International music reviews

You don't want to miss this!

Well, I own this cd since last summer and I still listen to it several times a week. I agree with previous reviewer Suzanne, this cd is great. It may only show one side of that talented band, but that's made with class. First this is a good idea to have re-recorded some older tracks with new guitar wizz Richtie Kotzen. Then the new tracks are brilliant, like "Whey Are They Now". And they still can write big songs like "You Don't Have To Be strong", with such a hook that you can't resist to sing ! It can only give you the need to listen to all others Mr Big albums. What will make you (re)discover a genius band ! Oh, and by the way, Suzanne, thank your cute sister for the cd booklet nice pictures !

I have to say that I bought the CD because my sister is on the cover...and in many pictures inside, but the CD is great! So many classic songs that pop into my head. You all should go out and buy it!

Optimistic, encouraging, hopeful, inspiring. These are the words that better describe this collection. Arturo Benavides' one and only voice creates the magic!!!

The poetic lyrics contained within this CD are sure to move everyone. As many of you may know, DESIDERATA is a classic that never seems to lose its appeal. Personally, I love listening to it in Spanish. For all those of Spanish-speaking origin, and those who are fortunate enough to know the language, I highly recommend this CD for its contents, and for the formidable performance of Arturo Benavides. He is sure to touch you in a most impressive and lasting way. Happy listening!

Arturo Benavides was not just a musician, but also a poet. Most of his songs were inspired on real steps of the twenty century. I invite you to open your mind and heart to his lirics.

This song is funny. I like Heavy metal, hard rock, and alternative, but whenever I hear this song, it cracks me up. It all started just yesterday when I got an ipod mini for my birthday. When I went over my cousins house to get some songs from itunes, I heard this song called the ding dong song and the first time I heard it, I cracked me up. I downloaded this song just for kicks, but I kind of like it overall.

At first I thought Gunther was a joke, and to some extent I still do. There's no denying his talent, though. He manages to mix the beat well in this track and although the lyrics are hilarious, in a smokey club who cares? The lyrics are actually a bonus, in my opinion! Gunther, you definitely put a smile on my face! Thanks for sharing your message of love with the world.

Wow, Gunther is so damn sexy!
Awesome song. And remember...
The four main things in G�nthers life are Champagne, Glamour, Love and Respect!

Yes indeed, Autralians are lucky. They get a video, a screensaver AND an exclusive thunderpuss2001 mix which I like even more than the original thunderpuss2001. This tribapella is a vocal dub mix with a little less sound effects than the original thunderpuss2001 (which is little too loaded in my opinion).

One of the best Don't tell me imports (the part1 europe import is not to be missed either for the first thunderpuss mix-2000).

Don't you ever tell her to stop.

I admire what Madonna has done. That she has focused on manifesting such impressive and diverse work. And most importantly I understand that her character is not represented by her work. No one asks George Lucas if his real name is Han Solo and he's from another world, so why pidgeon hole a creator to their creation as in personality type?
Silly fanaticism.
The song though, the lyrics are inspirational and I was shocked when I loaded this into my computer to get the video as well. Wow. I was shocked, who knew? I do like the video too, the dance sequences and the mastery of and flexibility of her ability to not necessarily master but achieve the ability to be a part of a variety of styles. She's somewhere a step beyond a mimic and closer to a prism. Yes, a prism.
Don't tell me or anyone else to stop, those of us who know who we are and where we're going will not be slowed down for we are as elemental as nature, as necessary as the rain.

This is the Australian 2nd CD.It contains 5 remixes,including the brilliant unreleased-anywhere-else Thynderpuss Tribe-a-pella mix and other great mixes like the Tracy Young,Timo Maas and Calderone mixes.The great thing about those mixes is that they are not standard dance mixes,but all opt for various styles.Tracy Young goes electro-funk,Timo Maas is more like drum-n-bass,Calderone tries something very different from his club mixes and very hypnotic I may add,while Thunderpuss offer a stomping club anthem at the start and a VERY dance-a-ble and fun tribalistic approach at the end of the CD. PLUS this CD has the video to the song as well,but it is very good value for money just fot the remixes it contains!

a great cd by a great artist!

An excellent performance by an exceptional sax player, with superb arrangements, ranging from traditional jazz excellence to first rate funk, all with good taste and plenty of rhythm. Strangely, the ballad from this album got the most radioplay. Even though it's very well done - the rest of the CD deserves nothing but kudos!!!

Ed, when is the next CD coming out?

This CD showcases the multi-talented Ed Calle in an electic mix of origionals and covers. I would challenge any other modern day Saxophonist to match Calles' technique, range and artistic ability. Michael WHO?

I first heard Zabe I Babe on another CD, "Balkans Without Borders" (a good listen by itself!), which is a compilation CD of music from the greater Balkan area. Zabe's one selection on this album, "Sjaj Mjesece", fast became one of my favorites, and I was determined to get my hands on the source album. The song, a love song, which means "Shine Moon", is written in a minor key and is partly in a traditional 7/4 meter, but is interwoven with alternate meters as well. A punchy, yet sparse and stacatto electric bass introduces a rythymic counterpoint throughout the piece. There is a lot going on in Sjaj Mjesece.

Zabe I Babe call themselves a "Bosnian/American Folk-Pop" band. I don't know what to call them -- music like this is not so easily defined and pigeonholed. They are joined on this album by the Ansabl Teodosijevski (see ref. 1). Some of the selections on Drumovi are written in traditional Bosnian and Macedonian rythyms, performed on traditional and modern instruments. All selections are performed such that the cultural roots of the music are clearly evident, but the American folk music component is present as well. Combine this with the rich musical talents of the Ansambl, and you have one exceptional album which must be heard to be appreciated.

The only exception to this instumental richness is in a series of traditional and stark a capella songs, arranged by Zabe I Babe. There are songs for harvest, love, sadness, and fun. Many are full of the quarter-tones and dissonant harmonies to be found in the songs of many other Eastern European vocal selections.

It was difficult for me to locate and purchase this CD. Amazon could not provide me with one directly, referring me instead to one of the private sellers through the amazon.com website. Although I had to wait almost a year before getting any response, I am glad I waited and didn't give up. This album is among my favorite top 10% of my CD collection.

Reference:

Zabe I Babe: http://www.shrines.com/zabe/
Ansambl Teodosijevski: http://www.shrines.com/zabe/ansambl/
Other Balkan Music: http://balkanarama.com/bands.htm

This CD truly is an exciting overview of current, hot music based in various styles of former Yugoslavia. The first several tunes are jazzy, danceable Rom (Gypsy) folk-pop, by the world's best-known/widely-toured/prolific/talented Roma band, Ansabl Teodosievski, from Skopje, Macedonia. These tracks are followed by some seriously non-Western a capella Bosnian mountain songs, in close (dis)harmony. The singers' voices are beautiful and the songs are fascinating and become vibrant and familiar, even if they sound quite foreign at first. The album is held together by a spirit of cross-pollination, joy, rhythm, and innovation. It is a great deal of high quality fun. Highly recommended.

"An exciting Young Bosnian/American Folk-Pop Band Joins Forces with the World's Greatest Gypsy Ensemble. It's a Dance Party dosed with Hardcore Balkan Singing." "The music of war torn Bosnia is a polyglot, a place where rock, punk, folk and traditional mix with jazz and gypsy swing."

I've been a fan of this woman for quite a few years and she never ceases to amaze me. Very unique, profound, and one of very few artists that can truly sing from the very deep depths of her heart and soul. I love this CD!! Gives you one of those "wow" moments.

Just bought it, already a classic, But I wonder what Ana is telling us Fans here? Im glad that she's being more open with her lyrics, singing to a women, she seems more comfortable with her inerself. (Jazmin) hummm. Im still getting into the cd, but so far its great. ANA GABRIEL is mexican music.......to co-fans support this album.

With a career that is nearing her 30th year as a singer songwriter, this talented artist has created a masterpiece of "Dulce y Salado", her latest creation. Ana Gabriel and her music are perfectly amalgamated. Recording this album in its entirety in her own recording studio in Mexico City, you can tell the studio is the temple of her artistic creativity and the guitars her companions. With this album Ana Gabriel starts the new millennium with new cumbias by her own pen (Estoy Tan Sola) and (Tengo que esperar) and baladas (her specialty), rendering her intense and powerful voice to such classics as "Pensando en Ti" (Thinking of You) and creating new ones such as "La Reina" (The Queen). In "La Reina" Ana Gabriel has given the female voice a place to counteract with the image of the Mexican macho by Jose Alfredo Jimenez's "El Rey" (The King). In this song Ana Gabriel wants to "send a message to those that feel that men are superior to women, showing that finally its the woman's turn and that machismo leads nowhere." (quoted from anagabrielonline.com) This is truly one of Ana Gabriel's best collection of albums and I'm anxiously awaiting the release of her new album "Tradicional" coming May 2004. Visit Ana Gabriel's homepage www.anagabrielonline.com to learn more about the album and buy it from amazon, its definetely worth it!

I also originally had the vinyl albums, which I taped so I could preserve the vinyls as long as possible. The music is clear, and the musicians are now considered amoung the great Hawaiian musicians. Benny Kalama and Charles sing a duet in falsetto that is incomparable. Sonny Kamahele, Barney Isaacs . . . a dream combination. The two albums are the perfect way to learn classic hulas starting from easy to hard. I learned to hula using the basic lovely hula hands. I highly recommend this for hula teachers, and those who just plain enjoy great hawaiian music.

I originally had the vinyl albums which I have worn out and scratched. Its great to have both of these on CD now. The first album, Easy Hulas is a classic must have for any hula dancer and teacher. then for the more advanced the sophisticated Hulas albums is the perfect next step. When you realize all the musicians and singers on the albums are the greats of Hawaii, Barney Isaacs (on steel guitar), Benny Kalama, Sonny Kamahele, along with Charlie himself you realize you've got yourself a real collector's item to keep and enjoy.

This 2-CD item has a collection of many of the classic hula numbers -- probably not the exact arrangement you may have learned to back in the 80's, but it's fun to dance to and to listen to. I recommend it.

-Haole Hula Dancer & Teacher-

the best of the best music is in this CD, brings me back memories of my childhood. it it great.

I can date my love for Latin music back to the night in 1966 when the East Texans at a dinner party my parents were hosting had drunk enough wine to dance and my father put this record on the hi-fi turntable. My parents had come of age during mambo/cha-cha dance "crazes" of the '50's, so the arrival of the cumbia must have struck a chord in their thrity-something psyches. I was seven when the distinctive clarinet section of the Rivero Conjunto woke me up. I still have the cassette of it that I took with me to college. A few years later I was working in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where cumbia is a secular religion. But when I put this tape on, the Guayaquile�os would readily admit that no band was ever hotter. This should be a cornerstone of any Latin music collection.

This is the recording that for the most part introduced Americans to the joy of Cumbia. CBS records distributed this recording from the early 1960's until the mid 70's. My own family "went through" three copies of this album before we retired them all as unlistenable because of the scratches on the records. Several of my many uncles and aunts had the record too. I can remember plenty of late nights when we children, later young teenagers, would watch our then young parents dancing to this record, both sides, start to finish. My Mexican-American family collected hundreds, maybe into the thousands, of records in the 60's and 70's. My brothers and I continue to do that. But this is our absolute favorite recording from our childhood. I had been looking for it on CD for 10 years or more. The CD recording is even better than the record. It is as if I were listening to a whole new recording. Everyone ought to have a copy of this historically important recording. It is the first record to play at any party. The music and the vocals are outstanding!

The Australian tour edition of Lou Reed's most recent album Ecstasy is classic rock's best New York poet in top form. The album itself, Ecstasy, is loud, long, fun, dirty...it's Lou baby. Every track was made with care. The vocals are fine, the music, excellent, and the booklet is even nice, it features full lyrics to the studio recording. The inclusion of Perfect night in london is an added and worth bonus. Lou's diamond guitar shines as he sails though 15 classics, but ends up still, on the "Dirty blvd." If you can find a copy of this release, pick it up, if not, get Ecstasy. It's Lou at his finest.

Hello again... after writing my first review (below somewhere), I learned that the 2nd live CD in this set is the same material as the "Perfect Night Live in London" CD that is seperately available. So, as if you haven't already figured this out... if you already have "Perfect Night," stick with the single disc "Ecstasy"... if not (like me), it's a better deal to buy this 2CD set to get both albums for about $24. Is everyone thoroughly confused yet? However you slice it, this is great music.

If you've gotten this far, you're probably about to buy this, which is a good idea. Perhaps you already have and love the original standard-issue "Ecstasy" album, as I did. Well, pass it on to a deserving friend or lover and pick up this 2-CD set for yourself. The live show is well worth it, it's over an hour long, sounds great, and tunes such as "I'll Be Your Mirror", "Perfect Day", "The Kids", and "Original Wrapper" are great to hear in these live versions. A classy show, with just enough of a profane edge. Grab this before it's gone forever.