Search - Eleftheria Arvanitaki :: Ola Sto Fos

LOL - She still remains the best!

Eric L. Spitler | Ithaca, NY | 03/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eleftheria's voice never ceases to amaze me. Her divine control, range, power, clarity and feeling have yet to be even approached by anyone else I've heard, especially the (in my opinion) disgusting dreck put out by our current "pop princesses." This newest album continues to define vocal perfection, and further blurs the line between traditional and modern. Bouzouki and techno both fade into the background as El's lyrics grab you by the neck and drag you off on a musical roller coaster as only she can do. The first track, "Pare Me Agkalia Kai Pame," is my favorite (a sample of which you can hear on her website), and represents what I think is becoming more prevalent in her albums- a more stylistically mature, more uncomplicated and just overall cooler kind of song. A very close second is the third track, "Episkeptes," which is actually the more ambitious piece, with some minor tones at just the right intervals, a cool bouzouki riff, and exhibitions of her expert control. My only criticism is that most of the other tracks still betray that 1980s style- why are Europeans permanently stuck in the 80s??? If she did more songs in the vein of "Pare Me Agkalia Kai Pame" or the salsa-esque "To Miden," she would certainly broaden her fan base, at least in the US. Also, it would have been nice to get the all-Greek version of the case and liner notes, it would just feel more 'right'. Overall, another gem by one of the top voices on the planet. S'agapo Eleftheria kardhia mou!"