Customer Reviews

A Mediterranean Odyssey: Athens To Andalucia

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

 

 

If the Meditarranean Sea or any of its countries ever captured your imagiantion: you will love this CD. It contains many selections of top musical artists in countries which border on the Mediterranean. The whole CD has creative, talented musicians and singers who stretch their art to limits of traditional sounds - much of it is modern but the roots of tradition, be it ancient instruments, rhythms, or snatches of melodies, are true to the country of origin. My favorite is Greek: this CD is the first on which I heard George Dalaras and Glykeria, platinum and gold sellers in Greece. I would not select Italian, French, or Spanish music on my own but on this CD I love it!!! The blend of sounds from one track to the next builds into a crescendo of eversecence that must be heard to be appreciated. Truly a masterpiece - Putamayo knows how to do it right! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

I first listened to this CD in college--and I've been taken ever since.My particularly favorite tracks are the Greek ones.I've always had a soft spot for Greece.

Lo'Jo's song "Duende" (which is missing from recent imprints of this disk for some reason)introduced me to this talented French group.Thanks to this CD,I now have 4 Lo'Jo disks,one of which is a live album(!)

This Putumayo album shows its talent in introducing people to new artists.
Best tracks-
Anemos-they're compared to Enya in the liner notes.They have a wonderfully serene track.
Glykeria-A beautiful Greek love song.
Lo'Jo-A ratatouille of reggae,gypsy,chanson&North African music.They're fabulously hard to define.

"A Mediterranean Odyssey" was the second Putumayo CD I bought - the first was "Africa" - and this one's another great compilation. Generally the grooves here are not the harder drum grooves featured on "Africa" - they are lighter, folkier grooves, but they're just as inviting, conjuring up visions and sounds of the Mediterranean - guitar, accordion and high-pitched ethnic percussion are prominently featured instruments throughout. Again, there is not a single bad track here - each song has its own unique charms. Tracks 5, 6, and 7, by Barrio Chino, Lo' Jo and Novalia respectively, are my favorites and form the groove centerpiece of the CD - these three are all really beautiful and imaginative musical outings. They are sandwiched in between two lovely quieter songs sung by Spain's Maria Salgado and Italy's Lucilla Galeazzi, both of whom possess stunning voices, particularly Galeazzi. Miguel Gil's opening track is irresistibly danceable, and the songs by Spain's Luis Delgado and Sardinia's Calic show an intriguing Arabic influence. The last three tracks, all by Greek artists, are also superb. You can't go wrong with this CD - it will transport you!

Another superb fusion album from the Putumayo Series. The sound is very modern but not to pop-y or folkys. It a wonderful blend of old world craft with a updated twist that has not rendered any of the songs chosen as bland. I particularly liked the Greek and Italian music but if your expecting Nana Mouskouri to a techno beat think again.

Putumayo is really the premier world music CD producer. This album ranks up there as one of their best with tons of Spanish and Greek music to help you tune absolutely everything else out!

This cd is merely an appetizer for those who wish to discover mediterranean world music. Hopefully, this cd will propel you to buy the individual artist's recordings. Don't just stop with this cd! I agree that Cristina Branco's "Fado" style of music is missing here and the music of Portugal should not be overlooked in a world music compilation. I discovered Calic and Madredeus and a host of wonderful world music artists from the site cdroots.com. I would recommend any person desiring to discover world music, to stop by this site. Amazon doesn't carry a lot of the artists that you will find on this site. So, buy this cd to get a taste of the mediterranean, but by all means continue to explore and enjoy the vast array!

D. Kastinovich has lived in Portugal and certainly knows what ocean washes its coastline, the snide comments of an earlier reviewer about Americans being ignorant of geography not withstanding. I urge people to buy this cd. It provides a good, solid range of songs, as do most of Putumayo's compilations. The problem is Putumayo's inability or unwillingness to recognize Portugal, and A Mediterranean Odyssey was as close to Portugal as a review could get in order to show this gaping lapse in Putumayo's output. Sure, this cd is good, that's why Kastinovich gave it four stars, and why I do the same. But Putumayo, while putting out Euro this and Latin that, Afro Portuguese and Brazilian, Celtic and World Lounge, has continued to slight the music of Continental Portuguese, the Azores and Madeira, thus depriving listeners out there who chances are are unfamiliar with this music. Though Putumayo gets tantalizingly close, as with this cd, it still neglects an entire country. This music deserves to be heard. Putumayo offers no explanation for this lapse, stating in phone calls and emails that it has released Portuguese music: the Afro-Portuguese, Brazilian, and Cape Verdean. However, there is a country alongside Spain and it is called Portugal, and its music is beautiful and very distinct. So, Putumayo, do the right thing and introduce the music of Pedro Barroso, Jose Medeiros, Brigada Victor Jara, Jose Afonso, Dulce Pontes, Katia Guerreiro & Cristina Branco and many others to the world.

Although Putumayo presents more of an overview to world music, their CD's still contain great examples. Recommended.

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful this CD is. Don't be fooled by the word Mediterranean: this CD does not remain in one style the entire time. When you listen to this CD, you are taken on a musical journey from Spain to France to Italy to Greece. "Que Son" is a great song with it's upbeat, fast tempo, and "Bebiendo Al Alba" is an insturmental masterpiece fusing Arabic styles with Spanish. For a little slower pace, try "Solo Por Miedo" and "Sogna Fiore Mio", both outstanding compositions that are sung beautifully. "Miazis Me Fotia" is a nice, melodic piece that can be compared to Enya. But by far the best song on this entire CD would HAVE to be "Saudade" by Barrio Chino. The song begins with a chant to the city of Massilia, then a xylophone comes in and slowly a rhythm full of Arabic and Spanish influences comes in. The melody is great, the beat is great, this entire song is great. If you don't believe me, hear it for yourself with the sound clip. This CD has the best music of al the Putumayo CDs, but it doesn't seem to get that much recognition. So it is sort of a hidden treasure waiting to be found. Go on, buy this CD, and open up the world of exotic Mediterranean music . . .

Good cd. Great songs, great musicians. Putumayo, however, needs to discover Portugal, which, by the way, does share a coast on the Mediterranean, along with Spain, Italy, Greece, and the other countries listed. There are many Portuguese musicians who deserve to be heard world-round: Dulce Pontes, Pedro Barroso, Mariza, Jose Medeiros, Katia Guerreiro, Madredeus, Fausto, Cristina Branco, Luis Represas, Ne Ladeiras.

How about a cd of strictly Portuguese musicians, from Portugal, as opposed to Brazil, or Cape Verde?