Zazu

Artist: Rosie Vela
Label: Japanese Import
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Original recording remastered
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 4988005272218
ASIN: B00005L939

Release Date: 2003-03-18

Zazu

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Tracks:

Fool's Paradise
Magic Smile
Interlude
Tonto
Sunday
Taxi
2nd Emotion
Boxs
Zazu

Album Description

Japanese only Digitally Remastered release of her 1986 release which features none other than Donald Fagen & Walter Becker (Steely Dan / Keyboards & Guitar). The album was also produced by Steely Dan's producer Gary Katz. 9 tracks in all.

Customer Reviews:

Rosie Vela unleashes her musical brilliance.......2007-03-09

Rosie Vela became a big name fashion model in the late '70s. Her fast-paced modeling career was in part an attempt to cope with the loss of her first husband, who died in 1974 at the young age of 21.

As the money rolled in from her modeling career, Vela was honing her musical craft. Vela was a huge fan of Steely Dan, and it shows. She was able to secure Dan producer Gary Katz for "Zazu", which in turn led to Walter Becker and Donald Fagen themselves playing on the album. "Zazu" was originally released in 1986. At the time, Becker and Fagen being back together in the studio got some people's hopes up that the officially disbanded Steely Dan might decide to reunite, but that shouldn't overshadow the fact that "Zazu" is a brilliant album, and more than anyone else, the credit goes to Vela, who wrote 8 of the 9 tracks on the album herself.

In a sense, this album is the very definition of cool. Gary Katz did an excellent job producing--synthesizers and electronic drums are heavily used, but everything is held in check, giving the songs plenty of room to 'breathe'. Like Steely Dan, Vela demonstrates an uncanny knack for sophisticated song structures and sly hooks. Rosie puts her own stamp on the proceedings with her terrific vocals which meld beautifully with the songs--look at the smile-inducing, off-hand sensuality she brings to "Magic Smile"; or how she handles the gorgeous, winding melody of the confessional, yearning mid-tempo ballad "Interlude". Lyrically, she mostly deals with romantic themes, but her lyrics are far from generic; sometimes the imagery she creates is downright wacky, but engagingly so, as on "Boxs" [sic].

In short, this is a terrific album that any serious music fan will want to listen to repeatedly--it's a must-have. It's no wonder that Jeff Lynne secured Rosie to sing backup on his short-lived ELO reunion tour. I'd love to hear more of Rosie's great vocals and songwriting--it really is a shame that the material Vela recorded for an intended second album remains unreleased all these years later.

ditto to the praise.......2005-10-02

Yeah, ditto to what everyone else said. As a long time fan of Steely Dan, I bought this on tape a few years ago when I found it colllecting dust at the dollar bin at a record store. Was shocked as anything to discover how brilliant it was. It's an impossible album to describe and doesn't really fall into any genre. Jazz rock is the best I can do to describe it. The reason it didn't sell well is that the record-buying public can't see a model as a singer. But that's the record-buying public's stupidity. There is just some amazing work here, and the proof is that it's going for over $100 more than ten years since it was released. sf consulting, if you're still out there, I'd love to get a copy of this on CD. [...]

I found this in the cutout bin at Tower Records years ago!.......2004-08-12

Little did I know it would become a true cult classic! Loved the high quality mass-released vinyl (on A&M I believe) also and the fact that it was Steely Dan -- then on a seemingly permanent vacation -- producing and playing on the album.

[...]

unknown jewel.......2003-09-06

I was hit by rosie vela's clip when it appeared on video music many years ago. I decided to buy the LP but I didn't find it in the shops. Lately I coud hear it again and I didn't waste time. I caught it on the spot!! What a pity living for so many years without listening to rosie!

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