The most fabulous title yet in the ever-increasingly popular Buddha Bar series of eclectic dance compilations . Mixed by Joseph Baldassare, it features 14 hand-picked tunes, including remakes of the classic pop standards '... more »It's A Lovely Day' & 'My Funny Va« less
The most fabulous title yet in the ever-increasingly popular Buddha Bar series of eclectic dance compilations . Mixed by Joseph Baldassare, it features 14 hand-picked tunes, including remakes of the classic pop standards 'It's A Lovely Day' & 'My Funny Va
"My latest musical obsession right now is chillout music. So far I have only found one compilation that I do not care for (The Ultimate Chillout 2001 or something close to that title). It took me awhile to love the seventh volume in the Cafe Del Mar series. As commercialized as "Ultra Chilled" and "The Classic Chillout Album" are, I love those two compilations to pieces. The diversity on those albums are first class. Not all chillout music is trip hop. My latest acquisition is "Buddha Bar Presents: Living Theater vol.1". This cd is far different from what I have been exposed to. Now while the music here is excellent to chillout to, I would have to say the music itself is more world than trip hop, with a splattering of jazz. P.Melas' cover of "My Funny Valentine" is a sensual aural pleasure with the jazz-influenced beats and smooth vocals. Probably the sexiest track on this album. I particularly loved Manuel Franjo's "Solo Por Tu Amor" and Balthazar's "Gypsy Tears". "Adams & Evenings" by Bert Joris is a gorgeous instrumental that is both jazz and trip hop influenced. It almost reminds me of Lux's "One Billion Stars" in some strange way. This album is ideal for a lazy Sunday morning with a cup of hot coffee and the Sunday newspaper as it is ideal for an afterhours nightclub to sit back and relax after partying heavily. This is just a superb collection of world, jazz, trip-hop influenced songs that deserves to be heard whether it be in a nightclub or at home."
What am I missing?
07/01/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Oh, man, what am I missing that the other reviewers of this cd find so compelling? Trilling and whistling synthesizers going "woooo-oooooo" and "ahhhhh-aaaaaa" while the singer chants the same words over and over and over and over and over (get it?)... Like this:do you love me, too?
do you love me, too?
(woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo)
do you love me, too?
do you love me, too?
(woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo)
do you love me, too?
do you love me, too?(woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo)
do you love me, too?
do you love me, too?
(woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo, woooo-oooooo)
I love you
do you love me, too?
etc. for 4:20Did somebody say chill? This cd is making my hair stand on end! Did somebody say dance? I've heard that people make love to this kind of music, but I think I'd be too busy laughing and would lose my focus...Forget it."
O.K. Chill Out
Erica Anderson | 01/30/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album has about 6 really good listening tunes. If you like sounds on the edge of Hed Kandi productions then song 14 WHAT IS THIS? is about the best on the album. A couple more female vocal tunes are very catchy to include "ITS A LOVELY DAY AND DO YOU LOVE ME TOO". Overall, not a bad album but I've heard better."
Cafe del mar-like
Erica Anderson | 04/27/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"very nice little cd, in the same style as cafe del mar series, very relaxing, to enjoy late in the evening, or with a sunset-view.however, cafe del mar addicts might find it a little bit not "rich" enough in sound.so, like cafe del mar, but not as good as cafe del mar."
When the Bar goes Ba(lea)r...
Torquemada | Atlanta, Georgia USA / Madrid, Spain. | 10/12/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Being a usual listener for some time now of the Buddha bar series, together with the Costes and other compilations such as Brazilectro, I was curious to discover this parallel project, labeled as "Buddha Bar presents".
I couldn't be happier I finally got my hands on one sample. Let's be clear from the beginning : this is NOT a Buddha Bar cd. It is endorsed by the bar, but it is more like a Cafe del Mar-Ibiza type of recording, like another reviewer pointed out. This is a very welcome initiative. If you want a Buddha Bar cd, buy just that. If you want a "cooler" (not meaning "better", just slower paced) type of atmosphere, get this one. There have been so many Chillout compilations left and right that it becomes difficult to point out the good ones, yet you can trust me, this is one of the good ones.
Total time is just over an hour, for 15 tracks, during which you get that Mediterranean feel (cover sleeve is just that, you're on the beach), in a savvy mix of instrumental and vocal cuts. Together with track 4 ("Do you love me", a long and sensual caress) I especially liked this special version of "My funny valentine", the cover version of this song I prefer from all the ones I've heard. Track 6, "Minor 9", is excellent acid jazz at mid-tempo, which could have been performed by more known artists such as Incognito, Galliano or even the Brand New Heavies. I also found the instrumentals to be on target, including the ones with trumpets (you know as well as I do that trumpets can feel extremely corny when out of bounds). This is another great find for my collection and I intend to play it for my friends more than once (parties, in the car, or...).
In short, not the absolute masterpiece of the genre, but still a very good selection of songs, very recommendable and of which you won't get tired after two listenings.
Enjoy the music, get in the Mediterranean mood (I can already picture myself there again), whether it is sunset or sunrise, and keep on chillin' !!!"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
