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29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars, Yes, But...., September 28, 2001
First off, Gloria Estefan is just one amazing artist. Words cannot express how good she is. However, as a huge fan, I believe many other fans and myself would have rathered the tracklisting include a particular 4 more songs. This is my version of an improved tracklisting for this CD:1. Dr. Beat (ISN'T ON THE CD) 2. Words Get In the Way 3. Can't Stay Away From You 4. Bad Boy (ISN'T ON THE CD) 5. Conga 6. 1-2-3 (remix) 7. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You 8. Anything For You 9. Here We Are 10. Get On Your Feet 11. Cuts Both Ways (WASN'T AS BIG A HIT AS THE REST, BUT WAS STILL A HIT and SHE RECEIVED a MAJOR SONGWRITING AWARD FOR IT, ISN'T ON CD) 12. Don't Wanna Lose You 13. Coming Out of the Dark 14. Live For Loving You (ISN'T ON CD) 15. Christmas Through Your Eyes 16. I See Your Smile 17. Go Away 18. Always Tomorrow This would have been perfect. There is an ample 21+ minutes left to add music to this CD, but these 4 hits, among others, aren't here. Incidently, LIVE FOR LOVING YOU is my favorite, a huge hit that they still play on the radio, that isn't here. Maybe that's what really fueled my criticism. However, songs like CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM, HERE WE ARE, and I SEE YOUR SMILE, among others, truly make this CD 5 Stars!!!!! Don't these songs just make you feel like you're on some tropical island? Its so perfect its just amazing. No one has ever and will ever create music so versatilly (I hope I spelled that right) as Gloria Estefan. Take my advice, get this CD anyway. And pick up copies of CUTS BOTH WAYS, INTO THE LIGHT, PRIMITIVE LOVE, and THE EYES OF INNOCENCE, eventually. LET IT LOOSE is the only predecessing album covered here, but you might want to get it anyway, since it has the album version of 1-2-3 on it. (THE REMIX IS HERE). The others have undispensable songs on them. Whether you get them used or new from AMAZON, they are worth the investment. One listen, and you will know.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nearly everything you need is here, September 5, 1999
By A Customer
Great CD! IF you want to hear the songs that make Gloria glorious, just get this CD and you'll see. It has a great compilation of love songs as well as pop tunes that will get you moving. The radio doesn't even play all of these selections....
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Evolution of a Diva, October 21, 2007
The Miami Sound Machine started out as a band, then became Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine and ultimately became the Gloria show. This volume of Gloria's best chronicles that arc; beginning with the exuberant "Conga," which introduced her to the masses, to the Adult Contemporary balladress who sang the gospel inflected "Coming Out Of The Dark;" you can follow her from pop-novelty to one of those 80's divas who could be called by her first name. (Think Madonna, Cher, etc.)
It is interesting to note how the fun, latin pop was so tongue in cheek (Gloria's husband, Emilio, even called his production team 'Emilio and The Jerks') until a sense of seriousness began to bland the songs into superstar predictability. Oddly enough, it's those early dance singles that hold up the best. When it came time to do a guest spot on "Dancing With The Stars," it was "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" that was the crowd pleaser. (MIA from the dance singles: "Dr Beat" and "Bad Boys.") Her voice was one of the first to really make inroads into the English Language Latin Pop scene.
As such you can hear the maturation process. She became a richer and more nuanced singer by the time this 1991 best of appeared, which stops at the album Into the Light. At times, her purity recalls Karen Carpenter ("Here We Are") and the production is very 80's-centric. Heavy keyboards dominate, along with synthesized percussion. The drama attached to "Coming Out of The Dark," the near-tragic 1990 bus crash along I-80 in Northern Pennsylvania, added to the Diva mystique and helped elevate Gloria into the iconic status she enjoys to this day. Just bear in mind that, the more manipulation that was going into making Gloria into a Diva/Superstar (and in the late 80's, she had few rivals for popularity), the less vital the music became. Her ballads are wonderful, but the frothy fun of "1.2.3" or "Betcha Say That" is missed from the later albums. However, as an enjoyable collection of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine's best radio pop, this collection flows solidly.
If you need more, go to The Essential Gloria Estefan, which follows her entire career.
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