Best 1997 - 2001

Artist: Lisa Ono
Label: EMI/Virgin
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD

UPC: 724353895020
EAN: 0724353895020
ASIN: B0002U87N0

Release Date: 2004-08-19

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Tracks:

Red Blouse
Moonlight Serenade
Samba De Verao
I Wish You Love
Chega De Saudade
Ela E Carioca
Moon River
Flor De Yemanja
Pretty World
Smile
Dream
Palpite Infeliz
In The Mood/ Edmund
My Cherie Amour
Non-Stop To Brazil
Blue Hawaii
Pikake
Angel's Eyes
Aguas De Marco (Bonus Track)

Similar Items:

Lisa Ono Dans Mon Ile
Pretty World
Romance Latino, Vol. 1
Romance Latino, Vol. 2
Romance Latino, Vol. 3

Customer Reviews:

charming but not for long play.......2006-02-25

Nine tracks in the album are interesting to listen to. Ono Lisa has one of those charming, sympathetic vocals that immediately assure easy listening. Think Dusty Springfield, Janis Ian, or, as a reviewer suggested, Astrud Gilberto. Winner tracks include Red Blouse (track 1), Samba de Verao (track 2), I Wish You Love (Lisa's catchy take on the Charles Trenet reliable Que Reste - T'il De Nos Amour -, track 4), Chega de Saudade (an upbeat sexy duet in this album), and Palpite Infeliz (track 12). Nine interesting tracks equal half, making the cd a safe buy.

But, a word of caution.

After the first round, you congratulate yourself for such a good buy. You decide you won't mind it playing on the background while you work. So you put it on the loop and listen to it again. And again. After some playbacks, you realize the music can be quite BORING. Astrud Gilberto, yes, but BLAND, with arrangements like those of Ray Conniff and his singers. Enough to make one sleepy. And the singer's delivery of the lines leaves much to be desired. Words at the end of phrases trail off, limp. Lisa's foreign accent is charming, yes, but she is no Agnetha Faltskog (of ABBA), Annifrid Lyngstad (ABBA), or even Nina Persson (The Cardigans), non-native English-language singers with crystal clear enunciation. It's beginning to get irritating. A few more playbacks and I was reminded of Kevin Spacey's rant in American Beauty ("From now on, we're going to alternate our dinner music. Because frankly, and I don't think I'm alone here, I'm really tired of this Lawrence Welk sh_t.")

So the album is not for longplay. Big deal. Otherwise, it is still a good buy and I recommend it. I just don't play it often.

Beautiful voice, mediocre arrangements.......2005-04-14

Lisa Ono has a smooth and sensual voice that belies her Asian ethnicity and is reminiscent of an Astrud Gilberto. However, the results are somewhat mixed when she interprets these songs. The good tracks to look out for include Moonlight Serenade, Moon River, and Dream. On the contrary, her rendition of Jobim's Chega de Saudade, when compared to the original, is too fast in tempo and "disturbing."

This is primarily a Bossa Nova album. Most of the songs, including Moonlight Serenade, are given the Bossa treatment. Unfortunately, the arrangers have preferred synthesized instruments over acoustic ones. With the exception of Aguas de Marco (which was recorded with an acoustic guitar in a live setting), all the other songs use synthesized instruments to a noticeable degree. This makes the songs sound cheap and cold, which is primarily why I gave this CD a lower rating.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Funhouse (The House We Dance In) ~ Kid 'N Play

The Spirit of America ~ Daniel Rodriguez

Suchamuch ~ Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans

For the First Time in Years, I'm Leaving You ~ Madison

Hung Like Horses

Passion Macaque ~ Skalene

One Plus One Is One ~ Badly Drawn Boy

Walking in the Sun, Pt. 1 ~ Travis

Lemme See Dat ~ Mr. Mixx

Sizzlin' ~ Various Artists