Reviews
Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08 Huntington, NY
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Gloria Estefan
This is destined be one the most pointless reviews I’ve ever written, because chances are better than excellent that you already know exactly what your opinion is of Gloria Estefan’s music, and you certainly don’t need to know mine.
You already know the songs, so what purpose would it serve to offer my opinion? Besides, people who like Gloria Estefan probably don’t read album reviews anyway, while people who do read reviews probably wouldn’t be caught dead listening to her. She’s a populist artist, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s a clear delineation between those who adore her and those who avoid her. That being said, this collection has forced me to face down my own prejudices. The shear volume of familiar hits is incredible, and the effect of hearing so many well-known songs back to back is undeniably impressive.
So here is all you need to know. The person who laid out the tracks for this collection did a fantastic job of arranging the material for maximum utilization. If you’re planning a block party, or you’re inviting the cousins over for a backyard barbecue, play disk one. It is an endless barrage of upbeat dance hits. Hearing them all back to back will keep your music-starved cousins occupied all night long. The relentless Cuban-Latin rhythms and familiarity factor is bound to win them over. Disk two should be reserved for quieter moments and indoor dinner parties, since it consists of the mellow, reflective hits – yet another endless barrage of popular songs, but this time without the driving rhythms that make disk one such perfectly inoffensive party wallpaper. If you are even remotely interested in the undeniably pleasant music of Gloria Estefan, then this collection truly is essential.
Grade:

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