Best World Dance
The musical style they create is now part of the fabric of Hawaiian history and their contribution to Hawaiian music and dance has continued to show outsiders to these islands as well as indigenous people how important these components are to the past, present and future of Hawai'i.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you are seeking tranquility and peace for your drive or a bit of quiet time at home with the TV off...listen to them."
"I like very much the background and multi layers of music. In some of their music, you will hear, the surf in the background in the beginning."
"Hawaii is paradise on earth, and the Cazimero Brothers make the music that complements and typifies that beauty."
"Relaxing Hawaiian music that relives my childhood soundtrack."
"Several years ago while on a trip to Kauai, I was in a store and overheard a clerk offering assistance to a middle-aged lady asking for recommendations for Hawaian vocalist music."
"We love the music of the Brothers Cazimero and this album does not disappoint."
Genre: Popular Music Media Format: Compact Disk Rating: Release Date: 12-FEB-1991. Their inclusion of chanting monks in "Sadeness," over wooshy ambient noises and a slower hip-hop-appropriated beat was a sensation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good album."
"Perfect to listen to while meditating.dancing or...ahem..with your lady..."
"I love Enigma and was glad to find this at such a great price."
"I originally heard them at a friends house, plugged them in to Pandora, and now I'm working my way through buying all their albums on Amazon."
With all songs co-written and co-produced by Beyonc, the artist's third studio album is her most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to date.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"On one such track, That's Why You're Beautiful, Beyonce sings a highly meaningful adult alternative ballad with much ease, and puts her own soulful edge on the rock-tinged If I Were A Boy, a song which envisions Beyonce as the unfaithful member in her relationship so as to put her cheating man in her shoes. Smash Into U is a truly sweet love song I absolutely adore, and has obvious country influences, however Beyonce makes it her own by embellishing it with her own superior vocal dexterity. It makes me sad to think that such trash was left on the disc, when it could have been just as easily replaced by the unreleased gem Why Don't You Love Me, with its mind-numbingly passionate vocals layered over a pulsating drum beat, and lyrics written by Beyonce's younger sister Solange, who also penned the tongue-in cheek lyrics found on Beyonce's urban smash hit Upgrade U."
"Item arrived on time and was as described this was part of a gift."
"I just find that it is deeply flawed, and really, the high grade is based on a handful of greatness trailing behind it some memorable mediocrity. The idea that Beyonce suggest here, that all men are basically pigs and don't know how to treat women, is really offensive and childish. The fact that I could easily compile a song about how, if I were a girl, I would overact to everything, care solely about my own feelings, insist that my man spend ALL HIS TIME WITH ME AND ONLY ME and thoughtlessly spend all his money all the while refusing him sex because `I'm tired' is just a testament to how lazy and clichéd this song really is. That said, when she really hits the mark she does so flawlessly, and when you take her talent and focus it in the right direction with the right song (this one is just stunning in all areas, including lyrically) you get something that is utterly marvelous. `Disappear' is a tad repetitive and a little aggravating over time, but it has some stellar moments of vocal purity. `Single Ladies' may very well be THE SONG OF THE YEAR, and while I don't love it like everyone else, even I cannot deny the fact that it is infectious, fun, fresh and totally adorable. I mean, there are parts of that song that make me say "well maybe this is good" and then that ridiculous chorus line cuts in again and I go "eek, this is bad." So, like I said, the strength of a few stellar tracks and a slew of memorable mediocrity gets this album a grade it may not really deserve. Maybe next time Beyonce will leave Sasha out of the studio and reserve her for the stage only."
"A bit of a marketing ploy with the double disk release to show the distinction between Beyoncé and Sasha Fierce, but that Beyoncé for you!"
"I also love halo but really didn't know the other songs. Beyonce is very talented and sings a great variety of songs here--from the upbeat rock songs to rap (i guess you would call it that in the song "Diva") to the more melancholy slower songs."
"Great album from Beyonce."
Best Music of Benin
Angelique shares the stage with several celebrity musicians including Brandford Marsalis and Alicia Keys("Djin Djin"), Carlos Santana and Josh Groban ("Pearls"), Joss Stone("Gimme Shelter") , Peter Gabriel ("Salala"), Ziggy Marley ("Sedjedo"), and African music legends Amadou and Mariam ("Senamou (C'est L'amour)").
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have several of her CD's."
"Goodwill Ambassador for the UNICEF, four-time Grammy Award nominee, and worldwide renowned singer, composer, and performer, Angelique Kidjo came back with her new Album Djin Djin, produced by the maestro Tony Visconti and distributed by Razor &Tie Records/Starbucks Entertainment. From African-influenced hymns typically sung during traditional ceremonies in Sub-Saharan villages, to salsa infused tunes, to afro-pop sounds, to classical music resonance, Djin Djin is a beautifully harmonious integration of culturally diverse sounds. From the throaty and powerful melody "Papa," to the soft and salsa influenced tune "Alala," Kidjo's amazing performance was exhilarating as the fire exuding from the lyrics equaled Angelique's stage presence."
"Super mix of 'african beats.'."
"Because it is familiar, on first listen Kidjo's version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" stands out with its pulsing energy, the layered guitars and Joss Stone joining for the great "It's just a shot away" chorus."
"I am continually surprised, pleasantly i must stress, that she has the range not only vocally, but as a visionary as well, to weave a musical tapestry that expresses her unique style and imbues all of her music, and whatever music she is performing with a certain spirit that seems to come through more powerfully with each CD."
"A very popular production tool these days, letting top musical performers invite other artists to join in the making of a new album by contributing diverse talents, unique styles, etc."
"Angelique Kidjo is a wonderful artist, this a great album featuring a lot of talented artist from Alicia Keys to Joss Stone and Peter Gabriel."
Best Music of Australia & New Zealand
Best Greek Music
On this, the audio-only component of his third made-for-television concert production (filmed in 2005 in Las Vegas), Yanni continues in his adopted role of True Egalitarian, playing a few bars to open a piece, then fading into the background to let other musicians (on violin, trumpet, sax, didgeridoo, hammer dulcimer, even keyboards) command the music's flow. (Consider "Playtime," where Ming Freeman plays the jazzy piano solo, and the disc's previously unreleased track, "The Storm," pairing violinists Samvel Yervinyan and Sayaka Katsuki in a showy duet that is reminiscent of something from Bond.). Thus while the musicianship is first-rate, the production is superb, and some tracks are terrific (too bad "Standing in Motion" fades out so quickly), this disc is more about the jamming and less about staying on compositional task.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This concert DVD will blow you away!!!!"
"Awesome musicians!!"
"This concert it amazing."
"Cd in excellent condition."
"On Yanni Live he proves it once again and delivers one of his best live performances since live at the Acropolis!"
"The thing that made e disappointed is that the the CD that i guess it has bonus track "World dance" did not work,looks like empty!!!"
Best Armenian Music
With a rush of world music arriving in record stores, collections and compilations can be valuable on two counts: as an opportunity to get a comprehensive overview of a specific genre, or, conversely, as an easy entry into a wide array of different musics.Two collections from Celestial Harmonies are impressive examples of the comprehensive overview of a specific genre approach: The Music of Bali and The Music of Armenia .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Many years ago I heard this song on the radio - Chinar Es by Sharakan Early Music Ensemble (from Armenia) - sublime, sheer ecstasy."
"But then, that's probably another project, since this box set covers the folk and sacred music styles of the ethnic Eastern Armenians."
Best Congolese Music
Like the luscious drink itself, the tunes come in many intensities and flavors, ranging from a light-as-air ditty from Peru, to the more complex vocal stylings of Colombia's Claudia Gomez , to Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca 's earthy Afro-Cuban Congolese rumba.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"DO NOT PASS THIS CD UP!"
"This CD came and a host of other CD's via the Putumayo collectioncame in a timely manner and this one inparticular is simply lovely to listen to.I do not have a favorite due to all of the songs are great.For me to not understanding he language makes it even more interesting to listen to.The beats, rhythms, collaborations are simply EXCELLENT!!"
"Good Putumayo CD. Several very good tracks on this CD."
"CD was in great condition."
"My favorite CD."
"You will be hard-pressed to find such soulful, diverse, colorful sounds on a compilation CD."
"The cd was in very good condition, however the music wasn't what I expected it to be."
Best Music of Ghana
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A great collection of seminal Afrobeat music from the 70's."
"This release will get you moving to the groove."
"I thought this well of funkalicious goodness would run dry, or that there would be a reasonable lowering. of the quality after a while, but Analog Africa just keep on pulling them in, buckets loaded with high. grade funk, afrobeat and highlife. Afrobeat Airways 2 is not as awe-inspiring as African Scream Contest, The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. compilations or Legends Of Benin, but it's still very good and you'll find four great songs among the. first five tracks. Childeren Don't Cry by Ebo Taylor Jr. is a great reworking of one. of his fathers best tunes, and The Cutlass Band's "Obiara Wondo" is a fat and greasy cooker."
Best Music of Kenya
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Listen to the interweaving of guitar riffs, the trade off between the rhythm and lead guitarists, that forms the heart of so many great African sessions."
"But the best way though is to have someone buy direct from the street vendors back home and send them over.Otherwise you might wait forever before you can get the chance to kick back, pop open a cold one and let these "carols" take you back to another place in time where life was much simpler and "Sigalame" was a household name."
"Keep pestering people in the business and maybe you'll find a copy of the the best Rumba record ever made from Kenyan artists in the USA. Find Robert from Worldtunes dot NET (go to his web site and email him) and maybe he is still ordering Sonodisc records from France. Also there are a couple of USA based African musican dealers but you are gonna have to find these yourself."
"This compostion of Les Wanyika is incredible.Anybody who's a solid fun of this group from it's humble beginnings until the release of this collection will agree with me that it reflects how talented they truly are.It's entertainment at it's level best.However,the only regret is leaving out the track "shida" out of this meaningful collection."
"Music of this quality knows no age."
"it is a good music but i have been struggling for weeks without success to make an order.How do i do it?"
Best Bulgarian Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The work is exotic, filled with deeply engaging counterpoint and passions that are as deep as they are lacking translation--liner notes are a thing of the LP past."
"The Bulgarian language only adds to the mystery of the Bulgarian voices, and it's perfect for their various vocal affectations, microtonal variations and Eastern European harmonies. To further add to the mystery, if you ever see them live, you will wonder what planet they came from."
"Since she did not know of the group, we sent her this copy."
"Most albums of this type get too repetitive, and the tracks on this are quite similar to each other, but something about the way they harmonize makes it pleasant to even go through the whole thing in one sitting."
"Amazing vocal precision, fascinating music."
"It almost hurts to listen to, it's so beautiful."
"This music is amazing."
"exactly what i was looking for, and knew.. very good condition, good deal."
Best Experimental
Imagine a gym in western Ontario full of 60 children aged 9-12, singing the pop hits of the day and discovering inside themselves for the first time a love of pop music the joy and wonder of these kids is palpable! The Langley students perform their favorite 1960s and 1970s hits as if they never heard the originals; they turn "Mandy" into the kind of lo-fi pop song that Neutral Milk Hotel would perfect 20 years later, and sing "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" like a delegation of extraterrestrial children on a friendship mission to Earth.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is a collection of 70's era songs recorded by the Langley School Music Project - an elementary school music class in British Columbia."
"This also sounds lame, but there is just something wonderful and haunting about the music on this CD in the context of the time and place and methods of it's creation."
"Music supervisor Hangs Fenger seems to have taken a lesson in Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" school and the instrumentals and voice often rise into a majesty that takes the breath away (and it doesn't hurt that the gym acoustics work to their advantage here, giving an echo and reverb that professional musicians shell out big bucks to capture)."
"'Desperado',hauntingly sung by then 9 year old Sheila Behman made me purchase this CD.Very rarely do I purchase an album because one song moved me.This song alone is well worth the price! There is something about this CD that is even more then sublime; it is like a slice of death-bringing back childhood feelings both joyous and painful merged together.It is hard to describe this album in words."
"The Langley Schools Music Project, composed of some Candaian elementary schools, cover the Beach Boys, the Eagles and David Bowie among others."
"I can't stop listening to this."
"I was just recently reading about the life of Antonio Vivaldi, and how he had composed the bulk of his music to be preformed by children, (profound similarity) mostly the Opera's, but the thought occurred to me that this is what music should be and we're lucky to have even heard it."
"I love this album. I've had this album for, oh, eight months now, and I listen to it constantly: I've played "Desperado" and "Space Odyssey" over the phone for friends."
Best Spanish Music
MCMXC a. D. - The Complete Album DVD Haunting, evocative, mysterious, and magnificent, Enigma's Cross of Changes offers nine musical explorations of sound and sensation that dazzle and amaze.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is most likely veary openminded people with a love for nature. This is my fav album of theres with 3 of my fav enigma songs ( age of loneliness)(out from the deep) and ( The eyes of truth) All of there songs and albums that I have heard our good but I think this album is the best."
"THEIR WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE FIRST CD, HOWEVER, THE SELLER SENT ANOTHERONE WHICH WORKED GREAT AND I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE MY FIRST REVIEW TO THIS REVIEW, THE CD HAD ALL OF THE GREAT SONGS IN IT THAT I REALLY LIKED, THE REFLECTION OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS I REALLY LOVED BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS FELT WITHOUT THEIR AID TO THE FIRST SETTLERS, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER BECOME A NATION AND FOR THAT REASON, I FEEL THAT WE OWE THE NATIVE AMERICANS A GREAT DEAL OF GATITUDE WHICH I DON'T FEEL THAT WAS EVER GIVEN TO THEY AND THAT IS WHY I REALLY LIKED THE NATIVE AMERICAN REFLECTIONS ON THIS CD."
"Finely crafted and performed, this is a fine addition to any music collection."
Best Music of Nigeria
Additionally, KFR will be giving the first official release to the entire Koola Lobitos catalogue--this was Fela's highlife band which he fronted through the 60's.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this CD at a brick-and-mortar record store -- oddly, because someone had changed their mind on the way to the register and dumped it in the candy bin (ok, it doesn't take much to get me to buy a CD)."
"Bought this CD as a gift for my dad, he's a fan of Fela."
"This is an excellent compilation of Fela Kuti's "hits," lengthy reminders of what this musician and social activist could produce."
"As some have mentioned before, it is a good album to have to get many of his tracks without having to figure which of his 100 or so albums to purchase."
"Loaded with high intensity sub bass, horns,vocals and a song describing, one truly emancipated lady."
"Felas songs will forever be evergreen."
"I love this I wanna recommend this."
"Fela kUTI I lived in Nigeria for 4 years and I was there when Fela was at the top of his game Fela is a Nigerian who suffered the lost of his mother he play this in this CD."
Best Music of Burundi
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The drum ensembles were the basis of a whole English pop movement (and listen to Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow for the usage that Malcolm McLaren made of them)."
"The male voices are the most protean earth music and the girls sing like locusts or angels."
"For you people who haven't heard the Burundian music, try this CD and you will let me know."