"What good is global domination without a great soundtrack? The 2005 hit Civilization IV got "Baba Yetu," as its rousing, anthemic theme song, courtesy of composer Christopher Tin."
– Time Magazine
"In a couple of other historic benchmarks, a Grammy for the first time went to a composition written for a video game: Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," which was named best instrumental recording;"
– LA Times
""Baba Yetu" is a standous piece of music - always one of the highlights of Tommy Tallarico's concerts, for me - and richly deserving of the award."
– Wired.com
"Award shows come and go without much afterthought but this year's Grammy Awards will be remembered as a musical milestone for the video game industry and Christopher Tin. The 34-year-old composer from Santa Monica, Calif. won two Grammys for "Baba Yetu", a song he composed for 2K Games' Civilization IV and for a follow-up album that was inspired by the game. It's the first time that video game music has ever been awarded a Grammy."
– Wall Street Journal
"I can't find the words strong enough to tell you how stunning this CD is. It's an album with an important message of the unity and bond that we all share... it might sound overly dramatic for just a CD, but it only tells you how strong the music is."
– Original Sound Version
"Composer Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," originally written for the video game Civilization IV, has been nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). It's the first time music written for a game has been nominated for anything at the Grammys. And a well-deserved first it is."
– The Atlantic
"This album really is amazing in every way shape and form. I've seen some interpretations of the cycle of life, but this has to be the best one so far... a masterpiece of vocal works that surely stirs our hearts and souls..."
– RhythmRoo
"Among the big surprises and performances of last night's Grammy Awards is the historic win of composer Christopher Tin, who took home a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for the song 'Baba Yetu'."
– Billboard Magazine
"Quite frankly Christopher Tin's album is a masterpiece. Every track is of such a high calibre and standard... It's the first album for a while that works better played as an entirety than as individual tracks... "Calling All Dawns" is not just the best world music album of 2009, it's one of the best world music albums of the decade. Pure and absolute musical hedonism."
– Higher Plain Music
"Is this an overdue step towards a Grammy award for Best Videogame Soundtrack? Will video game music get the respect it deserves? Probably not, that will take time and request from the public, but the award is an overdue honor for Tin, a talented artist -- whichever his medium."
– IFC.com
"This album is, in a word, awesome... It really is a marvel, and it required the participation of dozens of people from nearly every continent on earth. ...Christopher Tin has achieved something mighty with this studio album."
– Eminence Online
"Civilization IV is now the first game to have won a Grammy... sort of. The game's theme music, "Baba Yetu," won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) at Sunday's awards show, despite the game being released in 2005."
– ars technica
"Don and I have been listening to the album since its release. Both of us have been stunned by the scale and depth of the production, which truly reflects the motivation and genius of Christopher Tin."
– Square Enix Music Online
"For the first time, a videogame theme has been nominated for a Grammy--sort of. Among the nominees for best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s) is composer Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir singing the Lord's Prayer in Swahili. Initially written as the theme song for the 2005 strategy game "Civilization IV," it has become something of a modern choral standard, as well as a regular feature of the popular Video Games Live concert tour, feauturing game music performed symphonically."
– Billboard Magazine
"I challenge anyone to close their eyes throw on a good pair of headphones and listen to Baba Yetu featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir and not be moved."
– DualShockers
"Even though "Civ 4" came out half a decade ago, it's still nice to see some light getting shone on Tin's accomplishments...The track pools from a wide range of international musical traditions and has a discernible "Lion King" meets "Battlestar Galactica" vibe to it, in case you haven't heard it before. If that's the case, I highly recommend checking it out."
– MTV.com
"Calling All Dawns is a collection of songs that has to be heard because many different ideas and opinions can be taken away from this work. That may be one of the signs of a creation that is truly compelling and sustaining though. Repeated listens and reads with the liner notes are a must, as new things are gleamed and understood with each new listen."
– GameMusic4All
"Because history was made at one of this year's other big trophy-fests, the Grammy Awards, when a piece of music originally composed for a video game won an award; the first time music created for a game has received such an honor. The award bestowed upon Christopher Tin was a milestone moment and a beginning, a beginning from which other artists who bring game audio to life deserve to be honored, a beginning which couldn't have happened if not for a push for recognition for game music that began over a decade ago."
– G4
"Every once in a while a record comes along that transcends boundaries... Calling All Dawns is a masterpiece of modern World music... Tin's work takes on an explosive quality that is born from Classical but grows up into a risk-taking contemporary adult... I would challenge you to find a better production in any genre than what Tin has done here... It is one of the most 'advanced' of its kind in the genre, without a doubt. This presentation of intense composition is sure to inspire many more composers in the genre, and could quite possibly change the face of world music..."
– Dr. Music
"This week we're chatting with the incredibly talented Christopher Tin, composer for film, video games, and advertising. Christopher's (first!) album, Calling All Dawns, is nominated for 2 Grammy awards. Video gamers may recognize the album's opening track, "Baba Yetu", which is in the running for "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists," as this song was written as the theme song to the video game "Civilization IV." A native Californian of Chinese descent, Christopher was educated in England and now brings his diverse cultural background to his compositions."
– TuneCore
"The album sounds like a unique cross between world music and film music, but Calling All Dawns defies all labels. It's just great music, period."
– Film Score Click Track
"This album has a larger-than-life depth to it. It gives a fullness, a richness, that I don't normally feel when listening to music. I'm hard pressed to put into words the feelings I get from this album. The album has a full, rich sound which gave me visions of wide open plains, sprawling mountains, and far horizons over the ocean."
– CivFanatics
'"I started out wanting to be a musical-theater composer, actually––still do want to be one, in fact. I've been a bit of a compositional nomad, ranging from scoring films to commercials, to video games, to live installations and giant fountains, to operating-system sounds for Microsoft, to software music for Apple," he says."'
– Read the full interview at Palo Alto Weekly Online
"The best crossover project since 'The Prayer Cycle'."
– Stephen Hill, Hearts of Space/NPR (Nationally Syndicated)
"One of the most creative contemporary CDs that I have played."
– Michael Matheny, RadioIO
"I opened it up and listened--something I rarely do quickly with new CDs. After hearing just the first track, I took it home to play for my wife, because I thought she would be blown away by it. I cannot explain why, but parts of it nearly had me in tears. This is really great stuff."
– Richard Glasford, Music Choice
"Very engaging. This is thought out music that has depth, and a sense of purpose."
– Andy Blossy, KUAC (AK)
"One of the best blends of these genres of music that have come through for several years."
– "Morning Fog", WVUD (DE)
"It is quite beautifully woven out of such diverse styles. I hope to hear more albums of this quality and creativity."
– Carla Van Dyk, WDVR (NJ)
"I LOVE IT! Airplay always triggers immediate phone calls and e-mails... WONDERFUL music!"
– Barb Heller, WSLU (NY)
"Knock-your-socks-off good. Seriously powerful. Each track stands alone, but it flows seamlessly from on to the next. Play it all."
–Decca, KZSU
"With superior vocals rivaling those of the Manhattan Transfer, and a new age feel of Enya or Enigma, Calling All Dawns is a refreshing & exciting juxtaposing of one of the finest orchestras in the world with a new spin on traditional ideas. A definite recommendation to anyone looking to enjoy & expand their classical view of world music. Well done!"
– Mark Galsky, WXEL (FL)
"I love it so much it's on my iPod."
– Jamey Osborne, KTEP (TX)
"It's usually a good sign when the one major complaint is that some tracks are too short, and Baba Yetu aside, this is an album filled with beautiful music inspired by different ages and regions on Earth. As I've said in the past, music that's written so technically well while also being truly memorable is what makes Christopher Tin stand out. It's not just that the music is good -- it is a shining beacon of excellence in the endless sea of mediocrity..."
– aylear.blogspot.com
"Tin's ode to humanity has within in it the sounds of Heaven, when every tribe and tongue will sing praise to God. It's also smashingly good music in its own right. "Baba Yetu" is a good piece of music, but it's excelled by a majority of the other pieces on the CD. Tin is good and getting better. I've deeply enjoyed Christopher Tin's work thus far, and I look forward to his next concert works."
– blog.chriskrycho.com
"Suffice it to say, the album is an extraordinary work of art. It is a beautiful, powerful celebration of culture and diversity –– in the best sense of those words."
– buildingpeace.net
"Mr. Tin's music has been featured before, but this time, he came out to conduct the choir and orchestra. I'm not a huge music buff, but seeing this live, you just realize a sense of gravity about it, and you realize how special it is. It would be like Mozart conducting a piece. There is something very visceral about the show when the original composer leads the instrumentalists. Quite serene and very beautiful."
– eggplante.com
