Customer Reviews

Blu

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had tried ordering this item from amazon.com but even at present it is still unavailable. Next I tried ordering from the seller cd_quest through amazon's referall system but they too didn't have it for immediate shipping. Very disappointed and without high hopes I visited a local mega retailer in NYC and to my disbelief (NEVER found P&C albums there) they had it in stock! I rushed home, listened to the album, and fell in love yet again.

First off this album is not the ital pop you probably expect from the two sisters. While their music has been evolving with each new album, the difference between their last album and this is light years the difference between any of their others. Blu is a slower, beautifully chill mix of pop, disco, funk and soul. Very different but oh so delicious.

Blu makes particularly well use of Paola's naturally velvety voice due to its slower, less pop'like nature. Chiara is... well I've never been in love with her voice so in that sense she doesn't offer as much as her sister.

The CD also has some extra material on it including photos and the censured video of Kamasutra. (According to the sticker on the CD. I haven't gotten around to taking a look at those.)

The entire album is wonderful but I'll try to comment on those tunes which are interesting in one way or another.

1 @Mare Di Più - The first song of the album, it's the one tune which can be most easily classified with P&C's older material. This is a chart topper. Very catchy.

2 Blu - Title track and I believe the first released single on this album. This is a very upbeat tune but I don't think it will do nearly as well as @Mare Di Più.

4 Disco DJ - This is the one and only tune I don't particularly like. Hard to describe but it's somewhat repetitive.

6 Diana, 7 Naturale - Both feature Paola's gorgeous voice. Just perfect.

11 Aqua - A wonderful track to round up the album. There are no words to this song a la Television, but both sisters sing throughout the entire track.

In ending my one and only complaint is that it's short. It's very short at a measly 42 minutes. But you know what, I'd rather take a short album over no album.

Pick up Blu. You will not be disappointed.

Paola & Chiara have been recorded 6 albums since 1997 - so it makes about 1 album every year, and as this new album shows, that's far too much. I've been watching them since their first international album ("TeleVision") and I couldn't agree more that they have both great potential, astonishing voices and a huge gift for videos. But every album since "TeleVision" is divided into 2 parts: one with great, catchy songs with interesting lyrics (if you understand Italian, most of it) and the second with songs that should never, ever be a part of the album. It feels like the sisters wanted to record an album so hard, that they didn't care about it at some point. And it really, really shows on "Blu" - songs like "Amare Di Piu", "Sexy", "Disco DJ" or astonishing "Aqua" are pearls of the album, while the rest is, well, not. But, on the other hand, it's only a matter of taste.

You have to admit though, that the album is perfectly compact, which is tremendously good in the era of artists, who can't decide what to record, so they record everything, creating a huge mess on the album. The sisters also continued the tradition of using well known samples (on "Mai, Mai, Mai" it was Madonna's "Justify My Love", now "Naturale" theme seems to be taken from Kelis' "Flashback") which is not very good itself, although results are nice.

All in all, "Blu" is a promising fresh chillouted mixture of pop and light r'n'b, which shows that they still have that thing. They simply know how to record an album, and I personally praise them for that. It's still not a top-shelf position, but Paola & Chiara are sure on a good way.

I recommend.

This is a really good album, even if you don't know Italian.

WARNING: This album has copy protection. You can listen to it on a CD player, on a PC with the included software player ONLY, but if you have a Mac, an iPod, an MP3 Player, or a PDA, you're out of luck.

As to the album, it's a mix of pop, dance music, and smooth jazz. And you will find a 'Blu' theme pop up in a number of the tracks. Here's a couple of exceptional tracks:

'Blu' is a real peppy tune that sounds like early Madonna (not a bad thing). They know it, since they include the lyric "I'll take you there". Listen to it at work and don't be surprised if you start doing a little dance step.

'Senza Confine' reminds one of Sade. It's smooth and smokey. If you want to set a romantic mood with your special someone, include this track. A number of other tracks have the same sort of 'feel', but not as romantic. I'd love to put this one on my pocket PC!

'Aqua' is a nice easy intrumental where the voice is just another instrument. I wish it ran longer.

'Diana'. Every CD seems to have one weak track and this is it. It's ruined by overlaying a male voice rap track. Maybe they thought they needed it for rap or hip-hop appeal (they didn't). Skip this track.

This album is a nice mix of dance tunes and ones you just listen to and only realise later your shoulders are gently moving with the song.

If you can stand the copy protection restrictions then go hit the 'Add to Shopping Cart' button NOW. Then let SonyMusic know what you think of the copy protection.

If you buy Blu, you will be anything but blue. Get it.

Panama Mike

Album points received/max = 55/55 = A+
11 trax: 5x11 = 55.
55/5 = 11, 11 stars = 1 letter grade.
55 stars, A+, perfetta, perfection!..

Breakdown:
@ Mare di Piu *****5
Blu *****5
Senza Confine *****5
Disco DJ *****5
Facciamolo *****5
Diana *****5
Naturale *****5
Sexy *****5
Angolo di Paradiso *****5
Come Eravamo *****5
Aqua *****5

End thoughts: It is nearly impossible to get a perfect score on my reviews, as not one track can miss the mark in anyway! Honestly this is the best album P&C have laced, yet it nearly went unnoticed in Italia at the time as P&C were not popular due to their last album crossing the line with the Italian majority. Yet this CD is so beautiful, so heavenly, its what made me find & fall in love with these Italian sisters. It is so perfect,.. u will not be disappointed!

I love listening to Paola and Chiara, their music is addictive! You don't have to understand the Italian language to enjoy their music, this duo can really sing. Order a copy today and listen for yourself!

Over the past several months, I've been discovering and collecting the wonderful music put out by these two sisters. I must admit, I don't care much for the earlier alternative sound (with a few exceptions - the song 'Ci Chiamano Bambine' is just awesome), but starting with 'Television', the poppy, catchy Italian tunes are irresistable - and their voices spectacular. So now I've finally come to this album. What we find here for the most part is a very slick production that, as has been described elsewhere, leans toward 80's electropop. While I'm impressed with the technical production of the album, the songs themselves leave much to be desired. My two major complaints:

1) Vocally, this album is much more subdued that all of their others. These women can sing, and what a thrill when they belt it out (think 'Festival').

2) Gone are the strong choruses and catchy tunes that make their songs stick in your brain. Even worse, there is little differentiation between songs: similar tempos, sounds, melodies, etc. I've listened to the whole album a few times now, hoping that some of the songs will pull me in eventually. It hasn't happened yet, and the whole album just tends to come out as a homogenous lump of nicely produced electropop.

All that being said, the first two songs do tend to stand out a bit more than the rest. In the end, though, I was hoping for more, and find myself disappointed. I'm not giving up on it quite yet, though.

One of my favorite CD's by Paola & Chiara. I have been collecting their music since their debut and have NEVER been disappointed.

Catchy, upbeat and totally delicious music by two beautiful ladies.

A definite MUST have for any Italian music collector.

I got this CD while in Italy. I didn't know who are Paola and Chiara but saw it is on display and listened to it in a big musica store in Milan. I really loved the songs and I bought it. After getting back I listened to it dozens of times and I am still not tired of it. There are many very good upbeat and catchy songs in this album. It is somewhat different then some of their earlier albums except for Television which is also great and similar in the types of music. If you like euro pop, catchy songs this is your CD.