Complete with racy cover art, A Great Noise is, so far, Marisa Monte's best record. Featuring seven new studio tracks and 11 live recordings, this is a dizzying collection of material, from the seductive funk-pop and roll of Gilberto Gil's ebullient "Cérebro Electrônico" to an earnest, and surprisingly affecting, rendition of George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)." Arto Lindsay is once again producing (with Monte listed as co-producer), and the results are extraordinary – Monte has rarely sounded better or more self-assured. Of special merit is "Blanco," a moody Octavio Paz poem set to music. Clearly, this is the Marisa Monte record to own if you only want one. Then again, after hearing this, you'll undoubtedly want to hear the rest of her output. ~ John Dougan

Marisa Monte is one of the best figures of today's Brazilian pop (a category that does not comprise pure samba, choro, cançao, baiao, and other Brazilian popular musics). While most new bands and interpreters center their work on futile material and focus on easy formulas and clichés, she is concerned in really adding something to the superb tradition of MPB, which is quite a challenging task. This is her third album, where, with special guests Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Gilberto Gil, Paulinho da Viola, Velha Guarda da Portela, Época de Ouro, Naná Vasconcelos, Carlinhos Brown, and others, she delivers some of her hits: "Maria de Verdade," "Na Estrada," "Segue o Seco," "Dança da Solidao," "De Mais Ninguém," "Bem Leve," and "Balança Pema." One of the best pop albums from the '90s, she makes clear that she is after a new language in which the respect for the rich musical tradition of Brazil is evident. ~ Alvaro Neder

They don't make voices like this anymore, except of course in Brazil, which in the past few decades has produced such world-class singers as Elis Regina, Maria Bethania, and Gal Costa. Add to that exclusive list the name of Marisa Monte, who possesses the pure, liquid voice of Gal to an uncanny degree. Stylistically, Monte is her own woman however, as proved by 1991's MAIS, which was elegantly produced by New York's very own ambassador to Brazil, Arto Lindsay, and features a cast of Downtown luminaries like guitarist Marc Ribot, alto saxophonist John Zorn, and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Ottorino Respighi: Pini di Roma; Fontane di Roma; Feste Romane – The Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 250 MB (3% recovery) | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Booklet | RS links
Publisher: EMI Records | Recorded: 1985 | Published: 1985

Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com
This is deluxe Respighi. These tone poems were specialties of Eugene Ormandy, who recorded them with the Philadelphia Orchestra at least twice in stereo, once for Sony and again for RCA. Neither of those versions is really competitive sonically, so it's great to hear this superlative orchestra play the music under a knowing conductor in fully modern (if not quite perfect) sound. Ricardo Muti is no mere Ormandy clone, however. To the orchestra's natural opulence, he adds an extra dash of discipline and a firm grip on the rhythmic tiller. The result is both lushly Romantic and exciting–really these three tone poems have never been better conducted. –David Hurwitz

Homo Sapiens CD ..? is a continuation of successful albums Restart. The songs are built on the firm base with a superstructure of melodic expression, characteristic for a wide range of Honza Toužimský. The songs that are uncompromising cogently points in three minutes they can sweep the listener, sometimes tips over into fragile part arrangements in the arcades, you'd expect at Arakain. Let the song of Homo Sapiens, Forsage, Strážnej anděl or Babylon and further proof!