Girl From Ipanema, The - Antonio Carlos Jobim

Advantages: Beautiful lullaby voice, subtle but effective jazz backing
Disadvantages: None, all the songs are classics

.... It includes many classic standards that will be familiar to all of the jazz and Latin loving population. Many of them are co-written by the glorious Antonio Carlos Jobim, who has written many classic easy listening bossa nova tunes such as The Girl From Ipanema and Corcovado. There are 25 songs on the album, and it would be too long to include notes about every song, but I will give you an outline of the best recordings on this album. Track: 1. Once I loved. A beautiful Bossa Nova with a lovely flute, guitar and strings backing. A happy song tinged with sadness. Suits Astrud’s voice beautifully. 2. Agua De Beber. A classic up beat bossa, with simple guitar and piano backing. A very simple but wonderfully effective song, with a few notes sung by Joao Gilberto. This is one of my all time favourite songs, a true classic. 3... Read review

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Advantages: Relaxing, sophisticated, easy to listen to, Diana's sexy voice
Disadvantages: Not much variety, could do with a few up tempo tracks

...’re almost horizontal! They are all beautifully sung and recorded and remind me of the great Brazilian songwriter/singer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Besame Mucho is actually sung in Portuguese, it really is beautiful. These songs are definitely made for the summer, and conjure up images of Rio and white sandy beaches. Again, the Look of Love is an unusual choice for a jazz song but it is performed and arranged beautifully. This really is a lovely album. All the songs are relaxed and laid back, and the whole album definitely has a Latin feel. It is an album to listen to when you want to relax and chill out, maybe light a few candles, some incense and hopefully if you’re really good get your other half to give you an all over body massage (I’m going sex mad at the moment aren’t I?!)! It is perfect for candle lit dinners... Read review

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Advantages: Vastly original, superbly expressive
Disadvantages: Singles spoil the mood only slightly

...that I’ve taken you through a classic of the modern times – from yhwman: “Very good, but not enough anger.” Michael has really pushed the boat out with this one, throwing himself and his ideals fully into his work. Having officially “Come out” as a homosexual in 1998, he must have had a lot to think about, and a lot to live with during his career, and I admire him immensely for what this album stands for and what it preaches. If you like powerful and thoughtful lyrics, buy it. If you want to see how big a step one determined man can make in a short time, buy it. PS: Yours truly has just finished doing some research on said “Spanish sounding guys” whom the album is dedicated to: Antonio Carlos Jobim: I couldn’t really find much out about this person as the site’s were mostly... Read review

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