Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece, but not everyone will get it..., April 11, 2007
I really think Mrs Cretu has come into her own as an artist, not just as wife of Michael Cretu, producer extraordinaire. No, she doesn't want to repeat herself and do a whole record of dance tracks like in the 80s, nor does she care about commercial success...Sandra's recording art-pop music for herself first, and many of her fans will feel disappointed. Based on most of the reviews here so far, this is true. Me, I'm loving this artistic evolution she is undertaking!!! It has lots of layers, sophistication, and great songwriting. I love how Sandra is incorporating her seductive speaking voice as much as her distinctive singing voice in swell, haunting arrangements. Jens Gad shows he's as great a producer for Sandra as her husband is. Sandra is a very poetic, deep lyricist...this is not shallow stuff by any means. Every word has weight here. The 7 songs she co-wrote are splendid art-pop songs, some could be remixed for clubs, like the first single, the awesome, very melodic "The Way I Am", but they are perfect the way they are. The other 6 songs are great too...3 are tunes brought in by Jens that he wrote for this project it seems. The other 3 are totally inspired cover choices..."Put Your Arms Around Me" is a Sinead O'Connor song, "Casino Royale" was previously recorded as "Sleep" by Swedish artist Jenny Lofgren...a straight cover of "Sleep" is a B-side on "The Way I Am" single...I love the newly added lyrics and Bond theme...the final track and most inspired cover choice is that of the somewhat overlooked 1985 hit "All You Zombies" by Philly powerpoppers [...]...their first hit off their classic debut "Nervous Night", the single before "And We Danced" (was this a huge hit in Germany I wonder??? They were huge in Germany I recall)...they were the backup band on Cyndi Lauper's iconic "She's So Unusual" album from 1983. Sandra's cover is one of THE best covers ever recorded in my opinion, of any song!!! The reimagined arrangement, reggae-ish feel, Sandra speaking the first verse and singing the second, the incorporation of the children's choir...2 of the kids being Sandra's and Michael's 11-year old twin boys Nikita and Sebastian...the choir also does duties on 2 other cuts on "The Art Of Love".
Overall, it's a wonderful, haunting, unique recording...possibly the best album of 2007 and worth the 5-year wait, aside from Sandra's great 2006 single "Secrets Of Love" with Swiss artist DJ Bobo (they also collaborated on another wonderful song on "The Art Of Love" called "Love Is The Price"), and her awesome 2006 "Reflections" disc, consisting of reimagined takes on 12 classic Sandra cuts...
Now, all we need is a boxset...6-8 discs perhaps??? Then, we'll be set..."The Art Of Love" settles the argument about Sandra Cretu's greatness, and at almost age 45, she's just getting started again...after Arabesque and her first 80s wave...you know what they say, like fine wine, Sandra just keeps getting better with age...not to mention her looks, woah...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mature Sandra, June 5, 2007
I have been collecting Sandra's album since the Arabesque days and Art of Love is my favorited album of her. I respect Michael Cretu as a musician, but I am glad that he is not involved in Art of Love. I was actually hoping that Sandra would use a total "stranger" as the producer. Artist needs to evolve and change with the time and Art of Love (also Wheel of Time) is Sandra's evolution. Maria Magdalena, Little Girl, etc.. were great but that was 20 years ago. Thank goodness that Sandra did not become another "Modern Talking" mess. I enjoy the Sandra of the new millenium more than I did back in the 80s. This album helps erase the dissapointing remix project "Reflection"
For the first time, fans of Enigma and Sandra got both sounds in one album. The best songs on this album is What d'ya Think of Me, You Put Your Arms Around Me ( I have the Sinead's version and Sandra's is better)and What's Left to Say. What's Left to Say is the best song on the album. This songs conjure thoughts of all kinds from personal relationship to what is going on in this world that we are living in.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, down-tempo release from pop legend Sandra, June 11, 2007
After another long wait, Sandra finally releases an album of new tracks. Was it worth the wait? Yes, although expectations were so high it's hard to imagine everyone being pleased.
Despite what other reviewers have said, I don't think The Art of Love is very unlike Sandra's previous recordings... maybe less upbeat numbers, but definitely in her style. I'd compare it to the organic, more acoustic sound of Paintings In Yellow rather than her early 80s synth-heavy releases, though.
While I too was disappointed by the lack of upbeat, more electronic tracks, I found the songs staying with me, growing on me... now it's one of the CDs I play most often at the moment.
Vocally, Sandra's voice seems weaker as the years go by, she frequently sounds breathless... and her spoken dialogues are a bit silly. However, this may just be vocal stylings, along with an annoying growl she's developed in her later recordings.
She's written most of the lyrics this time around, and done a fine job. They seem very personal, sincere... to the point where I am seriously concerned over the state of her marriage with (ex-producer/husband) Michael Cretu!
This is a fine album, however. I do think that if Sandra recorded more frequently, people would be more forgiving of her trying new things. After 6 years between CDs, fans expect her to hit the bull's eye... and rightfully so.
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