Customer Reviews

Beautiful Heartache

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Aside from Mel Gibson's visual artistry in the videos, which are great, Grigorieva's music just doesn't cut it. And I'm being nice. For those who have heard her music, be assured there are many uses for this novelty item other than a CD for the musically challenged. For example:

1. Played at low volume, will repel skunks, stray cats or raccoons and keep them away from trash cans and dumpsters;

2. Played at higher volumes, will repel potential burglars, summons servers, property tax assessors, and other unwanted visitors (warning signs should be prominently displayed on gates, doors and windows);

3. An ideal mirror to use in pet cages for birds or hamsters with behavioral problems;

4. The perfect beer can or co.cktail coaster that acts as a subtle message to house guests they have had enough and it is time to leave;

5. Serves as an excellent lethal projectile after being heated with a hairdryer (permits may be required in certain states);

6. Can be flung into the air at high speeds; ideal for skeet shooting, shot put for juniors, and various therapeutic target sports;

7. Wind chimes guaranteed to send scarecrows and other nuisance birds into the next county;

8. Easily reformatted to accommodate downloads of secretly recorded conversations with anyone who calls you on your IPhone.

I should begin by saying that one of the few note-worthy qualities of this bewildering release are the compelling visual effects and imagery Mr. Gibson created and produced; unfortunately, Ms. Grigorieva's video presence comes across as overly wooden and self-conscious.

It appears Grigorieva likes to combine the story-poem with classical, pop and strong European music influences. Presumably, her ambition here was to create a somewhat dark, soulful yet ambiguous motif that is movingly sultry and unique. She succeeded with the darkness; however, her music can be ineptly dissonant, unsympathetic, and at times obnoxious.

The immediate problem is her ever-present singing, which is mediocre at best, and her overconfident `fortissimo' that causes the listener to either wince or cry out in protest. There are mistakes in her piano performances as well; inexcusable for music that is not played live and does not have a high degree of difficulty. Her repetitive use of certain minor chord combinations are monotonous and uninspired. Some of the phrasing, accompanying instrumentation and progressions are clumsy, awkwardly competitive, and predictably annoying. When recording sessions become this painfully egocentric and amateurish, it is time to send the musicians home and call it a day.

When you combine all of these elements and more, this CD is an unqualified miss. To be fair, Ms. Grigorieva deserves some recognition for her efforts. However, I now understand why music critics feel this CD may find a small fan base of the musically challenged. If you're going to do something different, do it well. Whether it is classical, jazz, rock, metal, techno, country opera, or other musical genre, good music should be compelling and invite the listener in - not push them away. Grigorieva would do well to adhere to writing in the future, and let the truly talented and experienced performance artists take it from there.

'Extremely' dull listening...could not endure it more than 2 minutes at most as my ears could not take it more than that. Better to listen to a demo first or check it out on youtube before wasting your money on this one.

I purchased this CD to scare wild animals away from my garden. It works like a charm.

Ok, let's just get something out of the way. Something happened between Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva. I'm not 100% sure what. In the worst case she's a Black Widow gold diger and he's a misogynistic, racist pic, and an abuser. The truth is most likely very far from that scenario, but, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS CD, WHICH IS AMAZING!
In keeping with the spirit of getting the negative out of the way I will say the vocals are the worst (but not a bad part) of the album. She's no Whitney Houston but she can definitively carry a tune. Her voice is sometimes wail-y but it goes extremely well with the song, oftentimes she sounds almost haunting, but again it goes with the song. The lyrics (all songs were written by Grigorieva) and the classical instrumentation are truly something to behold. The songs deal with love/heartbreak, but they are never derivative of every other thing that has been written about love and heartbreak. My favorite songs are: Beautiful Heartache, Say My Name (both released as singles), Love Goes On, Flying Upside Down, and Ain't Right.

The music is a little different than the main stream I wish there was more of this type of music out there.

The music is beautiful. O.G.'s composing and piano playing are fantastic. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because her vocals need...something... She sings well enough for the style, but doesn't express (or have?) the range or power needed to really make the music shine at climaxes in the songs. It's still great though, and I have recommended it to my family and friends. And I'd buy another album if she made one.

Great CD altogether. Every song present a different genre of music. Great vocals, great music great (message carrying) lyrics. Just love it.

For those of us who happen to share the same exact Christian Faith that motivated Mel Gibson's greatest, most enduring, and most controversial work, it is difficult to see Oksana as anything but the "other woman" in his life, the seducing siren with whom a great man fell from a great grace, the perfect "Bathsheba" to his "David."
I must admit that had it not been for that connection I would not have known of her or her work. But out of a curiosity to know something of the reason for a man's obsession that ruined one marriage and scandalized billions, one cannot do better than to listen to her music. One can at least understand his attraction, if not agree with it. There is no mirror here of that Faith that once so drove him, or for that matter, of her charitable project for the children of Chernobyl. In her arms (sonic or literal) one merely escapes all reality, and all of who one is. Even her own reasons for the affair are unclear and ambiguous; was Mel her "Beautiful Heartache," or was she merely doing "what a girl's gotta do"?
So what of the music itself? One commentator on You-Tube wrote that she should sing the next James Bond movie theme song, an assessment that few could ever disagree with, but to which I would add that she should write it too. Even her weakest material has a higher "Bond quotient" than at least several actual Bond themes that I can think of. And the Timothy Dalton connection only adds to the consistency of her serving in such a role. For all the comments regarding "different styles" there really is only one style throughout, hers. The music is dark and sultry, full of East European mystery, sort of combination of "Ochi Chernye" (included) and the Theme from the Godfather (not included). Though it would in no way qualify as a jazz or blues record, quite a number of judiciously sprinkled blue notes draw from those influences like a spice at just the right strength, which only adds to its persuasiveness. Coursing through all of it is her simple but musically effective piano playing which well frames its vapid lyrics that express well her ambiguous feelings. Most of all it is about her, about her moods, her feelings, her love-loves, and her hate-loves. I suppose if I had her looks, her voice, her talent, and her name, perhaps I'd be as into "me" as she is. But she gets away with it, by being quite listenable, if often more for texture and harmony than for any simple straightforward melody.
The strongest songs are the title song "Beautiful Heartache," plus "Back from Russia," "Evening with Daddy," "What Kind of Love Is This," "When It's Over," "Angel," and finally her rendition of "Ochi Chernye." One thing to bear in mind that for most of these, they start off a bit slow, but by the time the song has really gotten going one does not want it to end.
I pull one rating star because the other songs are not so strong, in fact it leads off with her weakest one, "Say My Name," and also because the packaging makes it difficult to remove the CD.
Big ticket question remaining is whether there will ever be a sequel. Without a sugar daddy to perform for (since they broke up, and may he find his way back to some of the grace he fell from), that remains to be seen. Or will she be simply have been his Pia Zadora? Say, what about that Pia...

Sheesh...guess once this album "tanked" and Mel's money and fame started to run dry, she turned on him...see current tapes in news. Then again, Mel is a loser too so I guess they deserve one another.
Can I give this a zero? Wish I could.