beginning of the album with Misty, No Man's Land, Return to Origin, Landfall and Viper (which sounds a lot like Tubular Bells II and III in terms of instrumentation). Turtle Island displays his mastery of the easy guitar the most. The pop piece "To Be Free" is uplifting with its lyrics and beat, but if people want more pop, I suggest that they choose the electronica guru, MOBY. My favorite track of all would have to be the reprise of No Man's Land by the end of the album. Oldfield's use of his guitars, acoustic and electric, in the song's original context makes you take a glimpse of a guitarist that feels constrained but what his fans expect of him and what the industry asks to come out.

I first got the chance to listen to the album when I was on a plane heading to Singapore. I had wanted to sleep and wanted to put something easy and smooth to take me to Neverland. I put on Tres Lunas. Throughout the whole journey, I could not get a wink, what I got was a trip to Oldfield's land of Tres Lunas. It was a calm and magical land with nothing but peace and harmony.

I really like this album. Although I think that Mike Oldfield's 'The Songs of Distant Earth' album is more of a spiritual, 'new-age' album (which I also really loved - one of my top-5 albums ever!), 'Tres Lunas' is more of a chillout album, less 'serious' in spiritual meaning... But it's still really wonderful. My favourite tracks are 'Return to the Origin' and 'To Be Free'.

If you liked 'The Songs of Distant Earth', you'll like 'Tres Lunas' as well!