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Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge

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Customer Review:

Amazing Infused Latino Sound

Wow - what a great find! My husband I heard a song on an XM world music station and went out and purchased this CD shortly after. Beautiful sound that is hard to describe. Part Latino, part jazz, part dance. Perfect for a party or for listening to while hanging out around the house. My favorite CD of the year for sure. I highly recommend you listen to it.

Warm & Cozy

This was an impulse buy after I caught a review on NPR. Some impulse buys pan out, some don't. Luckily, this one did. I teach English at a continuation high school. When the students write, I sometimes want some music that keeps us all going and yet doesn't call unwarranted attention to itself. This record is perfect, a sort of Latin Hip-Hop with club influences (no slamming beats). Since most of my students are Hispanic and Black, this is a great compromise, and it's off-beat enough to keep them interested, yet guessing.

a gritty Latin martini

Former Bodean and popular session musician, Michael Ramos, ventures out for a debut solo project. In the past, he has worked with The Rembrandts, Patty Griffin, Paul Simon, John Mellencamp, and Ani DiFranco. Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge gets its title from Ramos' studio. "Cumbia" is a popular, accordian-heavy music from Columbia, cheery ans sometimes cheesy music of the peasants. This is a mellow Latin martini, combining danceable urban grooves with an occasional nod at borderline kitsch with a twist of grit and traditional Latin instruments. From the intriguing Latin pop of "El Indio" and "Mexicanos" to the mid-tempo instrumentals which recall Sergio Mendez or Esquivel ("Romanticos Desperados," "Volcanico"). Multi-instrumental Ramos performs some of the album himself, inviting guest musicians like Brian Standefer and Russell Scanlon to add to the remainder of the songs.

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Keywords: Int'l & World Music; Latin; Latin Pop/Rock;

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Romanza

From his childhood on the family farm in rural Tuscany to the worldwide stage, Andrea Bocelli has achieved phenomenal success. His singing is only partially the point, and his fame owes much more to the aura of romance and the romantic archetype that's attached to him. Romanza is by far Bocelli's largest success, winning adoration thanks to the swooning vocals and the easy, sometimes lush, always pop-safe instrumental textures and melodies. As far as his opera chops go, Bocelli has won the approval of Pavarotti but likely will not wow enthusiasts. The upside is that Bocelli will likely grow the opera pie, convincing labels to take on more operatic projects. --Andrew Bartlett

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Customer Review:

raw and pure

There is something about Bocelli's voice that is completely revealed, raw, yet pure. His songs climax and grow. I have some opera fans who snub his voice because they say it not purely classical, yet that is what I love about him. He is different not completely one or the other- just a beautiful honest voice.

I have been studying singing on my own with singing CDs
"Voice Lessons To Go", by Vaccarino which I gladly recommend as well. I was inspired to improve my own voice by him and Sara Brightman on this CD so that I can sing along with them. I am also signing up for a music appreciating class this fall at the community college for fun! Hey we must enjoy our 40's!

Breakthrough Album

This was the CD that bridged the gap between pop and opera. This is something that no other opera singer was able to do, certainly not on such a grandly successful scale. With his singing diversity of style (alternating between a bluesy pop voice and a clear and powerful operatic one), Andrea Bocelli did a fantastic job of putting together a great collection of first-rate songs and adding his own tremendous voice to them, a simply stunning achievement. Many of the songs are deeply moving with breathtaking moments. If you like Bocelli, you must give Sarah Brightman a chance, another opera diva with an accessible reportoir who does the pop thing very well.

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"

italian review

Im a freshman at uc berkeley (yeah with that she bangs guy). andrea is MUCH better. i don't mind him going into pop. next pavarotti pretty much, i think. i finished taking upto italian 4 (basically the prereqs for an italian studies major), and this cd helped me review my italian. it has a lot of that subjunctive tense that i hate, but i still remember it through this cd. it's so powerful. especially the song with "fosse dentro te." and then there's that really mellow ballad. i don't know the names of this song cuz i downloaded the whole album off of winmx. oh yeah, "vivo per lei" is also a great song too. the german translation of that song is cool too.

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Keywords: Choral; Classical; Classical Crossover; Classical Vocal Crossover; Classical Vocals; Italy; Sacred Choral Music; Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra; Vocal; Vocal Music;

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Mirabilis

On Mirabilis, the Mediaeval Baebes drill even deeper (and wider) into their chorale sound, making music with ancient roots and timeless designs. An octet of Englishwomen with a penchant for dressing up in flouncy gothic gowns just this side of Victoria's Secret, they've released several albums mining medieval hymns and plainsong. They're still at it here, matching obscure Latin, Gaelic, and old English texts (along with the odd Robert Burns poem) to music that is often newly composed but sounds as if it came out of a Dark Ages court or monastery. But without ever playing instruments more modern than the violin, they bring a modern arranger's head to tunes that float on percussion, recorder, concertina, cittern, hurdy-gurdy, and strings. Under the musical direction of founder Katherine Blake, the harmonies are richer and more complex than on previous Baebes discs. Emily Ovenden's "Temptasyon" flies with soaring three-part harmony and lush accompaniment of strings, both modern and ancient. The Baebes get a little arty on a horror-house reading of "Tam Lin," and they perhaps had to cover "Scarborough Fayre" at some point. But they more than make up for it with the serene "Star of the Sea." This is one time you won't mind having someone get Mediaeval on you. --John Diliberto

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Customer Review:

The swetest sone!

This is the only CD whose release I have been anticipating this year. And I was certainly well rewarded. The Mediaeval Baebes are perhaps the best musical group I've ever discovered. There are no pretenses or elaborate facades to the Baebes, only pure, beautiful, and artful music, which is what attracted me to them with "Salva Nos" and has captured my adoration through their latest CD.

This album is much like their others, in that its tracks alternate between different moods and world flavours; however, it's apparent that they have discovered either more sophisticated recording equiptment or at least have experimented with different effects-- the quality of the sound on Mirabilis is definitely richer and more ethereal than on their other albums.

I'm not sure I like the change; the raw vocals were something unusual that I appreciated in their earlier work. However, they are far from the washed-out Enya-like sounds of New Age music today, and the unique instrumentals are still engaging and surprising.

There isn't anything that should keep a Baebes fan from falling in love with this album as I have; and hopefully, this somewhat poorly worded review (sorry, it's late!) will encourage you to support the band and purchase Mirabilis. :)

A Most Excellent Bunch of Baebes!

Mirabilis is a beatiful album. I've been a fan for years and this album is the best yet. Their voices soar through all the songs. The accompanying instruments do great work and serve to back the vocals and let them be out front and center where they belong.

I wish the Baebes much continued success and hope they will come to the U.S. and visit the West Coast.

Long live the Baebes!

Very, very good...

I have been a fan of the Baebes for several years now, since I picked up Worlds Blysse. I think this is easily their best work with excellent arrangements and packed with plenty of melody and harmony. I am not a medieval music historian, so I won't make an evaluation of historical authenticity. However, it feels very solid and nothing seems out of place (unlike some other medieval-themed music mixed with electric guitars). I recommend it for anyone who enjoys medieval music, especially modern rearrangements of older music.

I will also say that the few critics who lambast their work based on the fact that it is not 100% pure should remember that such is not their intent and these critics should instead focus on whether or not the Baebes have created a CD that is worth listening to over and over. Thank you.

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Keywords: Choral; Early Music; Ethnic Fusion; Goth Rock; Medieval; New Age / Meditation; Pop; Rock/Pop;

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Barrio Fino

Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee balances dance music with philosophical tunes on this 21-track CD. The engine driving this collection is the smash single "Gasolina," with its basic reggae beat and its catchy chorus "Dame mas gasolina!" ("Give me more gasoline"). Also highly danceable are "No me Dejes Solo," featuring guest singers Wisin y Yandel, and the English-language pop-reggaeton tune "Like You." But Daddy Yankee also reflects on his barrio on "Salud y Vida" ("Health and Life"), a rap tune that questions society's endless pursuit of material things. Like fellow raggeton artists Tego Calderon, Daddy Yankee admires big-band salsa. Among his influences he counts noted singer Andy Montanez, who guests on the track "Sabor a Melao." Montanez's distinctive gruff vocals add a soulful flavor to the track. --Ramiro Burr

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Customer Review:

an energy boost!

About the album well is amazing isn't the best album of reggaeton, but isn't the worst, THIS IS THE ALBUM that make a place for reggaeton in the world. "lo que paso paso" "Gasolina" "Corazones" "Salud y vida" the man is amazing.

About reggaeton for the people that don't know anything and spoke a lot of s**t about, well let me tell u this is the heart of the people of the ghetto in Puerto Rico, is the mix of the sounds of our latin culture, reggaeton is DANCE isn't about social problems, that's why u listen salud y vida or corazones = HIP HOP and not reggaeton, the topic of the sex is in all kind of latin music, when I wanna listen a good album of hip hop talking about social problems I listen 79 but when I Wanna enjoy a good time with my girl in the disco I listen Da-ddy Yan-KEEE! About the song Gasolina of course is stupid, but man the music, the chorus, IS AMAZING who cares about the lyric of this song or everyone was talking trash about the vengaboys for the stupid song "UP N DOWN" in the 90's, these are songs created with one objective "Dance" another question about the new latin movement? Reggaeton isn't reggae isn't HIP HOP so don't try to judge the movement, just enjoy it.

Hot Daddy Yankee

i love his cd barrio fino it is the bom my favorite song on is "no me dejes solo" and he is so hot i say my self i might be able to go to one of his concerts some day and get his autograph.

This Man Is So Fine.

I went to a concert of his,and i couldn`t keep my eyes oh him, and his music is catchy and club banging.
You should tottaly buy this,along with don omar`s cd totally tight.

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Keywords: Latin; Latin Pop/Rock; Reggae; Reggaeton;

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