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First off, there is NO Matt Bianco, just like there is no Led Zepplin (sorry if I just burst your bubble there). Moving on..

Matt Bianco did/does for the brazilian pop/bossa sound what Stan Getz did with it in the 1960's -- re-intoroduce the catchy syncopations of the Brazilian beat and updated snappy horns to a new generation of listeners. With the backing of Basia's vocals, how could they have not been a hit? Almost like a deja vu of Astrud Gilberto (whom Basia would later sing a song about when she went solo) meets the present. The first time I heard "Half a Minute" I rushed out to buy the CD -- it was just that cool.

This collection covers pretty much all the best they did in their early years (before Basia split to do her own thing). The music is light and fun, and some of it might even be almost timeless -- certainly those who have never heard it would not think it was dating back to the 80's!

This band had that same breath of fresh "pop" (and Brazilian) air as did Swing Out Sister, or the instrumental band of Spyrogyra. Certainly if you like those, and you liked Basia's solo stuff, you will not be disappointed with this collection!

It's too bad this band has never really caught on in the States. They, along with Swing Out Sister, helped introduce a fresh new sound to the music world. They also brought us the lovely Basia. Luckily, while living in London, I was able to pick up this greatest hits collection. The album is a wonderful of blend musical influences. Pick it up if you have the chance.

I got the album, just thinking that I knew only one or two tracks, but I knew most of them. I haven't stopped playing it in over a forthnight. It's fantastic.

Basias voice, his piano, all is good.
The sax intro in Good Times is just thrilling. I like to hit the back button 5 or 6 times on that intro before I let the whole song go.
One of those cd's I have played 100's of times in a decade of enjoyment.
I bought it thinking I just knew one song, knew at least half of them.

I am a die hard Basia fan! When I found out that Half A Minute, performed live on the Basia On Broadway CD, was really Matt Bianco's, from years back, I decided to buy this CD and check it out. Well...it's not Basia.

The cornerstones of this CD are Jamaican/Jazz influences. You'll hear strange little noises and chanting throughout this CD, which really didn't disturb too much. Some of the songs have good rhythms and decent song structure, but nothing close to Basia's quality. My favorie song on the disc was, as if you couldn't guess, Half A Minute. With that said, the rest of the material was just fair. A couple songs were annoying and I simply hated a couple too. Plus, Matt doesn't have the vocal chops to get it done. He's a master on the keyboards and needs to stay there.

Bottom line: If you love Basia, you will probably not love this CD. If like unique music with a Jamaican/Jazz flair, this could be for you.