Customer Reviews

Mana: MTV Unplugged

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had never heard any of Mana's music before(I live in WI & there are no Spanish music stations here; I know, it's a bummer). I bought this CD after listening to Santana's latest. My favorite song on that CD is "Corazon Espinado" w/Fher on vocals. I figured I should expand my musical collection to include not just salsa, merengue, and hip hop. I put it in my car & wanted to take the long way home. It has been the best "let's see if this is any good" CD I've ever gotten. Since then I've gotten their "Mana Live" & "Donde Jugaran Los Niños?" They're all good, but I have to agree that this one is great. Add this to your collection a.s.a.p.. You don't even need to know Spanish. You'll enjoy it no matter what language you speak.

MANA MTV Unplugged sin duda sobrepaso muchas espectativas. Me parece que es un CD muy bien estructurado musicalmente. Las nuevas versiones de canciones ya conocidas como "Se me olvido otra vez" tienen un toque de naturalidad y juventud. Sin duda, la mejor cancion en este CD es ANA, en la cual Sergio Vallin demuestra su excelente abilidad con la guitarra. Con todo, MANA sigue consagrandose como el mejor grupo de rock en espa~nol. Sin embargo, habra que ver su proximo CD, el cual debe ser el mejor hasta la fecha. Espero que MANA siga progresando...y que no se quede estancado como otros grupos que no desean salir de la monotonia.... Como fan de MANA , este CD me gusta mucho. Pero tambien como fan, se que MANA necesita experimentar y hacer que su musica madure y crezca.

I'm listening to this disc as I write. I remember the first time I heard/saw it: wandering through a Sanborn's store in Mexico City -- I stopped cold and viewed the DVD on an instore TV for ten or fifteen minutes, absolutely captivated. Shortly thereafter, it was mine, as was the DVD (which adds a whole other dimension). I would put "Mana Unplugged" in my top twenty discs of all time. The group is the Mexican Beatles: writers of exquisite pop songs with heart, beautifully crafted, played with vigour and a little rock-n-roll swagger, and also a progressive political bent that comes through on songs like "Ana" and their terrific cover of Ruben Blades' "Desapariciones." The love songs, from "Vivir Sin Aire" to "El Muelle de San Blas" to "Rayando El Sol," are among the few that consistently bring tears to my eyes. And the playing has the attention to technique and subtlety that characterizes Latin music more than its North American or Western European equivalent. As an advantage for the non-Spanish speaker, the CD comes with translations of the lyrics of most of the songs. These lose some of the poetry, but at least let you know what's going on thematically. A magnificent, unmissable record.

I don't speak a lick of Spanish, but when my Spanish-fluent girlfriend wanted to introduce me to Spanish-language music, this CD was the first place she turned. All of the songs are quite listenable, the performance is fantastic, and the live setting adds quite a lot of energy to the mix. The music is fairly standard pop/rock, with lots of guitars, and a few horns. Except for the lyrics it sounds like anything you might hear on any radio station in the Midwest US. But the vocals and the energy really raise it above most Top 40. I still don't speak any Spanish, but I can sing every song on this album.

For those of you who can't get into Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez or any other "Latin Sensation" should give this CD a try. From the first moment I heard "Rayando El Sol" in a small bar in Ecuador, I became hooked. I haven't stopped listening to this CD. Their use of many instruments, like strings and horns, to the powerful vocals make it addictive. And this comes from someone who doesn't speak any Spanish.

"Supernatural"'s Corazon Espinado was the first time I heard of Mana. I loved that song, especially the vocals of Fher Olvera. I purchased "Unplugged" based on that song. I can't stop listening to it. It lifts my spirits, even though some of the themes are quite serious. By the way, you don't have to understand Spanish to enjoy this CD.

This album is a really good live album from the best latin american group ever(Mana of course), there is alots of differences type of music, such as pop/Rock and Reaggie. al from beautefull ballads such as "No ha parado De llover" and Vivir Sin Aire" to the good rock song "Ana" and the song "Rayando El Sol" which was the band first hit.....

But there were some good song missing in my opinion, that was the reason why I didn`t gave it 5, and I prefer original album, instead of live, but this was an exepction of course. Buy it if you like Mana.

But still I am waiting for a "Best of Mana" album.

This CD is great. Alot of old songs but they sound even better on this CD. If you are going to purchase a Mana CD this is the one to buy!

I think that this album is one the greatest that this band has ever made in their entire history. The music for Mana has stayed the same for some time and one of their big themes is about love. A song that I love is " Cuando los angeles lloran", which tells the story about a guy who loved the jungle and died trying to protect it. This rock band is known for their songs against illegal cutting of trees and saving the rain forest in Mexico. Another one of my favorite songs is "Mariposa Traicionera" and this song is about a girl and how her love was unworthy of any man because she is like a butterfly. This girls is very unstable and likes to break the guy's heart's but she does not care. One of the trademarks from this group is the slow rock. Unlike any other Spanish rock band that I have heard, Mana makes the words come into your most inner self. Through their words, Mana makes you remember of those whom have betrayed, loved, and those who have deserted you. Their lyrics tend to stay the same because in every album they sing about the some of the same stuff. They mostly sing about judicial injustice in Mexico, little boys and girls working in the streets, and people whom have leaved their loved ones. I am attracted to this group because they speak my language and because they make me remember of my country. They help me to realize all of the problems that are going on in Mexico and how they try to express it through music. I would recommend this cd to all of those whose hearts have been broken by girls or whom just like good Spanish rock. If you like guitar doodles and crazy drum solos, check this band out!!! Another group that has Mana's style are the Jaguares because they have similar lyrics and style. Another cd that I love from Mana is their latest album "Revolucion de amor". If you like Spanish rock, then you won't have any problems listening to Mana. Viva Mexico!!!

What can I say? This is just a great live album from a great band. The band sounds great live too. Everything, from voices, to choruses, to arrangements sounds great. There are live versions of many of the band's hits as well as some new songs like Jose Alfredo Jimenez's "Te Solte La Rienda" and Juan Gabriel's "Se Me Olvido Otra Vez". These two songs became big hits too. We also get live versions of past hits like "En El Muelle De San Blas", "Vivir Sin Aire", and "Oye Mi Amor". All I have to say about this album is that it's simply great as everything this band does. I totally recommend it.