the cd is perfectly produced. the colors and photos are pure love. the music melts me and I find within this now amorphous thing that I used to be there is a heart and now i can see it and it looks at me and i look at it and we say "Hi." the music is so beautiful and so well produced. i would buy a million of this cd and give it away to all the world if were that rich. gods may you bless this great woman.

“I am the red throne of Kali, the orange flames of Sekhmet. The dancing diva of Durga come to call your spirit back into your body.” -Zayra Yves from the track, “I am SHE” Crowned Compassion is more than a mere reading of poems mixed with music. This CD is utterly rich with soulful melodies combined with the sultry and soothing voice of Zayra Yves. Zayra Yves has a way of sweeping up the listener and carrying them to lush scenes of love and beauty. These are settings where words create an artistic tapestry that transports the listener to places as far away as Africa, and as close as their own essence. From the very beginning, “Faded Hieroglyphs” awakens the senses with visions of lions sitting as sun statues, roaring in the night winds. Yves implants eternal images in the heart as she echoes the embracing words of the women of Zimbabwe as they say, “Welcome home my sister, my brother.” The stirring beauty of the title track, “Crowned Compassion“, connects with a universal meaning. This could almost be a prayer or mantra as Yves embodies humanity seeking “the roots of virtue and noble intention.” This is a very inspiring piece that encourages the listener to evolve, unfold, and blossom as the lotus. In addition to the soul-inspiring beauty, Zayra Yves conveys womanhood with a great sense of strength and confidence while still remaining sensuous. Tracks such as “Let Us Speak The Language Of Love” and “Saudade” fuse both feminine desire and spiritual depth. Crowned Compassion will appeal to anyone who enjoys great poetry. It is a well produced CD with unmatched quality. Zayra Yves is a gifted poet who can draw the listener in with her poems and the music created for this CD adds to the experience. Those on a spiritual path will easily find value in the words of Zayra Yves. She expresses both the human and divine nature of us all with enormous depth and understanding. All of this coupled with visions of Africa and feminine strength, make this CD an exquisite soul-filled experience.

While listening to this cd, I felt like i had been sent to a different place. A place where there was nothing but serenity and it also gave me a chance to reflect on everything Zayra had to say. Her voice is so hypnotic that you cannot help but listen to her and she has a way of making you understand everything she is saying. I loved it and would recommend it to all. So inspiring, relaxing, calming and beautiful.

Crowned Compassion is a unique and dynamic expression of generous, deep-spirit poems (some set to captivating music), which move and breathe their way right into your being. Zayra's poetry, like all great poetry, passes sensuously between the microcosm of the inner self (the body, feelings, and soul) to the macrocosm of the wider human experience (the community, mankind's collective actions, and the health of the planet). She tells us through her visual-rich work that the inner, what happens in our minds and bodies, is a reciprocal metaphor for what happens in the outer world. In short, what we do to our bodies and each other, we do to all of mankind. Likewise, what we do to the earth, we do to the self. Nothing is truly separate; all living things are connected and dependant. It's Zayra's ability to move between the inner and outer realms and explore both the resonances and differences that gives Crowned Compassion such power, such gorgeous heft. Zayra has an amazingly smooth, captivating, and melodic voice that invites us into the work and gently asks us to be present, check in with our feelings and bodies, move deeper into our breathing, and remember that we need each other. I find so much gratitude and love in her work that it makes me breathless. I listen to this CD at least three times a week to remind myself of what's truly important—-the full-feeling human heart, a balanced intellect, the connection between things, breath, movement, feeling, and responsibility. This work is a celebration of the wonderful sameness of all that is and the fierce, vital individuality that makes each of us special. What a treasure this collection is. What a gift this poet is to the world. --Liz Casey, Writer