Mach 6 [Import]

Product Description
Limited edition of the popular French rapper's 2003 album includes a bonus CD with three tracks, 'La Vie Est Belle' (Symphonic Version, Unissued Version, & Instrumental Version), & a bonus DVD (PAL/Region2) featuring 'La Vie Est Belle', footage of MC Solaar visiting Moscow, & photo gallery. 21 tracks packaged in a double gatefold digipak & housed in a slipcase. Warner.

Mach 6,Mc Solaar,Soul/R & B

Average customer rating:

mc solaar the greatest french rapper
Alias le Cinquième As
Very Groovy
More catchier than earlier work, but still edgy
Mach 6 Great album!!!

Mach 6
MC Solaar
Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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La Haine

ASIN: B0000U6JN2
Release Date: 2004-05-10

Tracks:

Introspection
Vie Est Belle
Hijo de Africa
T'Inqui! (Intro)
T'Inqui!
Gulla
Jumelles
Jardin d'Eden
Pays de Gandhi
J'Connais Mon R
Cash Money
Today Is a Good Day - Darina, MC Solaar
Souvenir
Sauvez le Monde
Bling Bling
Ca Me Hante

Album Description

The popular French rapper's 2003 album. Sentinel Quest.

Album Details

2003 Studio Album from the Man who is at the Forefront of the French Rap Scene and Has Been It's Standardbearer for Over a Decade. He is Know for his Positive Poetry as Well as Instrumental Beds that Continually Blaze New Trails that Other Rappers Follow in his Wake.

Customer Reviews:

mc solaar the greatest french rapper.......2006-07-05

Mc solaar is the best french rapper ever his rhymes and lyrical skill in french are amazing. He truley is arapper that speaks from the heart. All his songs have meanings. He makes really happy when i listen to him. Plus the beats on this album are amazing. if i could give this album 10 stars i would. Its his third perfect album. Mc solaar is the black french version emeinem, he is even better then him. Keep up the good work and hope to hear more from you.

Alias le Cinquième As.......2006-06-11

This album speaks. It speaks about different messages, whether it be the current hostility of the world, where people resort to using missiles to end crises, or if it's about a modern girl... how she spends her cash money.

In this album, the MC's beats progress... to somewhat of a mix between classic and modern. He recorded this album in Russia, which explains the Cyrillic symbols decorated over the case and the CDs themselves (plural if you get the Limited Edition). Many of the songs on "Mach 6" are filled with orchestrations: a quartet in "Souvenir", among other things, like consistent fusions of hip-hop and symphony.

I found this CD wasn't the same as Cinquieme As... not all artists' efforts come off that way. Most notably, MC Solaar's just about the only person on this album. Sure, he's got his choruses covered by Eric K-Roz, Audrey Chanu, and Julia Sarr, but there's one thing missing... the same kingly spirit of Cinquieme As. Of course, if you want to take it back a bit, nothing about the man himself has changed. He's just cooling down, and it is here he makes wise introspection his number one task. From what I understand, he was pissed off when he made Cinquieme As.

Production is handled solely by Claude MC (that's Solaar), Eric K-Roz, and Alain J. That being said, there's not as much diversity in the beats or liveliness as there was in Cinquieme As (as part of that progression from hip-hop to classic-hop). "La Vie est Belle" is a classic, though, following in the footsteps of "Solaar Pleure" in more than one way. But, as for sounds, you've got the aforementioned, and a bit of jazz worked in with "J'Connais Mon Role".

Another thing that's really interesting is the fact that Solaar took lines from Cinquieme As and made them into new songs. "Hijo de Africa"? That's Spanish, as mentioned in "Hasta la Vista Mi Amor". "Jardin d'Eden"? Mentioned in/sampled from "Solaar Pleure". And, there's probably some I haven't caught yet. If you manage to get past that, you'll find that this is a solid album. I've caught myself waiting for another album that probably isn't coming.

Despite all of the times I might have implied that Cinquieme As may be the better album, I can always find myself coming back to the tranquility and simplicity of Mach 6 (I had it first). Consider it taken down a few notches... 'cause, there really is nothing bad coming from this album.

Either way, if you want this one, get it now... because, it is one of the cheapest listed here; and, you'd be surprised how quickly these Solaar albums sell out.

Very Groovy.......2006-03-09

I first heard MC Solaar on Sex and the City. This CD is funky and beautiful. It's hip hop with an international flair.

More catchier than earlier work, but still edgy.......2004-04-21

If the first song on Cinquieme As, "Solaar Pleure" was an eloquent description of hate and despair, then it's opposite can be found in "Jardin d'Eden" on Mach 6. In fact, all of Mach 6 seems to be a lighter, more positive album in response to the darkness and hardness of Cinquieme As. Indeed, in some tracks on Mach 6 he samples songs from Cinquieme As, as if to bring out the contrast between these two, seemingly polar opposite, albums. Don't get me wrong. I liked Cinquieme As, but it was heavy (in terms of sound, lyrics, mood). But what Solaar has lost in heaviness of sound, he hasn't lost in edginess. On the surface, Mach 6 is peppier, with more upbeat rhythms and catchy tunes, but don't let that fool you. The lyrics are just as serious and thought-provoking as they have always been. The music sounds happier, but Solaar is his same old cynical but eloquent self.

Another thing that struck me about Mach 6 is its more international flavor. "Au Pays du Ghandi" picks up Indian beats, while "Cash Money" is a great modern samba, and "Hijo d'Africa" is one of the best Afro-Latin songs I've ever heard. This is not the first time Solaar has used ethnic sounds and patterns, but it's the first time he's been able to do so beyond the superficial level. In Mach 6, Solaar proves that he understands the music of other cultures, that he can break it down, explore its nuances, and then re-construct it in his own way.

If you like Solaar, this is a must-own album. Truly brilliant, from a brilliant musician.

Mach 6 Great album!!!.......2004-01-13

MC Solaar does it again. Mach 6 is a great album from start to finish. I have only had a chance to listen to it a few times so far, but its fast becoming my favorite album of his . It was worth every dollar... if you liked Fifth Ace, this one is a must get.

An die Musik [2 CD & DVD Limited Edition]

Average customer rating:

An excellent overview of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau with Deutsche Grammophon

An die Musik [2 CD & DVD Limited Edition]

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Schwarzkopf, Seefried & Fischer-Dieskau Sing Mahler, Richard Strauss & Schubert (EMI Classic Archive 21)

ASIN: B0008064XY
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Customer Reviews:

An excellent overview of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau with Deutsche Grammophon.......2005-11-08

"An die Musik", aptly named after the famous Schubert lied of the same title, is an excellent overview of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's recorded output for Deutsche Grammophon over the past 56 years. On the CDs, there are six Schubert lieder from Fischer-Dieskau's 21 disc set with pianist Gerald Moore, (dating from ca. 1970) and other lieder by Wolf, Richard Strauss, Brahms, and Schoeck. Also included are two chansons of Claude Debussy, and arias from Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" and "Don Giovanni", both conducted by Ferenc Fricsay; small part of Fricsay's Orff "Carmina Burana" (rec. 1949), Schubert's "Dichterliebe" cycle with pianist Jorg Demus; and the 4 Ruckert lieder with Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic. Fischer-Dieskau is amazing, with such a wide repertory, and such enthusiasm for singing such varied and different styles of music.

The bonus DVD, lasting about 28 minutes, is very interesting to watch and listen to. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and pianist Sviatoslav Richter peform 8 famous Schubert lieder in the great room of a hotel in a remote Bavarian village, in utterly charming and rather informal surroundings. The camera work is minimal, the sound, very fine but a little low level mono: filmed in 1978. Fischer-Dieskau looks alot younger here than more recent photos of him, but a little older and more classy than the photos I'm used to seeing of him, which date from the late 1960s. Fischer-Dieskau and Richter work as one, and their partnership and great working relationship is evident from measure 1. There is no doubt watching this that they had alot of fun performing for the cameras.

I am grateful DG released this set: 2 very full discs at over 70 minutes of music each, + the DVD of a telecast not seen since 1978. The sound is very good, even in the mono tracks, and if you like lieder and opera excerpts, you will be delighted. I mention this as one who's experienced Fischer-Dieskau's recordings for 25 years, and been usually delighted by them.

Average customer rating:

Past vibes
Gieseking Playing Mostly Non-French Repertoire!

Walter Gieseking, Piano

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0006PV5YY
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Customer Reviews:

Past vibes.......2007-03-26

The industrial age gave birth to the first widely held public concerts as well as the musical conservatory. The Paris Conservatoire appeared in 1795, the Royal Academy in 1830, The prosperity of this period generated an ever-growing embourgeoisement of the populace whose urge to imitate wealthy tastes created a demand for musical artists. This was the heyday of Paganini, Liszt, and later Paderewski,. To serve this rising clamor for culture great musical performance traditions developed in France, Germany, and, fuelled primarily by the upper classes, in Russia. From these beginnings came the great names of the 20th century concert stage: Robert Cassadeus, Artur Rubinstein, and Artur Schnabel among many others. In contrast Walter Gieseking rose via a different route. Largely an autodidact, Gieseking began formal study only relatively late in his artistic development Still, he became one of the great pianists of the period, a remarkable interpreter of Beethoven, Ravel, and, as we shall see, Rachmaninoff.

This album contains a number of live and some studio recordings whose hisses, pops, and even one very bad scratch assail the fine musicianship but fortunately fail. One can actually hear the sound engineers struggling to remaster these problems, now bringing the orchestra forward, now the piano in what is a mostly vain attempt to highlight the dominant passages. The original recording conditions must have been nightmarish. Still, Gieseking's spectacular playing shines through. He gives us a stirring performance of Beethoven's Waldstein, an intelligent Schumann concerto in A major Op. 54 ( a personal favorite of mine.) He performs sweetly romantic renditions of several Bach partitas, though I much prefer his contemporary Landowska's more powerful exegeses His interpretation of Beethoven's Emperor with the great Bruno Walter conducting stands as a landmark for both men. Brahms, Grieg, Debussy, Richard Strauss, and others are also represented.

But what I found most satisfying of all was the interpretation of the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3. This is a live 1940 performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and I cannot help but wonder if the bombs had yet fallen on Amsterdam. Gieseking's takes the first movement andante which is to say a good deal slower than Rachmaninoff's directions to go allegro ma non tanto. Yet Gieseking has found something more than even the composer himself seems to have imagined. I own any number of recordings of this piece from the gentle Ashkenazy to the muscular Argerich. Gieseking alone has found an understanding of the third which I find surprisingly correct and even illuminating. He also has the help of a wonderful piano whose perfect harmonic coloration transcends the years in keeping with Gieseking's outstanding musicianship.

I have avoided the topic of Gieseking's controversial nazi connections because the historical record, as far as I have been able to understand it, remains vague. He played widely during the nazi era and did nothing to distance himself from the party. Like many Germans he obtained official "denazification" in the early fifties and briefly resumed his worldwide concert career until his death in 1956.

I strongly recommend this album. Perhaps new sequential imaging techniques will restore these recordings to their original form. Then we will all be able to own a bit of eternity.

Gieseking Playing Mostly Non-French Repertoire!.......2005-03-12

As time goes on people have tended to forget that Walter Gieseking (1895-1956) was a pianist with a very broad repertoire; he has been remembered primarily for his playing of French music (Debussy, Ravel) or French-influenced music (Scriabin), and many reissues of his many recordings in those areas are readily available. This 4CD collection from Andante contains music that is mostly from the non-French area: Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Grieg, Schumann, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and even the little 'Ständchen' of Richard Strauss in Gieseking's own transcription. Since Amazon has not, as of this writing, specified the set's contents I will do so here:

CD1: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rosbaud, Berlin State Opera Orch., 1937), No. 5 (Walter, VPO, 1934), two movements from Bach's Partita No. 1

CD2: Beethoven: Waldstein Sonata; Bagatelle in E flat, Op. 33, No. 1; Bach: Partita No. 5 in G; Beethoven: Sonata No. 28 in A, Op. 101; Brahms: 5 Intermezzi from Opp. 76, 116, 118, 110; Debussy: Réverie; Strauss: Ständchen, Op. 17, No. 2

CD3: Grieg: Piano Concerto (Rosbaud, Berlin State Opera Orch., 1937); Grieg: Cradle Song & French Serenade; Schumann: Piano Concerto (Furtwängler, BPO, 1942); Mozart: Sonata No. 16 in C, K. 545

CD4: Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, 1940); PC No. 3 (Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, 1940)

Many of these recordings are live and there is slight audience noise and applause. In general the sound is remarkable for the time. As for the playing, Gieseking was a master of musicality and had a lovely touch. There are a number of noticeable clinkers in the live performances, none of them particularly awful and some of them rather endearing. His playing is characterized by a liveliness and élan as well as subtle phrasing, voicing of chords, and clearly delineated polyphony. I particularly liked his somewhat Romantic Bach, his hellbent-for-leather Beethoven fast movements (the Waldstein is fabulous in that regard). I don't know of any other Gieseking recording of the First Beethoven PC, but of course he recorded the Emperor several times. This one is wonderful, atmospheric, and he manages that hesitant transition from II to III with a suspenseful fermata before he plunges headlong into the Rondo. The Rachmaninoff Third is a little weak technically (and the sound is not the best, either) but the Second is one of the better ones I know.

All in all, this collection is worth having--although it is a little pricey. There is not a bad performance in the lot, and some of them are simply superb--the Waldstein, First and Fifth Beethoven PCs, Schumann and Grieg PCs, Rachy 2, the little Mozart C major sonata beloved by all young piano students, Debussy 'Réverie.'

This one will happily be given space on my shelves.

4CDs: ca. 5 hrs

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

A bief encounter with Eileen Joyce.
Lightish selection, superbly played

Eileen Joyce

Manufacturer: Testament
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000J84R
Release Date: 1999-06-08

Customer Reviews:

A bief encounter with Eileen Joyce........2002-06-06

Internet reviewers, so far, principally associate Australian pianist Eileen Joyce with the soundtrack of the Noel Coward/David Lean film "Brief Encounter". This fellow Australian, who heard her in performance and whose piano teacher knew her, welcomes this excellent CD which provides a first-rate memento of her work as a much recorded pianist of the 1930s.

Hardly a month went by between 1933 and the outbreak of World War Two without Eileen Joyce, still in her twenties, completing full and varied recording schedules. Her repertoire, as reflected in this CD, was extensive. If the so-called "salon items" were the best sellers, that was because she presented them tastefully. True, she was sometimes guilty of tasteless additions, as when she provides a bass note at the end of the Bach Prelude and Fugue (Track 1) that was an octave below the one Bach wrote, but she was not the only pianist of her time to take such liberties.

In their day, released on the Parlophone label, her records provided some of the best piano sound to be heard, and they still sound astonishingly realistic. Artistically, Eileen Joyce didn't scale the heights, nor did she probe the depths, but she could open pleasant sound vistas that could provide wonderful listening experiences. I welcome this CD as very good value indeed, even if only because it is one that I shall want to play and replay many times.

Lightish selection, superbly played.......1999-12-11

In some ways, I wish the choice of selection were more varied (on top of it, several selections of this CD overlap with the Pearl reissue). Eileen Joyce recorded many discs during the 1930s and 40s, including some larger Chopin works, as well as Brahms pieces. Just by looking at the context, one will likely to get an impression that Joyce was a supremely talented drawing room player. Which of course she isn't. Joyce was a superb pianist, with technique and musicianship that rival among the finest pianists. Her glittering passagework is evident everywhere, but so as poetic sensitivity. Hopefully there will be another reissue of Joyce coming up soon that does not overlap with the selection here (or the Pearl reissue). Joyce's recordings certainly deserves more attention than they have been getting up to now. In the meantime, this CD will do.

Average customer rating:

Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (Abridged)

Manufacturer: Gala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Evelyn Lear Sings Songs By Richard Strauss

Average customer rating:

Evelyn Lear Sings Songs By Richard Strauss

Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003LKA
Release Date: 1997-03-12

Tracks:

Standchen Op.17
Morgen Op.27
Mein Herz ist stumm Op.19
Leises Lied Op.39
Allerseelen Op.10
Schlechtes Wetter Op.69
Drei Gessange aus den Brentano Liedern: Ich Wolt ein Strausslien binden Op.68
Drei Gessange aus den Brentano Liedern: An die Nacht Op.68
Drei Gessange aus den Brentano Liedern: Sausle, liebe Myrtle!
Drei Lieder der Ophelia aus Shakespeares Hamlet: Wie erkenn' ich mein Treulieb Op.67
Drei Lieder der Ophelia aus Shakespeares Hamlet: Guten Morgen Op.67
Drei Lieder der Ophelia aus Shakespeares Hamlet: Sie trugen ihn Op.67
Wiegenlied Op.41
ruhe, meine Seele Op.27
Befreit Op.39
Leise Lieder Op.41a
In der Campagna
Du meines Herzens Kronelein Op.21
Blindenklage Op.56
Die Georgine Op.10
Gefunden Op.56
Die Nacht Op.10
Schlagende Herzen Op.29
Wie solfen wir geheim sie halten Op.19
Meinem Kinde Op.37
Zueignung Op.10

Average customer rating:

Pure Perfection
Had a Freudian moment
No Villa-Lobos
Be warned!
Unforgettable

American Soprano

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Arleen Auger - Handel · Bach Arias / The Mostly Mozart Orchestra · Gerard Schwarz
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Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - Four Last Songs / Auger, Previn
Arleen Augér ~ Handel - Nine German Arias

ASIN: B00004W1PQ
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Tracks:

Rejoice Greatly - Messiah
Piangero - Giulio Cesare
Care Selve - Atalanta
Let The Bright Seraphim - Samson
Lascia Ch'io pianga - Rinaldo
Ricetti Gramezza
Bist du bei mir
Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten
Sich uben im lieben
Blute nur
Ich will dir mein Herze schenken
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 For Soprano And Orchestra Of Violoncellos: Aria
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 For Soprano And Orchestra Of Violoncellos: Dansa
Pastorale
Del Cabello mas sutil
Azulao
Standchen
Selige Nacht
Fleurs
Stornello
Music, When Soft Voice Die
Je t'aime
Love's Philosophy
Widmung
Du bist wie eine Blume
Das Rosenband
Liebst du um Schonheit
Cantares
How Do I Love Thee?
I'll Follow My Secret Heart
Serenade
Liebe Schwarmt auf allen Wegen
Love Went A-Riding
Why, No One to Love
O del mio amato ben
The Salley Gardens
Heart, We Will Forget Him
Before I Gaze at You Again

Customer Reviews:

Pure Perfection .......2006-09-25

Words cannot express how much I adore these two discs, but here goes anyway. A friend gave me a burned copy 'Love Songs' which I lost and so I purchased this double disc set. Arleen is by far and away my favorite soprano of all time and if you end up owning these cd's, I have no doubt she will become yours as well. Arleen had the most gorgeous voice, a pure yet colorful tone. And her technique as demonstrated on these recordings was superb. If you are a singer as am I, you will not be able to ignore her phrasing on The Salley Gardens - it's truy astonishing. If you are in to doing side by side comparison, try listening to Arleen's version of O Del Mio Amato Ben, then listen to Sumi Jo's version. But be forewarned if you're a Sumi Jo fan, you won't be able to listen to her version ever again. Arleen wrings every bit of naked emotion out of that song without ever being cheesy or over the top. Her musical instinct and interpretation was as flawless as her voice and technique. I use these cd's as my personal master classes with an impeccable artist who was taken from us all much too soon.

Had a Freudian moment.......2005-08-12

Be it known, I had no intention of writing a review of this recording. I still do not in fact. But I listened to the late Ms. Auger's reading of 'Lascia chio pianga' and nearly seized (cigarette in hand and all.) I've yet to move beyond track five. That being documented, I implore both the fastidious collector of vocal music and the layman alike to purchase this set. Oh, and about the Freud...following the aforementioned revelatory aural sensation of some five minutes, I typed amazing.com in place of the amazon.com destination. "Behind every mishap in speech, writing, etc. there lies an unconcious motive..."
Well,

No Villa-Lobos.......2003-05-28

Since I purchased this album specifically for the recording of the Villa-Lobos, I am extremely disappointed that it was replaced by "He Shall Feed His Flock." She sings everything beautifully, but it is not the recording it pretends to be.

Be warned!.......2003-05-03

My copy did not have the works by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The first disk in the set is Delos 3026, "Bach, Handel: Arias," which includes two selections from Alexander's Feast and "He Shall Feed His Flock" from the Messiah. I am not disappointed. Ms. Auger sings wonderfully. My second disk is Delos 3029 "Love Songs," which makes it a good bargain. But there are no texts.

Unforgettable.......2002-05-16

After much auditioning and re-auditioning, Auger's "Rejoice" here has finally replaced Kathleen Battle's fine performance on "Grace" as my favorite.

Both singers are at their best in the repeat, where their technique and ornamentation will knock anyone's socks off. But where Battle does a musical and brilliant concerto-like display of Kathleen Battle, Auger instead serves Handel with overriding sincerity. She builds intensity to an incredible pitch, ending on an almost trumpet-like flourish to announce the coming of the King.

Album Description

Limited edition of the popular French rapper's 2003 album includes a bonus CD with three tracks, 'La Vie Est Belle' (Symphonic Version, Unissued Version, & Instrumental Version), & a bonus DVD (PAL/Region2) featuring 'La Vie Est Belle', footage of MC Solaar visiting Moscow, & photo gallery. 21 tracks packaged in a double gatefold digipak & housed in a slipcase. Warner.

Customer Reviews:

The Total Package.......2006-04-29

I couldn't be any happier with this three-disc compilation. There's the album, the booklet with lyrics and liner notes, and a bonus disc with a selection of instrumentals (not the selection I would have chosen, but it will suffice) and bonus tracks. Also, as the description entails, there is a bonus DVD. But, it's in PAL format... however, you should have NO problem playing it in your region 1 DVD player, as I did not.

I know, I bought the last one, so why am I telling you this? You should be informed. Of course, I had my doubts... but, Amazon came through and I was treated with what could be called a masterpiece. On more than just a few tracks, Solaar finishes his verses early so that the music can play through. Instrumental solos are common, but not in mainstream rap music.

Overall, the CD was worth the wait and the purchase, because it's the best thing I've heard all year (surely). You'd be lucky to get any kind of three-disc CD set for the price Amazon was offering, and this one made the grade. I'm shocked that the barebones edition was selling for about twice the price of this one.