Customer Reviews

Very Best Of

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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This is one of the first cd's i got of Haris Alexiou. This can be very helpfull if you want to get known with greek music, or Haris Alexiou. Remember, this is a compilation of her greatest hits from 1974 to 1987. The songs on this cd are very varied: from laika songs (real greek songs with bouzouki), to ballads and some '80s songs.
The first song "I agapi ine zali"(love is dizziness) is for example a bit electric, while the 4th song "Zilia mou"(my jealousy) is more traditional, with bouzouki. The best songs on this cd are, in my opinion, number 17 "Erotiko"(love song) and number 20 "I balada tis Ifiyenias"(the ballad of Ifigeneia). The last one is a melancholic and autobiografical song about her and her mother.

Haris Alexiou is not just any Greek singer. She is "Haroula", the audience's favourite. That's because there is of course her remarkable voice. Deep, a bit throaty, she has a style of singing that is called byzantine. She has sung different cultures, different genres, seamlessly combining them.

Alexiou has a phenomenal voice, marvelous diction, incredible emotional range. I have never heard her sing a song badly, and her choices are often songs that are not very well known in Greece (but ought to be), or are translations from other languages (for example, from German-language Brecht & Weill songs, like "Jenny"), and include songs sung in Italian. In short, she is international in choice as well as a wonderful singer. I never tire of hearing her sing. Audiences go wild when they hear her: it reminds me of the way that the Europeans reacted to the great Eartha Kitt. I can recommend Alexiou (say it Alex-ee-OOH) without hesitation. I wish she were better known in the USA, but even in Greece she is not heard often enough.

I'd love to give a review but the track listing on the website page isn't set up to play any samples. Please give look-see to fix and then I'll be back because I love her voice and want to track down a specific song. Thank you!

I think Kasper's review is learned enough, I cannot approach his knowledge of the medium. I must say, above all, that each album of Alexiou's I have heard leaves me thinking I have lived my life now, I have heard the best. Oh yes, I am crazy for Dame Joan Sutherland and Gundula Janowitz, different sides of life, but this, on the flip side of life, is beyond belief. I thought from one track to the next, that must be the last, the grand finale, the unsurpassable, and it goes on for many more even so. This lady is beyond compare. This CD is the best of them, if that is possible.

Defenately one of the best Greek artists, all the songs were just great

I first incountered a live album of Haris while visiting Mikanos. It was recommended by the clerk as "romantic and beautiful". He was right. I kept that CD with me during my travels. I had the occasion to play it one night at Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, Mexico. My girl friend and I danced to it at 4am at an old hotel we found. It has been a part of our romance to this day. Oh yes, that was 8 years ago. Whenever we forget what is important in life, we play that CD and maybe dance a little. Thanks Haris.