Customer Reviews

Hotel Costes V.11

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

 

 

This is one of the worst Costes Albums in the entire 11 disc collection. I have all of them, and I pretty much love them all, although some stand out more than others. I had VERY high hopes for this collection, but I gotta tell 'ya...this collection falls completely flat on 1st and 2nd listen. OK, the cover female art is cool as always...but that is the best part of this CD! It feels to me like Stephane had too many cooks in the musical kitchen, as the tunes are (generally) neither great chill nor as groovy as many previous (superlative) efforts. The mood just isn't there. Maybe Stephane has been out partying on the DJ circuit too much, but this has to stand out as (by far) the worst effort of the entire Hotel Costes project. I have the greatest respect for the creativity of past Costes CD's, and Stephane & crew were always able to surprise and enlighten me with many little gems that would make me want to close my eyes and just say..."wow, where did he find that." This disc has none of that, and will probably stand out as possibly the end of the Costes run, or perhaps (hopefully) just a big dud among some spectuacular efforts. The Lena Horne tune, "I want a little doggie" pretty much sums up this lame CD...woof woof.

By the way, if you want to find an KILLER new Chill CD collection - try the new Claude Challe "Select 2008 - Music For Our Friends." Now that is mindblowing chill in the Hotel Costes tradition. The baton has been passed.

I actually really enjoy listening to this album. It's interesting to see how each new volume in the series will be either really loved by some and really hated by others. Personally, I could never really get into Hotel Costes 8.

But this one is a different story. I like that each track is really unique, and that despite this, everything really fits together nicely.

The only two less-than-stellar songs for me are #7-"The Game" by Dublex Inc. and #9-"Enzo" by Kraak and Smaak. Seeing as how I can't give the whole album a rating of 4.5 stars (which is what I think it really deserves), I'll be generous and give it 5!

i admit that when it first came out, i let my opinion about this CD be swayed by the first reviewers who gave this album very low ratings. Given such poor reviews, it skewed my ear in an unfavorable position and did not buy the CD despite having listened to the tracks on Amazon. The CD may not be as easily digestible as the first few volumes of the series, but by not concentrating too much on the tunes themselves, you'll find yourself enjoying it for what it is: background music. And as that, the songs tend to be more agreeable as the album plays on. Those of you who were disappointed probably expected to hear hit after hit song from some of the artists featured here that contributed to past HC albums. While it is not the greatest lunge CD or the best in the series, it is nowhere near as bad as many of you claim it to be. Therefore, I give this album 4.5 stars.

( IM NOT VERY GOOD IN ENGLISH )....
I HAVE ALL THE HC ... AND IM A BIG FAN OF SP WORK... I THING HE ALWAYS IS WORKING IN BRING SOMETHING DIFERENT BUT ALWAYS KEEPING A VERY FANCY AND GOOD TASTE... ... HC 11 ... IS A GREAT ALBUM..

HOTEL COSTES STILL BEING THE BEST OF THE BEST.. ...

I LIKE
12.- AVISADO
of course 13.- BOA SORTE, 05.- skip to the bip... and .... AND THE CLASSIC ..VERY FUNY .. 06 i want a litte dogy..

DONT MISSED THIS ONE..
ITS A VERY GOOD ONE..

This was my first Hotel Costes experience. After hearing this I bought La Suite and vol1, based on their general acceptance/acclaim. Personally I think 11 is at least as good as those, but what do I know......

I really enjoy Hotel Costes eatge 3, Hotel Costes 6 and Hello Mademoiselle, that I own, But this Costes 11 is not my fab.It has not the magic of the others albums..

I have to agree with the reviewers who believe Stephane Pompougnac has completely dropped the ball on this one. The quality of the Hotel Costes series has progressively declined, but there were always some songs on the last few albums to keep me hanging on. Unfortunately, I find it hard to say anything good about this lot. As I type I am listening to track 7 Dublex Inc 'The Game' and it is so mindlessly boring I can't believe nothing better could be found for a compilation that is only assembled once a year. To my ear, much of this album sounds like B side pop singles. Not even the great album cover can rescue this. Vol 11 is the last I'll be buying.

Not impressed, another huge let down from Stephane but a slight improvement over volume 10. The sophistication of the music I loved in this series is now an amalgamation of mediocre talent and artists. Variety Lab is back with a mediocre track compared to their previous contribution, London in the Rain. Moreover, it seems Stephane did not even try mixing from one song to another; each selection simply fades out and into the next song or has such a short transition it's easy to miss the beginning of the next track.

Furthermore, the music seems to be all over the place but with same styles that have no business being jammed together on this album. However, the rhythmus seem to follow a pattern from song to song, again, BORING! I was deeply puzzled by the version of Broken Wings (not a song that should be messed with), and did not know what to make of rest of selection artists with monotone attempts to vocalize. Bring back DePhazz, Minus 8, Gabin, Cam, Big Muff, and Gotan Project. These artists are great and worth listening to. I suggest anyone who is a fan of this series to buy a copy of their work, it is worth the money.

Is it just me, or does it seem that the latest efforts from both Hotel Costes and Cafe del Mar are devoid of anything fresh, exciting, or novel? At best, they are watered down rehashes of old material: a sort of homogenized amalgam of now-cliched House motifs. At worst, they are vulgar and obscene (try keeping a straight face while listening to "Sax 4 Sex" from Cafe del Mar). In our reviews, we are encouraged to be as specific as possible, so as to be as helpful as possible to the readers of our reviews. However, is it possible to be specific about the tracks in these compilations when each and every one of them is so utterly forgettable, even after multiple listenings?

I really, really enjoyed this one. There's a lot going on, but that's what gives it such a great background, swanky hotel bar vibe. I think perhaps some of the other reviewers might prefer a "lighter" and more ostentatious sound. While this is groovy and a little silly. Still a great listen with a martini in your hand. : )