Well orchestrated, well sung
But the music hasn't aged that well, and it sounds very monotonous.
Sinatra sings really well, but never shows any vulnerability which I assume is reflective of the times.
Perhaps in it's in era this album was sexy and fresh, not so much anymore
I'm sure there are subtleties that I would be more in tune with if I grew up when this music was popular
I'm giving it a 3, because most of the things I don't like about the record are because it was recorded in a radically different era, and I don't want to give it a low rating based only on the sensibilities of a 30 years old, 70 years later. Worth noting too that this was released before albums as a whole really mattered, and albums by popular artists usually contained a hit or 2 and a whole lot of filler. Few full albums from this era would hold up now.
I'm also keeping into account that the songs are well made, and that Sinatra is a terrific singer
Some all time great lyrics, with some of his best songs.
Musically it is a bit a monotonous, though there are some great moments
Elvis did get too much credit because white people wanted to hear black music made by white people. Certainly "the king of rock" is not a title he was deserving of.
Still Elvis is a really great singer, and the songs he covers are good songs.
Would give it a 3.5 stars if possible but unwilling to give it 4 because I'd rather give that to albums that are really fantastic although not quite all-time greats.
Has some great songs but incredibly dated and overdone 80s production brings down the album significantly.
I appreciate what he is trying to do, and at times it is interesting and fresh.
At the time the combination of eastern and electronic elements probably was more innovative than it is now.
But I have to give it 2 stars because while listening to this, I felt the urge to turn it off and listen to something else
It seems that Hendrix and Clapton ushered in an era in which relentless guitar solos and aimless jamming became commonplace.
Hendrix and Clapton could pull off the indulgence of guitar hero theatrics because they had the talent and electricity to back it up and make it thrilling. (Particularly Jimi)
This album contains a lot of that indulgence, and becomes a tiring listen pretty fast. The musicianship is decent, and I'm going to reserve 1 star for albums that are unlistenable.
Not an essential album
Considering that astonishing amount of good music created and produced in Brazil it is incomprehensible that this makes the cut.
While the album has some ok moments, I think that often combining general traditional brazilian music with electronic music is not a good combination.
It takes away from the earthiness and groove of those musical styles while pushing it further into elevator music territory.
If you want to listen to something from Brasil, listen to Novos Baianos, Jorge Ben or Martinho Da Vila
Not the Beatles best, but vibrant and joyous. With a couple classics
She sings great, and the instrumentals are good too.
But there's a pacing issue with the album with most of the songs being mid-tempo ballads.
Given the fact that the songs are covers, the album would need in my eyes to be fantastic versions of the originally great songs to be given a high rating
