Customer Reviews

Gracias a la Vida

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A twist of fate would fill in the void that was left in the musical world and in the collective spirit of the Argentinian people, when a bare couple of weeks after the accidental death of tango's greatest, Carlos Gardel, Mercedes Sosa was born to bring joy and hope to the Argentinian people and the world at large.

There is not a soul on this planet (with a heart) who will not feel touched when listening to Mercedes Sosa. In particular, this compilation ("Thanks to Life") of works sung by "La Negra" will come in as a drop of healing water in these times of conflict. There is not a single song in this album that is not incredible, but "Corazon de Estudiante" (Heart of a Student), the title track (in a bresthtaking and heartfelt live rendition), "Yo Vengo a Ofrecer Mi Corazon" (from Argentina's rock maestro, Fito Paze), "Maria Maria" (translation from the Brazillian classic by Milton Nascimento) and "La Maza" (from the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez) stand out as the best songs in this, one of her compilations which can be counted by the dozen these days.

Too unfortunate that the album is out of stock: my best advice to you is to grab a used copy when/if you are lucky to find one.

I had never heard of this CD when a friend gave it to me four years ago. I don't speak a word of Spanish, but I listened to it non-stop. One ugly day, I lost the CD and I was devastated because I couldn't find it anywhere. When I eventually found it, after forgetting about it for a couple of years, I put it on and it still is magnificent music. She sings so powerfully and so movingly. Buy this!

Mercedes Sosa's songs reflect her deep empathy with the people and the more difficult years in Argentina. The songs in this album are especially heartfelt even if one doesn't understand all of the words. The feeling is there and it carries through the universal language of music.

She's the one of the best singers in the world. This strong argentinian will transfer you to another world with her sweet strong and powerful voice through this amazing songs! A MUST-HAVE ! Soft popular songs and also strong folk performances.

Her music will give you a profound sense of respect for Latin American cultures, it can transport you there as well as it can touch your soul

I don't understand a word she sings, but her voice can touch the deepest part of one's heart, and the songs in this CD are really beautiful!

Mercedes Sosa died last year. It was her death that brought me to her music. NPR mentioned on the morning news that she had passed away and that she was the most loved folk singer of Argentina. That made me curious. I never had heard of her before and here she was making the morning news on NPR (a station which does not usually mark the deaths of entertainers.) I pulled up this CD on my music service. I did not fall in love with it on the first listening but by the second time I was completely hooked. I love especially "Todo Cambia", "Razon de Vivir", and "Gracias a la Vida". I don't speak Spanish but I looked up the lyrics on the web and then translated them through Google translator. She has a uniquely beautiful voice-a very pure, perfectly pitched alto. Her heart comes through her music. Lovely.

This is the best of all Mercedes' albums, particularly with Mi Unicornio Azul, and Las Manos de Mi Madre.

Mercedes Sosa shows her brilliance in her ability to move between heartfelt love ballads and protest marches and then back to sad songs written for working campesinos. This is truly a beautiful assortment of songs. If you can't go to Argentina to hear her play you should at least own one of her albums.