Sensations

About the Artist
The international trio Liata features the rich and soaring vocals of mezzo-soprano Rosanna D'Agnillo, the acoustical guitar work of Lynn Davies and the multi-cultural instrumentation of Lynne Cerro. Liata offers a sophisticated and emotionally powerful world music experience. The arrangements include a textural weave of voice, guitar, accordion, strings, keyboard, and woodwinds as well as the more eclectic offerings of santur, dulcimer, harp and oud.

Product Description
This is a rich fusion of music that is both earthy and elegant. The album is romantic travelogue of Eurocentric ballads drawing from poignant French chansons, sweet Spanish and Italian melodies, English and Russian love songs, and opera.

Sensations,Liata,Orbis World Records

Average customer rating: Good News; It's Great Radiofriendly hit machine from Forbert. Not so much edge, but hey enjoy it! A must for Forbert fans

Strange Names and New Sensations Steve Forbert Manufacturer: 429 Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Steve Forbert: On Stage at World Cafe Live Easy Tiger Sweet Warrior Preludes Translated From Love ASIN: B000PSJBLQ Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

1. Middle Age
2. Strange Names (North New Jersey's Got Em')
3. Simply Spalding Gray
4. Man, I Miss That Girl
5. You're Meant For Me
6. I Will Sing Your Praise
7. Something Special
8. My Seaside Brown-Eyed Girl
9. The Baghdad Dream
10. Thirty More Years
11. Around the Bend
12. Romeo's Tune

Album Description

Steve Forbert has carved a unique place for himself in the folk music world and this new release captures these unique qualities at their best. With new releases of old favorites like "Romeo's Tune," this troubadour's music comes to life.

Customer Reviews:

Good News; It's Great.......2007-07-16

Ok, a non-Forbert fan may not like this stuff, but the real trick is not just liking this music but 'getting' it. Since the singles-era of his early music, SF's work has not been written nor produced for mass consumption. Of course, Big Macs are made for mass consumption, and look at what those do to you. So, with the recognition that this album might have a limited audience, this is a GREAT Forbert album. I was pleased to discover that SF is still writing clever and honest music, and while his sound is still a little overly-produced for me (too many back-up vocals and tamborines sometimes), this album has some wonderful rhythms and sounds. Favorites are The Baghdad Dream (not an in your face anti-war song, as much as a "what is going over there?" rocker), I Will Sing Your Praises (a surprising creationist hymn, SF style), Thirty More Years (a great composition around SF's now-familiar theme of life passing by . . .), and Simply Spalding Gray. Then there is the fresh re-do of one of pop music's greatest all-time hits, Romeo's Tune. What a gift. He must have performed this a million times in the last 25 years, and he delivers it here with appropriate energy and relevance. GREAT ALBUM!

Radiofriendly hit machine from Forbert. Not so much edge, but hey enjoy it!.......2007-07-04

Steve Forbert has included a new version of Romeos Tune on this new CD. And most of the CD is in that musical genre so to speak.Steve Forbert has included a new version of Romeos Tune on this new CD,and most of the CD is in that musikal "hummin genre" so to speak. This is a musikal gem overall, that become better and better with more listning. Then suddenly it bang`s into your`e soul, and leave some musical angeldust in your ear. Track 1 Middel Age is a typical Forbert gem. Walkabout rythm with a very hummin` tune. Happinnes speaks all over the track. Track 2 Strange Names follow up the "feel" and credibility of the previous track. Not edgy, but very earfriendly, and enjoyable to listen too. Track 3 Simply spalding gray it`s an another cup of tea. This has a touch of irish roots in the intro, but it demands quite more from you. A minor letdown in my ears. Track 4 Man, i miss that girl, brings us more or less back on the track again. Forbert voice had so much pain and feel alltrough. Quality shines. Track 5 You`re meant for me is in typical Forbert territory. It`s romantic, have a certain feel, and drizzel angeldust in your`e earchannels. Track 6 I will sing your praise, is the one with the spinal marrow cord touch. The one you can feel. Track 7 Something special, it`s more cliche ridden in a way. A minor letdown, but a good listen anyway. Anyway. The harmonica lifts it up above average. Track 8 My seaside Brown-eyed girl, has a very open soundpicture, where the instrument`s drizzel here and there and makes`it complete. Track 9 Baghdad Dream is the "rock and roller" on the CD. A mood changer, but it works.Lyricks are extremly good on this one, and yes it`s about the Irak war. Track 10 Thirty More Years, it`s a so so track. Average, but quite interesting. Track 11 Around the bend is the uplifting one. Brings joy to your`e heart. It`s instrumental, but hey who cares. It has that "x- factor". Track 12 Romeo`s tune. Greatness shines. What more can you say about Forbert`s biggest hit ever. This one has it all. Enjooooooy. All in all a great album, but some of the tracks are a minor letdown. But it`s a safe buy anyway. Forbert has quality, and never go out of style.....

A must for Forbert fans.......2007-06-30

My first impression when I first listened to the CD was that it, (unlike other rescent Forbert albums), was a little too soft around the edges. And although the songs were great, I felt the music supporting them didn't fully extract the richness from them. However after keeping it in my car for a few days, It really grew on me, and now I accept it for what it is and as another Forbert masterpiece.
If the first listening doesn't hook you, the second one will. Or the third... Maybe fourth.

Average customer rating: New Yo-Yo Fan Simply wonderful! Awesome What is this? Great if you're not familiar with Yo-Yo Ma

Classic Yo-Yo Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by O'Connor | O'Connor, Mark | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Ma, Yo-Yo | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: Vivaldi's Cello The Essential Yo-Yo Ma Obrigado Brazil Simply Baroque Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla ASIN: B00005OAY5 Release Date: 2001-09-18

Tracks:

1. Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major
2. Prelude
3. Fear Tango
4. Butterfly's Day Out
5. Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
6. Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor, Op.72
7. Three Preludes
8. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
9. American Collection Theme
10. Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Major, Op. 99
11. IV. Allegro molto
12. The Eternal Vow from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
13. Erbarme dich (Matthdus-Passion)
14. Quartet for Piano & Strings No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45
15. IV. Allegro molto
16. Vocalise
17. Libertango
18. Simple Gifts
19. Appalachia Waltz

Amazon.com

Except for one "previously unreleased" recording and two new ones, this is a compilation of segments taken from older Yo-Yo Ma CDs, perhaps to whet listeners' appetite to hear the entire records. The disc represents a triumph of performance over material. The program consists of short pieces and single movements of long ones and serves to display Yo-Yo Ma's extraordinary versatility, his spectacular instrumental and musical gifts, and his remarkable ability to invest everything he plays with the same commitment and emotional concentration. There is no logic to the sequence, except that it begins and ends with solo cello. Bach, whom Ma plays tuned normally when unaccompanied and tuned low with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, may justify the CD's title but seems out of place. Moreover, juxtaposing him with O'Connor and Piazzolla is jarring, though the Tangos are beautiful. The transcription of Dvorák's lovely E-minor Slavonic Dance, despite the participation of violinist Itzhak Perlman and his golden tone, sounds like a movie soundtrack: all bravura and cheap effects. The playing's the thing, and it is stunning, not only Yo-Yo Ma's, but that of all his collaborators, from vocalists Bobby McFerrin and Alison Krauss to pianist Emanuel Ax, Ma's duo partner of 25 years. Ax joins Ma for the Finale of Brahms's second cello sonata; that is what you may find yourself humming at the end. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

New Yo-Yo Fan.......2006-07-09

I had never listened to Yo-Yo Ma before (that I knew of) and then I was at a dance recital a few months ago. Two little ballerinas danced to "Simple Gifts" with Alison Kraus, and I had to have that song. I really enjoy playing this album when my family is just hanging out reading or playing with the baby in the living room. Each piece is unique and beautiful in its own way. Simple Gifts is still my favorite piece on the album, I only wish it were longer!

Simply wonderful!.......2006-06-04

I recently got this CD as a birthday gift. I've been wanting this CD for a while. The first track is a wonderful song in all reality the entire CD is a wonderful experience. The prelude by Gershwin is unique sounding with the cello. The jazz quality is still there and has a bit of classical influence intertwined among it. Yo-Yo Ma's recording of Simple Gifts is a good song and when they had the lyrics sung by Alison Krauss it was a wonderful choice. Her vocals matched the cello incredibly well. Track 8 is a wonderful song that I love to hear being played on the cello. For any person who loves classical music or cello music this CD is a good choice to buy. It will be well worth your money.

Awesome.......2004-08-20

While most people on this site see the "classic" in the title of the album as referring to classical music only, they are mistaken. Classic Yo-Yo refers to his style, not the genre into which his music choices fall. The list of tracks alone should have been a big enough clue that the music isn't all classical. Judging this album, or any album for that matter, on just its title is simply foolish. And while this is technically a solo album, the way Yo-Yo brings in guest artists to perform with him shows his flexibility as an artist. His version of Simple Gifts is so much more than a school chorus; it is an amazing cellist playing the accompaniment on a song that is meant to be sung.

On a more positive note, I found every track beautiful, from the elegant solo cello in the Bach cello suite to the haunting vocal line in the Bobby McFerrin piece. Yo-Yo Ma gathered a wide range of intriguing pieces to make this fantastic album.

What is this?.......2004-02-10

This is a compilation of many different styles; look Yo-Yo can play bluegrass! Not really "Classic" Yo-Yo.

Great if you're not familiar with Yo-Yo Ma.......2002-12-27

This CD is a good sample of what yo-yo ma has acheived in his musical career, if you want a more in depth listening of his talents than I suggest getting the simply baroque CD. The only thing that I didn't like about this cd was that the compositions were to mixed up in the genres. There was a bit of classical, some movie works, a great song by John Williams, and some of The Tango series music. If you would rather listen to one genre, get a CD that just has Classical or Contemerary, don't get a jack of all trades cd.

Average customer rating: Good times in the city

New Sensations Lou Reed Manufacturer: Bmg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Legendary Hearts Street Hassle Mistrial Growing Up in Public The Bells ASIN: B000H5TZUO Release Date: 2006-10-02

Tracks:

1. I Love You, Suzanne
2. Endlessly Jealous
3. My Red Joystick
4. Turn to Me
5. New Sensations
6. Doin' the Things That We Want To
7. What Becomes a Legend Most
8. Fly into the Sun
9. My Friend George
10. High in the City
11. Down at the Arcade

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. BMG. 2006.

Album Details

2006 Issued Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork, Right Down to the Original Album Inner Sleeve! the Package also Comes with a Booklet that Includes Full Lyrics in English (And Japanese).

Customer Reviews:

Good times in the city.......2007-07-23

Wow, what a great album. From the rocking opener I Love You Suzanne this is one song after another of Lou at his melodic best, with horns, keyboards and backing singers used to great effect.

As a celebration of life, it does occasionally hint at the dark side (like violence in Endlessly Jealous, My Friend George and loneliness in What Becomes A Legend Most) but the overall impression is one of finding magic in everyday experiences.

My favourite tracks are Doing The Things That We Want To with its glorious girl chorus and the almost ethereal, breezy High In The City ("Don't wanna talk politics today/Feelin' pretty witty/Getting' high off of the city ..." and that just about sums up the mood of the album.

Average customer rating: only complaint:too $hort Piazzolla: Five Tango Sensations A wonderful collaboration & one of the best Piazzolla discs Piazzolla and Kronos are an excellent team Piazzola plays with Kronos!!

Piazzolla: Five Tango Sensations Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Kronos Quartet | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Tango: Zero Hour Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla Kronos Quartet : Winter Was Hard Piazzolla: Tango Ballet, Concierto Del Angel, Tres Piezas Para Orquesta De Camara / Kremer, Glorvigen, et al Astor Piazzolla ASIN: B000005J0M Release Date: 1991-01-16

Tracks:

1. Five Tango Sensations: Asleep
2. Five Tango Sensations: Loving
3. Five Tango Sensations: Anxiety
4. Five Tango Sensations: Despertar
5. Five Tango Sensations: Fear

Amazon.com essential recording

This "EP" (about 27:00) contains just one work and sells for a reduced price. Astor Piazzolla wrote this music for himself to play with the Kronos Quartet. People who don't know Piazzolla's music might think this is just a collection of dances. But Piazzolla did for the tango what Chopin did for the polonaise, writing music of substance and passion that rewards repeated listening. I wish Nonesuch would reissue this disc combined with the its CD of Piazzolla orchestral works (now out of print, regrettably). But for the cautious, this disc will make a fine introduction to someone increasingly recognized as a master in his field. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

only complaint:too $hort.......2007-05-17

like the other reviews have said,how can you possibly go wrong with astor and kronos?! obviously you can't and this album is proof! i wish it would've been longer instead of being included in kronos' singles series,but i think i can live with what i have,haha! get it used while it's still cheap!

Piazzolla: Five Tango Sensations.......2005-09-11

Although a very short album its still one of my favourite Piazzolla recordings. All the tracks are brilliant & as one of Piazzolla's last albums it is also definitely one of the best.

A wonderful collaboration & one of the best Piazzolla discs.......2004-10-26

Astor Piazzolla has collaborated with many wonderful artists over the years (including Gary Burton, Milva and many others), but this collaboration with Kronos Quartet is very special and extra extra wonderful. Piazzolla's music is not tango strictly speaking, but a 'sui generis" musical world on its own right, a 'fusion' of the tango tradition with classical and jazz elements, where the tango is the prima materia that the artist used and alchemically refined into gold.

These five pieces for string quartet and bandoneon explore a range of emotions that will speak differently to everyone and what differentiates them somewhat from other Piazzolla music is a feeling of 'quietness' and peace, the explosive material that one usually finds in Piazzolla here is subdued in sweet melancholy. Personally, whenever I listen to this disc, I'm left with a feeling of beauty, sweetness and aching longing.

An essential disc for good music lovers.

Piazzolla and Kronos are an excellent team.......1999-07-07

When I bought this CD, I didn't know what exactly to expect because after all tango isn't one of those things I like alot. But this record with it's improvisations and it's rather mellowy combination of quartet and bandoneon made the music sound more like a soundtrack to a movie. Excellent work on both sides of the performance, highly recommended to Latin American music lovers or French film lovers.

Piazzola plays with Kronos!!.......1999-03-06

This is the recording that inspired Piazzola to write Four for Tango especially for the Kronos quartet. The music is great, the performance is excellent, and best of all you get to hear Piazzola himself. Very good reflective piece.

Average customer rating: One of the BEST guitar cds ever! OLE

Tango Argentino Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Latin American Guitar Music Guitar Music of Argentina Guitar Music from Cuba Manhã de Carnaval Guitar Music of Argentina ASIN: B0000ZKRTE Release Date: 2004-02-17

Tracks:

1. Kite-Flying Dream
2. Milonga Of Confusion
3. The Last Woman
4. Libertango
5. The Day You Love Me
6. Coming Back
7. Military Tap
8. Melancholic
9. Nostalgic
10. South
11. For The Tilingos
12. Farewell Nonino
13. Midnight In Buenos Aries
14. Jacinto Chiclana
15. Triumphal
16. La Recoleta
17. Milonga Of My Loves
18. 71 Milonga

Amazon.com

If you want to find out if you'll enjoy this collection of guitar transcriptions, listen to track 7, the "Military Tap" by Mariano Mores. If you can resist the ingenuity of the arrangement and the verve of the performance, this disc is not for you. For further evidence, try track 13, Astor Piazzolla's "Midnight in Buenos Aires," an amazing example of Villadangos's imagination as an arranger. This guitarist, who comes from Buenos Aires himself, has obviously absorbed the tango tradition and idiom completely. You might think guitar solo arrangements would be disappointing, lacking the inherent color of the typical tango band. Not so in this exhilarating collection, which also juxtaposes internationally known tango composers like Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel with others much less well known. Villadangos also supplies his own helpful program notes for this completely satisfying, memorable recital. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

One of the BEST guitar cds ever!.......2006-12-27

This is by far one of the best guitar CDs and the best performance I have ever heard. So far I have 3 cds from Villadangos and they are all brilliant. Strongly recommended!

OLE.......2004-06-07

This is a wonderful album of acoustic guitar music. I've always loved the Tango and the so-called "classical" guitar. This album brings them together delightfully. The album transports me to a smoke-filled Argentinean nightclub where the Tango is danced very passionately. I agree with the review to this album; tract 13 is wonderful.
If you are into the Tango or guitar music or just want to be transported, in your mind, to a different time and place, buy this disc.

Average customer rating: Excellent, yet i'd rather have a classic.

In Retrospect: The Best of the Toasters The Toasters Manufacturer: Stomp Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Third Wave Ska | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Ska General | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Reggae | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: One More Bullet The Aggrolites Pietasters: 1992-1996 Everything Goes Numb ASIN: B0000CG8FE Release Date: 2007-01-08

Tracks:

1. East Side Beat
2. Talk Is Cheap
3. Weekend In L.A.
4. Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down
5. Thrill Me Up
6. Razor Cut
7. Dub 56
8. 2-Tone Army
9. Shebeen
10. Recrimination
11. Havanna (This Gun For Hire)
12. Underground Town
13. Ska Killers
14. History Book Version
15. The Beat
16. Pirate Radio
17. Dog Eat Dog
18. Hard Band For Dead
19. Mona
20. New York Fever
21. I'm Running Right Through The World

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, yet i'd rather have a classic........2004-11-17

Don't get me wrong I love moon ska music and the toasters are probably my second favorite ska band besides Mustard Plug. You ask why I only give this album four stars is because I'd rather have a classic cd. There are 21 songs on this cd and I can't listen to this cd all the way through because it does get repetitive after about the 16th song even though this is a greatest hits album. If you want a good toasters release go for Skaboom! or New York Fever. If you are a toasters fan you should get this, but if your new to moon ska or even the Toasters then start out with Skaboom! because that is probably there best cd to date.

Best Songs: Talk Is Cheap, 2-Tone Army,and History Book Version

Average customer rating: Not What I thought and now for a little vibrato......... Old wine in new bottles A Treasure Chest of Gorgeous International Ballads - Beautiful Sound! Energetic, fresh, refined --dump Andrea Bocelli in the trash

Sensations Manufacturer: Orbis World Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hang on Little Tomato Careless Love Sympathique Voz D'Amor Motifs ASIN: B0006VLLX8 Release Date: 2004-10-01

Tracks:

1. I'te Vurria Vasa
2. Chanson pour l'Auvergnat
3. Ciao Bella Ciao
4. Alma Corazon y Vida
5. J'attendrai
6. Study in G Major
7. Banks of the Lee
8. Song without Words
9. Amapola
10. Je Croix Entendre Encore
11. Twelfth of Never
12. Non Lasciarmi Cosi
13. Ach Zatchem eta Noch
14. Mo Ve' la Bella Mia

Album Description

This is a rich fusion of music that is both earthy and elegant. The album is romantic travelogue of Eurocentric ballads drawing from poignant French chansons, sweet Spanish and Italian melodies, English and Russian love songs, and opera.

Customer Reviews:

Not What I thought.......2006-11-10

I bought this CD wihouth listening it first, only for the reviews. So when I have received the CD I heard it found that is a beautiful CD, but a little boring, not what I thought it was. If I have heard it before I would have not been interested in it, because I was thinking it was more like Pink Martini.

and now for a little vibrato................2006-10-18

I apologize for the criticism, but this recording is actually out of key. They may have chosen a great selection of international songs, but that's where it should have stopped.

Old wine in new bottles.......2005-10-04

Of course it is hard to be objective about this album when many of the songs were sung to you by your Sicilian aunts long, long ago. But I will try.

This isn't a coloratura album - these are mainly folk-songs with a long history in European drawing-rooms, much loved by generations of listeners. All of these songs have been done countless times, infinitely better, by greater performers.

The reviewer who urges you to dump Andrea Bocelli in the trash is slightly bonkers -- I hate that kind of aggressively inane remark anyway -- since Bocelli is a consummate professional, who writes and scores ravishingly beautiful songs, and can sing alongside Pavarotti, while these ladies are very minor performers. But there is something endearing about the very amateurishness of the album. I very seldom review anything I hate on Amazon -- I usually only bother if I think something is worth 4 or 5 stars. In this case, I'm happy to recommend Liata.

Rosanna D'Agnillo has a lovely voice, Lynne Cerro is a little uncertain in the lower register. Together they sometimes sound somewhat like my tremulous Aunts on those warm Sicilian evenings long ago, but the effect (for me at least) is delicious. The guitar work is very simple and the keyboard sound is occasionally reminiscent of a chapel of rest. The syrupy old tunes never grow old, however, and the point of this collection is to round up a posy of European favourites so that a new generation of listeners can be enchanted all over again by the likes of J'attendrai and I' te Vurria Vasá. Nor does it hurt to hear their sweet arrangement of the universally adored Je Croix from the Pearl Fishers.

The trio's strong point (apart from the material) is Rosanna D'Agnillo, whose voice is rich as plum jam, though she is not always accurate, and prone to slur notes.

I am sure these three ladies have learned a great deal making this album and will soon come up with another collection (one itches to make suggestions). There is a place for them alongside the likes of Pepe and his Bottle Blondes, Pink Martini and The Paris Combo. I look forward to that!

A Treasure Chest of Gorgeous International Ballads - Beautiful Sound!.......2005-08-27

I was browsing the World Music section at Amazon and came upon Liata's "Sensations" quite by accident. Intrigued, I listened to bits of each track and, enchanted, decided to take a chance and purchase the CD. Boy, am I ever glad I am a risk taker! (smile). The music is just beautiful - an eclectic multicultural compilation of ballads from France, Spain, Italy, and Russia, along with some opera.

Mezzo-soprano Rosanna D'Agnillo's lush voice simply soars, turning each song into a special treasure. At times Lynne Cerro joins her in vocal harmonies. Ms. Cerro also accompanies with multicultural instrumentation like the woodwinds, as well as the more eclectic offerings of santur, dulcimer, harp and oud. Lynn Davies is brilliant on the classical guitar. The result of their collaboration is pure elegance with an earthy touch.

Album highlights include: "I'te Vurria Vasa," ("How I Want To Kiss You"), the opening track, is an early 20th century Neapolitan serenade; "Ciao Bella Ciao," a traditional WWII song of the Italian partisan fighters; the contemporary Peruvian "Alma, Corazon y Vida;" "Study in G Major" a gorgeous 18th century composition for classical guitar with an additional melody line for the flute; the haunting traditional Irish ballad "Banks of the Lee," written by Thomas Davis, a 19th century poet and patriot, is another great favorite; the popular American love song "The Twelfth of Never" is beautifully performed here, as is the passionate Russian ballad "Ach Zactchem eta Noch;" and George Bizet's "Je Croix Entendre Encore," from "The Pearl Fishers."

This wonderful album is certainly a well kept secret, at least in the US. I am amazed more people do not know what a jewel Liata's "Sensations" is. Highly recommended!
JANA

Energetic, fresh, refined --dump Andrea Bocelli in the trash.......2005-01-06

I'll try to do this systematically:
1) The composition, layout, vocals, all of it, beautiful
2) The selection of songs is very compelling; a handful were familiar, others not, and all of it was very fresh and powerfully delivered.
3) Songs that were familiar to me were arranged so fabulously that they sounded like new songs;
4) the others were outstanding, earthy, and not too remote.

After you listen to this, you will want to dump your Andrea Bocelli CDs in the garbage.
Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Tango!: The Spirit of Argentina Manufacturer: Asv Living Era ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Best Tango Album in the World, Ever! Astor Piazzolla - The Soul Of Tango: Greatest Hits TANGO FATAL ASIN: B0006IGP50 Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

1. Adios Nonino
2. El Choclo
3. Fugata
4. Por Una Cabeza
5. La Chica
6. Milonga Del Angel
7. Calambre
8. La Cumparsita
9. Milonga Sin Palabras
10. Caminito
11. Revirado
12. Oblivion
13. Fracanapa
14. Piece En Forme De Habanera
15. Fear - From 'Five Tango Sensations'

Average customer rating: Hmmmm. CD with no label or mfg

LET ME IN(WEE-OOO) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music ASIN: B000B34ELW

Customer Reviews:

Hmmmm........2007-03-11

Junior?
As "Lars" mentions, I too was expecting at least an "Argo" as one of their "originally recorded labels" for hits such as "Let Me In" and "Music, Music, Music" on the label if not a "Rhino", "Collectibles" or the like.

I purchased this from the Collectibles web site a few years ago and figured it to be legit, although I questioned the flaws as "Lars" states.

Nonetheless, the quality is just and the music soulful / R&B and worthy. If you love the music from this genre, you'll appeciate this as long as you are not expecting any frills with the packaging or any liner notes. It does look homemade.

For the Oldies collectors, If you know the major difference between the quality "Ace" label and the homemade style of "Mr. Maestro" label you'll fully understand.

CD with no label or mfg.......2006-08-14

The music on this CD is great, and it is professionally shrink-wrapped, but there is no mention of a manufacturer, no bar code, no copyright, no place of manufacture, and the CD is a writable CD - not a pressing. The images on the label are blurry with faded colors and are not professionally done. This is mostly likely an unauthorized version, but it is impossible to tell who did it or where. The original releases were on Atco and Argo, but may have been released on Kae Williams' Junior Records, which is the only company name on the CD. Junior Records has not been in business since the mid 1960s

This contains a great selection of Doo-Wop songs, most of which I had never heard before. About 1/3 or so of them are upbeat, and about 1/3 are ballads. Besides the title song, "Kiddy Car Love" and "Party Across the Hall" are upbeat favorites of mine.

Average customer rating: It's not what it appears to be I never knew classical could sound like this a necessary, and excellent, sampler

Released: 1985-1995 Dumisani Maraire , Astor Piazzolla , Ben Johnston , Steve Reich , Henryk Gorecki , Terry Riley , George Crumb , Arvo Part , King of Navarre Thibault IV , Tigran Tahmizyan , Samuel Barber , Raymond Scott , Anonymous , Michael Daugherty , Jimi Hendrix , Djivan Gasparian , I.F. Stone , Larry Caballero , Patty Manning , John Taylor , and Performer: Kronos Quartet Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by George Crumb | Crumb, George | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Daugherty, Michael | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glass | Glass, Philip | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Riley, Terry | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Kronos Quartet | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Short Stories Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass White Man Sleeps Rosa: The Death of a Composer Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae) ASIN: B000005J3V Release Date: 1995-10-24

Tracks:

1. Mother Nozipo
2. Five Tango Sensations: Asleep
3. String Quartet No. 4 (Amazing Grace)
4. Different Trains: America - Before The War
5. Quasi una Fantasia - String Quartet No. 2: Arioso: adagio cantabile
6. Salome Dances For Peace: (Excerpt From) The Ecstasy
7. Black Angels: God-Music
8. Fratres
9. String Quartet No. 5: Movt. III
10. A Cool Wind Is Blowing
11. Adagio

Tracks:

1. Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals
2. How It Happens - The Voice Of I.F. Stone: It Raged
3. Elvis Everywhere
4. Purple Haze

Amazon.com essential recording

For all its wide stylistic span and just plain good listening, Kronos's Released 1985-1995 is problematic in that it doesn't acknowledge the group's decade-long pre-Nonesuch history with so much as a footnote. That aside, Released, which celebrates the first ten years of the group's association with Nonesuch, is like a great mix tape, stringing pop-song-length selections from 11 albums to wonderful effect. It opens with a joyous Zimbabwean cross-cultural composition; segues into a brief tango by Astor Piazzolla; and goes on to comprise classic minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Reilly, Philip Glass), a broader palette of 20th-century classical (Samuel Barber, Henryk Gorecki, George Crumb, Arvo Part), and work truly unique to the Kronos repertoire (Ben Johnston's arrangement of "Amazing Grace"). A second CD includes a live recording of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," a catchy rendering of a wacky Raymond Scott hodgepodge, a novelty homage to Elvis Presley, and a selection from Scott Johnson's extraordinary musical setting of readings by historian I.F. Stone. A great starter kit for Kronos newcomers. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

It's not what it appears to be.......2006-07-17

A sampler should be priced at sampler prices to get you to sample the label or artist, usually around $10. On this set, the first CD is 77 min. but the second is only 23 and mostly worthless, except for the Hendrix piece (Purple Haze) which they claim is unreleased though it appears in nearly identical form on the "Sculthorpe, Sallinen, Glass..." album, released 5 years before this one. The first CD is excellent, however, and merits a $2 marketplace purchase.

I never knew classical could sound like this.......2005-06-22

I bought this CD with no knowledge of what Kronos Quartet was all about. I don't have a sophisticated taste in classical music, with my preferences running more to Copeland, Dvorak, Handel, Barber, and Holst.....accessible music for many people. I bought this to expose myself to a different approach to classical music and for the most part have loved the ride. The track America-Before the War alone is worth the price of the CD....its meditation on a society just emerging with optimism from economic stagnation but simultaneously rushing into war is incredibly powerful.

There are obviously many old favorites like Amazing Grace, Barber's Adagio, and a classic rendition of Jimmy Hendrix. When you listen, though, you will appreciate the diversity of classical music....there's so much more to the catalog than most writers Top Fifty lists.

a necessary, and excellent, sampler.......2000-10-09

I've been aware of the Kronos Quartet since WHITE MAN SLEEPS, but never took the plunge until now. What to do, when they've "released" so many records in the meantime? This sampler is the (near) perfect answer. It contains selections from 10 different albums. This serves both to give a sense of the breadth of the group's work (as well as the breadth of 20th century composition!), and also the flavor of some of their records if you decide to hear more. It is astounding music --RELEASED works as a unified whole, with two exceptions in my opinion, and those are the excerpts from the Reich and Glass albums. I don't like Glass at all, and the Reich piece is underwhelming, so I simply edit those selections out. Most of the other tracks are nothing less than stellar: Johnston, Gorecki, Riley, Crumb, Part, Tahmizyan, and Barber. The second disc ("Unreleased") is where my more serious dissatisfaction lies, and hence only 4 stars. You pay a 2-disc price, but this is not a full disc of music, and only 2 of the 4 selections really bear repeated listening. The Johnson track with sampled vocals by the great critic of U.S. imperialism I.F. Stone is fantastic (in a very '80s style), but the last two pieces are more novelty numbers. With all the material available, the second disc could easily contain many more cuts from the voluminous Kronos catalog. But with that caveat, I recommend this record. It sounds great in its own right, and it works quite well as a sampler.

(Since I wrote the original review I've added BLACK ANGELS, NIGHT PRAYERS, and SHORT STORIES to my collection, and all are superb -- see my reviews of all three, and my "Kronos, Reviewed and Unreviewed" list -- 9/5/04.)

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