International music reviews

Steve is definately a very inspired artist.
I just recieved his first CD as well, and...WOW!

When you listen to this CD by Steve Areen...you will be taken to all corners of the world. His amazing blend of instruments will help you relax and enjoy the tunes.
Most of the tracks on this CD is instrumental but there are also a couple of vocal tracks. The best track is the song called "Timi Aow" by Prasanna Pradhan. Even if you do not understand the words, his soothing voice will take you right to the heart of nepal.
This is by far one of the best CD's I have bought and it was a great buy!

Take a trip around the world without leaving your sofa! Steve captures ethnic sounds from bagpipes of Ireland to African drums. The musical styles range from mellow piano solos to toe tapping upbeat tempos and everything in between.

Most of the music are instrumentals, with a couple of vocal numbers. One vocal number is done in Spanish and the other in Nepalese. Steve performs on most of the instruments on this CD which showcases his versatility on various instruments including the flute, various drums, piano, guitar, as well as other percussion instruments.

Check out this beautiful compilation of tunes as well as the colorful photographs on his web site,...
What are you waiting for? Your seat in the Concorde awaits.

Compr� el disco hace unos cuatro a�os atr�s, y se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos. La mezcla de bolero y jazz es excelente; permite apreciar uno de los mejores aspectos de la m�sica. Quiere sentir y escuchar lo mejor de los dos mundos? Compre �ste disco, seguro que no se arrepentir�. Saludos.

I have owned this CD for over 4 years and everytime I let a friend listen to it or borrow it they come back to me and tell me they will be purchasing this CD. I have been listening to Jazz and Latin music for years. This CD incorporates the best of both sounds. I would recommend this CD to all enthusiast of Jazz and Latin music. Enjoy it as much as I have.

We recently vacationed in Los Cabos, Mexico. While shopping in town the clerk recommended this CD for easy listening around the pool. It was very relaxing and easy to listen to while visiting with the other couples we were traveling with. We even enjoyed dancing in the moonlight to these romantic selections!

A few days later I returned to the same little music shop in town to purchase another copy for a gift, but they had sold out. I'm sure glad that Amazon carried this CD!

This is an excellent combination of songs from Roger McGuinn's first five solo albums. I guess at the point in time McGuinn recorded his first one, Roger McGuinn, the guitarist from the Byrds' last assembly, Clarence J. White, had already been killed in a auto accident. I don't know whether or not he had disbanded the group prior to White's death, but I do know (or feel fairly certain) White would have been all over this album if he were alive. He and McGuinn had really learned to work together, alternating playing lead guitars, as evidenced from the recently released second disc on Untitled.
Here, McGuinn has stayed away from from the dominating 12 string Rickenbacker sound just as he had done in all the Byrds' later work, but he still uses it to good effect. It's a source of identification in which he should be proud because nobody plays it quite like him.
It seems rather pointless to review the individual songs presented here, except to mention the ones that truely stand out. Though not stated so in the liner notes, that has to be David Crosby singing harmony on "The Water Is Wide," which gives this compilation two excellent songs which employ the other members of the original Byrds. McGuinn has definitely worn out "Lover Of The Bayou," with the definitive version of this song being on the previously unissued second CD on Untitled, so I wish this piece had been left out of here.
I don't know if by design or coincidence, but using five different set of backing musicians on each album, produced some variation in sound type, which, in my opinion, was a good thing. Still, and this seems to be universally agreed upon, the songs of Cardiff Rose are his best. I've said before, McGuinn makes great use of his singing abilities on old sailor-type songs and "Jolly Roger" is perhaps the best example, his 12 string chiming in perfectly. And, his version of Dylan's "Up To Me" is in the Byrds' finest tradition, and a fine tip of the hat to Dylan too. "Russian Hill," from Thunderbyrd, also bears mention as one of the better songs of this compilation.
I've always liked McGuinn's voice and musical choices. His music, both during and post Byrds, has remained consistently of the highest quality. Nothing here contradicts that.

This album goes in and out of print. [Thankfully I bought it a year ago from amazon.com as a cut-out.] Unfortunately, McGuinn's only other solo album from the Seventies is the excellent Cardiff Rose. That's what makes this an indespensible addition to my collection. It samples all five of his solo albums from 1973 after the final breakup of the Byrds through 1977. This anthology cherry-picks the best tracks from these albums and gives the listener a 72-minute history lesson of one rock 'n' roll's most distinct sounds. Among the highlights are "I'm So Restless," "Gate of Horn" and all of the tracks from Cardiff Rose (12-15 and 18). And if you don't think McGuinn's style didn't have an impact on later artists, listen to his cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl." [When I first heard Petty sing this song, I swore it was a new McGuinn song!] If you get the chance, snag a copy of this album when you can. You won't regret it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This album offers a cross-section of McGuinn's solo work from his tenure at Columbia Records (prior to "Back from Rio"), and features some of his very best work. On "My New Woman," Roger is joined by the rest of the original Byrds (giving the listener a taste of what the abortive Byrds reunion could have been). Most of the rest of the album is excellent, although "Born to Rock & Roll" still doesn't work, and "Lover of the Bayou" is inferior to either the live or studio versions recorded by the Clarence White-era Byrds. Overall, however, this is a highly entertaining album, and serves as an excellent introduction to McGuinn's solo work for new fans. This one is hard to find, but well worth the search. Well done, Roger!

I think that the way in which the songs were separated into 3 CDs was an excellent idea: first the up-tempo songs, then the instrumentals (which include some of the most beautiful pieces Enya has ever recorded, "River", "Lothlorien" and "Oriel Window" being my favorites) and then the slowest cuts. My only complaint is that "Epona" from _The Celts_ was left out of the compilation, but it is really a minor complaint. This is without a doubt the best Enya compilation out there.

This collection might possibly be one of the best box-sets ever made. From the midnight-blue box with silver print, the delicate booklet featuring semitransparent pages as just one of many artistic details, to the beautiful cover artwork - the visuals of this set is outstanding. There's no little detail here that hasn't been considered. Notice how beautifully this matches the artwork of the Best Of CD 'Paint The Sky With Stars', but how this set takes it one step further (the owners of the single-CD collection probably never grasped the significance of the three buckets of "paint" on the back cover - on with Clouds, on with Oceans and one with Stars - this is in fact the three themes of the CDs in this set). But that's only the artwork.

The music has been considered at least as much in this set. The separation of the songs in three different themes are brilliant! Disc 1 -Oceans - contains the more upbeat songs, and thus most of her radio hits like Orinoco Flow, Book Of Days, Caribean Blue, Anywhere Is, China Roses, On My Way Home and the recemt Only If ... However, a plenty of less familiar songs are included as well - personal highlights are the magnificent Storms In Africa and The Longships (imo. two of her best pieces ever), the enchanting I Want Tomorrow and the dark and menacing Cursum Perficio, Pax Deorum and The Celts.

Disc 2 - Clouds - contains instrumental pieces (or songs without any true lyrics, the exception to this being Afer Ventus) - in fact a quite varied selection including piano-pieces (Watermark, Miss Claire Remembers, Portrait (Out Of The Blue)), piano-and-vocal pieces (Shepherd Moons, Morning Glory), multi-instrumental pieces (Tea House Moon, Lothl�rien, River) and vocal-and-instrumental pieces (Afer Ventus, The Memory Of Trees, March Of The Celts). There is beauty in such plenty that it can make you cry on this CD - Morning Glory might well be the most beautiful tune ever written - never was a song so aptly named as this one; it actually catches the exact sensation of the sun rising on a clear summer morning. Afer Ventus is so lovely and enchanting, and I cannot imagine anybody not feeling cheered by the wonderful Tea-House Moon.

Disc 3 - Stars - contain a selection of her more hymn-like songs. This was always the CD that I liked the least, but these songs are certainly beautiful. Evening Falls is a favorite, and Marble Halls is quite irresistable in it's charm. Smaointe ... is one of the most heartfelt songs ever written, it moves me to tears every time I listen to it, and is the perfect way to and this collection.'

The thematic separation of the songs is ingeneous, because it in reality gives you three very different CDs, that each matches a different mood. The song arrangement is brilliant, each CD flows naturally from beginning to end in a natural manner.

One could make a comment on the song selection - this set includes nearly - NEARLY - all her songs from her 3 most recent albums (The Memory Of Trees, Shepherd Moon and Watermark). One might wonder why the excluded How Can I Keep From Singing (from Shepherd Moons) and Once You Had Gold (from The Memory Of Trees) - neither song was below standard (in fact Once You Had Gold was a personal favorite from that album) - and there's room for more songs on the CDs. Furthermore, her first album - The Celts - is quite poorly represented, which is even more curious (again, this is in fact my favorite Enya album) - I can accept some exclusions, but some glaring omisions are Epona, the Triad, Bard Dance and To Go Beyond, which are all excelent tracks. Also, I should have prefered the full-length version of On My Way Home to the radio edit included here, and the very rare english version of Storms In Africa would have been a treat for the fans, but that's a detail. A pity, however, that they missed this opportunity to make it perfect.

Still, this box-set is way beyond what's good, this is masterfull. The more recent 4-CD collection 'Only Time' pales when compared to this. Even though it did contaion a couple of excellent songs from her most recent work (A Day Without Rain, Wild Child, The First Of Autumn, Lazy Days and May It Be from The Lord Of The Rings as the only essential pieces) - that set was poorly arranged and much more incomplete. Therefore, stick to this set if you find it at an reasonable price somewhere (try ebay) - 100 $ might be a little over the limit.

Overall rating: 10 / 10

This boxed compilation makes a great addition to anyone's music collection who's fond of the new age genre or heard of Enya before. This music is timeless and inspiring. I've been listening to these 3 cd's almost religiously for months now, and I cease to tire of them. From songs like "Aldebaran" who's notes work their way soothingly up and down my spine, to the thundering drums present in songs such as "Storms in Africa", this music will take you away to somewhere you've always dreamed of. Listening to these masterpieces is literally more of an emotional experience for me than anything else, and I'm sure if you take the plunge and buy this compilation, you'll understand why. The three cd's are cased inside an attractive navy-blue box with silver lettering on it, which contains a neat flipbook with interesting poetry, lyrics, and what appear to be almost journal-like entries finely handwritten on the pages inside it. It adds a nice touch to this very classy boxed trio of cd's. Overall, this is a really special item and it'd make for an excellent gift - if you could part with it yourself! The only quibble I have is the price it's selling for most places (I was lucky to find it for $35 over the 'net), and the fact that after playing through all 46 songs, I found that several other works are missing from this compilation such as music from Enya's first album The Celts and other various cd's/singles. As a side note, it does include *most* of the music she's done, with additional singles such as "Only If", "Paint The Sky With Stars", and the very moving "Morning Glory", etc.

Breathe is one of the most refreshing albums I have heard in a long time. Faith Hill once again crosses over to pop, but also experiments with elements of R&B, soul and gospel, which all work in her favor. Her voice sounds very clear and strong and she sings with so much emotion.

The singles from this album include the mega ballad Breathe, the fun sing along type song The Way You Love Me, the romantic ballad Lets Make Love (with Tim McGraw), and If My Heart Had Wings. They have all done very well.

Other highlights include the rockin Whats In it For Me, the sweet memorable Love Is A Sweet Thing, the ballads If Im Not In Love, If I Should Fall Behind, and That's How Love Moves. As well the gospel type song There Will Come A Day is very good as well. This is the import version including 4 extra songs with remixes of This Kiss, Let Me Let Go, Breathe and The Way You Love Me.

This is the cd you want if you are looking for sentimental songs, for romance or whatever, as well there are some fun songs that will make you dance and sing along. Faith Hill has a winner on her hands here, cant wait for her next album!

Not a fan of country? Neither am I. Luckily for us that Faith Hill is not your average country singer, and her fourth album Breathe is not your normal country release. Tracks like "I Got My Baby," "The Way That You Love Me," "Bringing Out The Elvis," and "There Will Come A Day," will make you want to get up and move. On a more romantic note there are tracks like "Breathe," "If I Should Fall Behind," and my personal favorite "Let's Make Love." This is a perfect CD to either take to the gym or to cuddle up with in front of a fire. Give Faith a listen, hopefully like me you will be glad you did.

Faith Hill is one of those artists alike Shania Twain who still know what good music is and what the word music means.

Among her records, Breathe is certainly the best and most mature album she has recorded so far.

It contains hal ballads and half catchy tracks. This special edition features 4 bonus tracks among which we find THIS KISS and LET ME LET GO, two of the best songs of her previous work : FAITH.

The song THE WAY YOU LOVE ME is simply amazing! You cannot forget it. Breathe will offer you endless hours of pure musical delight.

the song LOVE IS A SWEET THING is marvellous and youcan hear her deep warm voice expressing the feelings of love.

This album is one of the best country/pop albums I have bought so far. If you have enjoyed Shania Twain's COME ON OVER, you surely willgo for BREATHE! It is a must-have for every modern country music fan...

Just buy it and enjoy

This is definately the best Prodigy single. It includes an excellent live version of their law and Poison, which is very different from the original. And also there is an instrumental track: "the trick". This one, the Poison single and the Out of Space single are worth to buy.

How i can bought CD�s? Is it safety

If you know the Prodigy then you know the type of music. Out of all the Prodigy tunes this is one of the best. The vibrations are different, the music is different. If you don't know the prodigy then just buy it and you'll see what I'm on about!!!

This vibrant offering takes Sam's musicianship to a new high level and features memorable melodies with very creative arrangements. "You don't have to be Jewish" to love this music.

Sam is all over the music spectrum with this cd. Jazz, rock, soulfull calypso, ballads...he puts it all on this cd and at the same time gives us the opportunity to look inside our souls through his introspective lyrics.

Jewish Liturgy set to funk/salsa/rock/jazz. Sam's ability to fuse these different styles into a cohesive whole is astounding. Just to look at three tracks (though there isn't a let-down on "The Bridge")."Od Yishama" is a rocking number with a salsa beat. My only complaint about this track is that it's too short! In "Mikolot," We find a jumping good funk groove that is too, too infectious. "Raindance" is unforgettably uplifting with a groove. This CD should be standard in any Jewish music collection, or, ANY collection.

We had the pleasure of doing a show in Odessa TX, with these girls on May 5, 2001. They are Awesome, not to mention beautiful. The CD is also Excellent. It became one of my favorites. It seems to always reside in my car CD player.

Buy it Buy it, Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!

Sony Discos has released a spectacular debut CD from Tejano/pop/dance group Brillante. I bought this CD based on airplay of one of its cumbia cuts "Karina" and found a diverse selection of songs from cumbias to merenque to pumping dance songs in English & Spanish, as well as the beautiful flamenco-tinged pop ballad "Where the River Meets the Sea."Though strong songs with crossover appeal and flawless production values are nice, you still need a great vocalist. Brillante is fronted by THREE beautiful teen girls, Brandi (16), Krystal (14) and Sonia (15), each with a powerhouse voice that inter-mingles with the other melodies in a rich and wonderful way. Brandi, Krystal and Sonia are making a splash in the Tejano scene like none other. Brillante is backed by a band of versatile and experienced musicians and boast an incredible stage show, as I saw at the Mex-Tex 2000 Menudo Cook-off in Midland , TX. June 3. THIS GROUP DELIVERS THE GOODS. The cumbias are on the jazz/rock/pop side, great accordian and keyboard leads with dynamic and exciting arrangements. (The current trend towards the conjunto/norteno is left far behind here, opting for a fresher, more heart-pumping sound with catchy melodies and lush, gorgeous harmonies. Hopefully, groups of this high caliber can begin to see more airplay soon.) Stand-out songs on the CD include "You're My Everything", Pegadito a Mi', "Murio el Amor" and the highly mesmerizing "Karina. "Do yourself a favor and check out Brillante's self-titled CD on the Sony Discos label.This is a very special group with a big future ahead of them. I'm very glad I bought this incredible CD.

Bought this CD recently on a recommendation and was highly impressed. Great sound -- latin pop with a tejano flavor!

A great group of songs including a song to open your mind about society (Prohibido olvidar). The song "Caminado" (Walking) reflects about how we walk trough life and how it affects us. Blades is a great composer and his music is not just poetic, is social. �Viva la salsa!

I love good Salsa music. Panamanian Ruben Blades is my favorite Salsa Artist. 'Caminando' has some of the best original Salsa, in my opinion, that Blades has ever created in his brilliant career.

If you like the superb latin music Blades makes, you need this CD in your collection.

Several songs in this CD are among the best he has ever produced, in my opinion. 'Tengan Fe' has a strong and energetic horn, rhythm combination that drives hard and fast while Blades soars above with an artful but strong vocal. It's a fantastic piece.

'Prohibido Olvidar' is one of the most political, humorous and thoughtful Salsa songs Blades has produced. If you have an aversion to tolitarian and authoritarian goverments, along with corruption and collective stupidities associated with them, you'll find the lyrics en Espanol to be excellent. They also translate very well in English.

Without this CD you don't have a full appreciation of Ruben Blades and the music he is capable of.

Saludos

This is the third album of Ruben Blades I have bought, and I am amazed at the variety of "flavors" he can produce. The musicians on CAMINANDO have a very smooth jazz brass sound, making everything sophisticated and classy. This seems to me to be the most "political" album of the three (others are LA ROSA DE LOS VIENTOS and TIEMPOS); the lyrics are gritty, smoky, challenging, and at the same time very moving and poetic. I love the clarity of Blades' Spanish - plus, this album includes direct English translations of all the songs, a real benefit.

Five years ago, I was introduced to the music of Frank Corrales while shopping in the San Antonio alternative record store Hog Wild and bought Corrales' solo album "Border Spice". While I enjoyed that very much, I hadn't thought about his music lately until I saw Cantina Classics on this site. I didn't hesitate to buy it and was very pleased when I put it on. From start to finish it is a treat. Most of us, gringo or Latino, who live in the Southwest are familiar with tunes such as Jalisco No Te Rajes, La Paloma, Rancho Grande, Las Mananitas, and Estrellita. Those of you who like Mexican music in general will be pleased by the inclusion of Agustin Lara classics like Solamente Una Vez and Noche de Ronda. In addition to those mentioned, I particularly like the energetic Morena de Mi Amor and Las Gaviotas. Corrales' guitar prowess shines throughout. Cantina Classics is a relaxing album fit for home and office. I highly recommend this acoustic delight to anyone who enjoys the sound of a well-played guitar.

This is a CD that truly touched my heart. The guitar music is just like the music I remember hearing in my younger days. This CD has a magical quality. When you hear the music you either want to dance or sing along if you can remember the words. I recommend it to everybody. It doesn't matter if you consider yourself latin or something else. This music will make you feel good all over.

After listening to Frank Corrales in person and enjoying his personable and light hearted stage presence, the first thing anyone would want to do is to preserve the moment in owning a recording of this spicy and melodically happy music. These are musical pieces that were heard in movie theatres and cantinas from the early 1900s to the 1950s, played in exactly the same fashion. I heard music on this album that was incorporated in the soundtrack of one of Clint Eastwood's spagetti westerns and the opening music to the Robert Rodriguez movie Desperado, all done on acoustic guitar. A charming rendition of Manuel Ponce's Estrellita finishes the album. This is truely a time machine to the music of the working class of Texas and Mexico during the first quarter of this century.