Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(17 customer reviews) 27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Just beautiful,
November 17, 2002 Jinkyu - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kissed By Nature (Audio CD)
Kissed by Nature is another display of the marvelous talents of Eliane Elias, who always produces nice music but with this release achieves a pinnacle of beauty. The lovely Brazilian pianist authored all of the songs, save a Djavan medley with some bouncier piano work. Most were written while she was by the beach in the Hamptons, and the CD title reflects the soft, pretty, reflective nature that characterizes most of the music, rather than the greater forcefulness that she often displays.Ironically, "Manhattan" (where she resides, in fact in my neighborhoood) is the most bossa nova (and liveliest) of the compositions, with Paulo Andre Tavares' steady guitar plucking and the percussion reminiscent of the classics of Jobim and others. But the spirit of Brazil is also experienced in "Balance," a rhythmic tune with sultry vocals by Eliane focusing on the waves of Bahia, and in the more laid-back yet rich "Luar." On "October" and "September," Eliane's pretty piano and fleeting vocal...Read more
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Kissed By Nature: Like the First Time I Heard Bossa Nova,
December 14, 2002 Russell Golkow (Cherry Hill, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kissed By Nature (Audio CD)
I have been a lover of Brazilian music since the mid '60's, when, as a 14 year old, I first heard Astrud Gilberto croon her classic "Girl from Ipenema." Since then, I have collected hundreds of albums and CD's in this genre. When I heard Eliane Elias in her "The Best of Elaine Elias" and "Kissed by Nature" CD's, it was as if I were hearing Brazilian music for the first time all over again. There is a real sense of discovery in hearing Elias' sensuous, sophisticated melodies and rhythms. Her voice captures the wonderfully percussive/musical quality of Portugese lyrics sung in uniquely Brazilian style, matched perfectly by her mastery of piano, composition and arrangement. Everytime I listen to these albums, and after several weeks I remain addicted, I discover new rhythms, wonderful, brilliant harmonic progressions and much more that demonstrates that after decades, the "Brazilian invasion" is alive and well, and reinvented by this brilliant...Read more
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Sublime,
March 27, 2003 By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Kissed By Nature (Audio CD)
Eliane Elias has reached that point in a talented musician's life when skills have been established and true mastery begins. Her output during the past several years have shown a unique transposition of Brazilian music and American jazz. All too often such attempts sound like one form parroting or overwhelming the other but here Ms. Elias paints their colors with one brush. Her selection of musicians and her performance as composer, pianist, and singer are all flawless on this beautiful recording. This cd is a major event.
