"A twist of fate would fill in the void that was left in the musical world and in the collective spirit of the Argentinian people, when a bare couple of weeks after the accidental death of tango's greatest, Carlos Gardel, Mercedes Sosa was born to bring joy and hope to the Argentinian people and the world at large.There is not a soul on this planet (with a heart) who will not feel touched when listening to Mercedes Sosa. In particular, this compilation ("Thanks to Life") of works sung by "La Negra" will come in as a drop of healing water in these times of conflict. There is not a single song in this album that is not incredible, but "Corazon de Estudiante" (Heart of a Student), the title track (in a bresthtaking and heartfelt live rendition), "Yo Vengo a Ofrecer Mi Corazon" (from Argentina's rock maestro, Fito Paze), "Maria Maria" (translation from the Brazillian classic by Milton Nascimento) and "La Maza" (from the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez) stand out as the best songs in this, one of her compilations which can be counted by the dozen these days.Too unfortunate that the album is out of stock: my best advice to you is to grab a used copy when/if you are lucky to find one."
An Authentic Voice of the Americas
Louis Alemayehu | Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN USA | 01/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My passions are jazz, blues, salsa, flamenco, East Indian and other world musics. My Spanish is lousy, but I love this womans voice and consider her one of the major artist and activist of the 20th Century. The power of her performances don't make understanding Spanish a prerequisite for enjoying Mercedes Sosa's artistry. She sings to the heart. If you do understand Spanish, all the better. You then get to indulge in the poetic tradition of Latin America via Milton Nascimento and Silvio Rodriguez among others. What's not to like?
I understand that there were times in her Argentine homeland when she sang on stages not knowing if she would shot for singing her truth and passion. Sometime it takes courage to sing.
Mercedes Sosa has selected such wonderful songs and the musicianship is of such high a quality that it all works at the highest level possible. If you are a lover of music, it would be hard not to completely enjoy this CD. Gracias a la Vida! THIS is the America I love!!!"
Mercedes Sosa THE SPANISH VOICE
Louis Alemayehu | 07/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"She's the one of the best singers in the world. This strong argentinian will transfer you to another world with her sweet strong and powerful voice through this amazing songs! A MUST-HAVE ! Soft popular songs and also strong folk performances."
Gracias a la Vida
Sharon West | United States | 02/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best of all Mercedes' albums, particularly with Mi Unicornio Azul, and Las Manos de Mi Madre."
Great in any language
J. Badger | Bimingham, Al | 03/02/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Mercedes Sosa died last year. It was her death that brought me to her music. NPR mentioned on the morning news that she had passed away and that she was the most loved folk singer of Argentina. That made me curious. I never had heard of her before and here she was making the morning news on NPR (a station which does not usually mark the deaths of entertainers.) I pulled up this CD on my music service. I did not fall in love with it on the first listening but by the second time I was completely hooked. I love especially "Todo Cambia", "Razon de Vivir", and "Gracias a la Vida". I don't speak Spanish but I looked up the lyrics on the web and then translated them through Google translator. She has a uniquely beautiful voice-a very pure, perfectly pitched alto. Her heart comes through her music. Lovely."