Customer Reviews

Violince

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

like most of her fans, i have anxiously awaited the return of martika to the music scene. though i suffer no dillusions that the music produced on her first--and, to some extent, second--album(s)was the type of bubblegum pop that we current associate with the likes of britney spears, christina aguilera and jessican simpson, i do sincerely believe that martika is an extremely talented vocalist and songwriter. with regard to oppera's violince, i'm of two minds. martika sounds great. it's obvious, as one of the songs suggests, she's spent her time out of the spotlight honing her craft, resulting in her using her voice as an instrument, tool and even weapon in ways we've never heard. on the other hand, some of the music does seem a little too heavily produced, recalling late '80s/early '90s pop. i fear that this, as well as the artistic direction of the band/album, is the influence of her collaborator, michael mozart. then again, maybe i'm just bitter and don't want miss 'tika sharing the spotlight with anybody. at any rate, it's GREAT to have martika back. i'm really enjoying the album.

As a teen in the late 80's, I was always into the big three of the time. Debbie, Tiffany and Martika. Martika always kinda played third to Debbie's Britney, Tiffany's Christina. So I guess you could say Martika was the Jessica Simpson. It's been years since I've seen or read the name Martika, but I saw a link on amazon and what a surprise I had! Martika's back after, what like 13 years?!!! Wow. Time sure has passed. She sounds better than ever, check out tracks like "All Alone", "Upside Down" or "Destiny". These tracks really let her voice shine! BUT listen to some other songs on VIOLINCE and you'll hear how drowned out she is. This is my biggest complaint. While I commend Mr. Mozart for tackling all the instruments here (I just read this above), it's kinda hard to hear Martika on certain tracks. Such as "My Life" or "Fade Away". There was a track missing here that I heard on the duo's site that I was really looking forward to called "Goodbye". It's nowhere to be found. I only heard a short clip, but girl was wailing like there was no tomorrow! Why wasn't it on here. As far as the musical style. Hmmm...it may be just me, but it kinda gets a little Evanescense-esque. That might not be a bad thing, as that sound is in right now. Besides Martika can outsing Amy Lee any day! But this style of music is not really my cup of tea.

So the good points are Martika's back; she sounds better than ever; music is contemporary enough. Bad points: Martika's voice gets drowned out in too many songs, thus not letting her vocals shine; a little too Eveanescene for my tastes and lastly the omission of "Goodbye". I give the album 3 stars.

Martika has returned to music, after a searing 13 year abscence. Always revered by myself as one of the most under-rated pop singers of the 80's, so it is safe to say that I was nothing short of hysteric when I was made aware that she was returning. Sadly, this would be my high point of enthusiasm for this possibility.

Written and produced by Michael Mozart, who is apparently known and sought-after in the industry, this project sounds like a blender full of sounds, where there are many good ideas and NO direction. Anyone who has listened to music in the last 3 years knows that there is a panic in attempting to find its' saviour. Mozart clearly is attempting this, but fails in ultimately sounding lifeless and over-produced. All this strikes me as unfortunate, because amidst this wall of noise lies the faint voice on an angel, Martika. Anyone who posseses or has such amazing talent at their disposition, would cleary utilize it as a weapon, but instead, here she is treated a s a supporting tool. She became second rate to a synthezier guitar.

The songs that clearly state what I am referring to the best are the electric guitar driven "Say Anything" and the embarrassingly "teen pop" sounding "Why" Her voice is hardly present, which really makes me sad.

If it were up to me, I would release an a cappella version of this entire Cd and call it "No Distractions", because really that's all that this "music" does. WHY would anyone want to detter someone away from an incredibly emoting singer that can sell anything? Poor Martika, returning to the music scene with such a sub-par CD. All anyone ever wanted was to hear her voice, but not drowned out in this way.

I have hopes that perhaps one day Martika will release some solo material, and really let her voice SHINE! She has the capability and the poise to become a revered vocalist, in any genre. The emotional tone to her voice can transcend to any genre, whether it is RnB, Rock or traditional Cuban rhythms (where I think she would sound utterly amazing in this style of music). Until then, I shall anticipate her return to "Real" music, where once again I shall hear that amazing instrument soar once more.

O.K., at first, I thought this was a classical CD, and then I went to the OPPERA website, and I found out that this was a rock duo with Martika, and then I said to myself, 'Finally, someone with talent has re-emerged'. BUT, then I also saw that Michael Mozart was the other half of the duo, and I bought this CD IMMEDIATELY. I have heard Mozart's work in the past with various artists, and I have always thought that he was one of the most unsung heroes in the music business. I actually saw him perform at Carnegie Hall in 2000, and I was SPEECHLESS!!!!
This CD is everything I expected and more. Buy two, because you will wear out your first one, and THAT is hard to do :)

Violince....Violince...Violince....This is an amazing debut album by a band that really doesn't sound like any other I have heard in the past few years. They are all extremely talented. You have to buy this CD to understand what I am talking about. I think Martika sounds better than ever these days! I love her voice.. she is just so talented...Michael Mozart..What can I say about him? ...He's the best, a brilliant musician, and his mastery is evident on every track of this debut disc. This is an exciting album, full of surprises, you can never predict where the music is going. And that's what makes this duo so exciting. I highly recommend it

Oppera is honestly one of the BEST most unique bands out there....and they're just as good on this CD as they are in concert (yes I HAVE seen them). This CD is awesome and if you should defininatly buy it!!!

The Violince debut album by Oppera is a cleverly crafted record containing many surprising features that keep listeners' attention, and entices them to want to hear more.

These songs are unique because they do not seem to follow the tried-and-true music song formula.

The duo seems to be able to create its own meaning of what a song can be.

Listeners will not know what to expect from song to song because each song sounds unique, yet somehow they all seem to fit together perfectly to make a very well-done album.

The main reason for the varying styles of songs is that the band has two talents; Martika and Michael Mozart. Both have been writing music from an early age.

Listening to the album, the band's influences come across clearly (Queen, Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin)

The way Michael Mozart incorporate string arrangement is brilliant.

Despite some low points, the album is a great, and it will be interesting to see what this songwriting duo produces in years to come

There's no way around it: while I'm all for this shamelessly poppy sound and these splendid production values, Michael Mozart is Per Gessle without the melodic sense, and Martika is Marie Fredriksson without the range. If you like this one, I strongly encourage you to pick up Roxette's "Have a Nice Day."

I absolutely disagree with the last review
Weather you think, Violince is Martika's new album..then You are TOTALLY WRONG. This is Oppera's Cd, which means, You can dislike their muisc, but You cannot compare Oppera with Martika's old stuff. I bought the cd and it's great. It's a visionary album because it's made up of visions, I do think it has unity,identity and individuality. I give it 5 stars! It's the best best cd i have heard all year.

If you have not had a chance to check out the website to this artist, then you really must go to http://www.oppera.net, or http://www.aria51oppera.net. Once you have seen and read the background on this act, then you will appreciate what I am about to say. 'WOW'. Finally, an act that obviously has stuck to it's guns and produced a remarkable collection of music that has me writing reviews EVERYWHERE. I can't put into words the actual feeling of listening to Martika and Michael Mozart, so suffice to say......WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!