Album Review Pt 1 - Three singles by Kaiti Garbi

First of all, allow me to say that I have been tempted to post these singles in their entirety, since it’s unlikely that most of you will be willing to spend money in an expensive import single that costs almost as much as an album – but, sadly, I just cannot do it. Sorry. However, I am posting the songs that I thought you’d enjoy the most, so at least you’ll have the opportunity to sample each single separately and, if one day you feel like spending capriciously, you’ll hopefully purchase them. Oh, I almost forgot. If you want to buy any of them, go to Greekmusic.

Second, I would like to mention that this review is an exception, and I will indeed resume posting normally after it. Thus, you can expect a proper album's review later in the month. After these small clarifications, allow me to start! :-)
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Τι Θέλουνε Τα Μάτια Σου; (Ti Theloune Ta Matia Sou?/What Do Your Eyes Want?) [CD single - 2000]



Τι Θέλουνε Τα Μάτια Σου; was the first independent single that La Garbi released in her almost twenty-five-year career, and seems to have been little more than an experiment designed to give her the chance to do something she’d never done before. This could be corroborated by the fact that the song wasn’t paid much attention to by either Kaiti or the record company (at the time, they were still promoting her massively successful album To Kati). Nonetheless, it did become a hit, even if she seldom performed it live and approached the whole affair nonchalantly, as if saying ‘look, this time I just want to enjoy myself’.

The original version of the title track is a laid back, watery acoustic rock song that waves placidly across your mind, only to surprise you in the end with a fierce electric guitar solo that comes out of nowhere! It is one of Kaiti’s most amusing songs, because it is pretty straightforward and lacks the explosive instrumental breaks and passionate delivery that characterizes most of her material.

In addition to the title track, the album boasts two new songs and two remixes. Of the new songs, the impossibly pretty (and surprisingly bare of instrumentation) folk number Kane To Logariasmo/Pay the Bill is as close to pre-Turkic influence as modern Greek music can get. A moderate hit on its own, it has however some sprinkles of bouzouki that shine around the melody, keeping the mental image of a calm sea over which rays of sunlight sparkle in bright, momentary reflections. Both the title track and this song were included in Garbi’s next offer, the massive double album Apla Ta Pragmata/Simple Things, which I shall review soon. However, they are remixed versions that have the slick wall-of-sound production that’s so characteristic of Modern Laika. I have to say that, personally, I prefer the original versions; they are a lot fresher and less overwrought and calculated.

The final new song, Aspro I Mavro, became very popular and received quite a lot of radio airplay, even though it was never formally released as a single. It is an ordinary Middle Eastern pop song with some elements of Northern African raï – exotic to Western ears with its violin progressions and waving organ scales, it sadly doesn’t rise above the thousands of similar songs in that genre, and ends up sounding as clichéd and unoriginal as it is: very much. You can almost imagine a belly dancer waving her hips to this while middle-class families of tourists look on as they eat their kebabs. Ugh, tacky :-(.

The two remixes remain quite faithful to the original structure of the title track, only adding a few electronic touches that turn it into two relaxed, yet somewhat danceable numbers that are closer to chill out music than to proper dance floor stompers.

Άσπρο Ή Μαύρο - Aspro I Mavro/White Or Black

Τι Θέλουνε Τα Μάτια Σου; - Ti Theloune Ta Matia Sou?/What Do You Eyes Want? (Club Mix)
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Μία Καρδιά (Mia Kardia/A Heart) [EP single - 2002]



Mia Kardia is Kaiti’s first (and so far, only) EP single, the purpose of which was to keep the momentum built by the double album Apla Ta Pragmata. Basically a four-plus-one-song journey through all the possible disguises that dance music can adopt, Mia Kardia is fun!!! :-D It opens with the spectacular Middle Eastern folksy dance song Ante Geia, which is presented by redoubling drums only to explode into a furious whirlwind of violins, organ and several layers of percussion. With its impossibly catchy, bright chorus, it starts things with a high note! It is followed by the song Mia Kardia Tin Echo, an impossibly pretty slice of electro-pop that cheerfully bounces its way to your brain with an energetic bass line and all sorts of spiralling musical hooks that will make you lose yourself within the song.

Things are followed by the Banghra experiment To Thelo Toso/I Want It So Much, which combines sitars with distant Arabic chants and some touches of Greek traditional music over a prominent, loud mid-tempo beat. Next we come to the star of the EP, the dark and melodramatic journey across the devastated lands of heartbreak that is M'Echeis Arrostisei!!! This is by far my favourite song in the entire record – it starts as a ominous, harsh-sounding military march, only to then blossom into a fast, obscure dance track that’s constantly being pushed forward by an aggressive, pulsating beat and urgent, almost unnerving violins. The chorus shows its Middle Eastern influence only in the instrumentation, further highlighting the contrast between the simple melody and the elaborate ornamentation surrounding it. I absolutely LOVE this song.

The album is closed, surprisingly, by a folk ballad sung in duet with Giorgos Tsalikis, a traditional Laika star. Tha Meinei Metaxy Mas/It Shall Remain Between The Two Of Us, is a pleasant enough song, even though it is hardly original and, most certainly, it isn’t memorable. Just an exercise of marketing placed there to remind Garbi’s core audience that she isn’t willing to stray too far from Anna Vissi’s tried and tested formula for massive success, and thus lose sales.

Άντε Γειά - Ante Geia/Goodbye

Μία Καρδιά Την Έχω - Mia Kardia Tin Echo/I Have A Heart (80's Club Mix)

Μ'Έχεις Αρρωστήσει - M'Echeis Arrostisei/You've Made Me Become Ill
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Γαλάζιο Και Λευκό (Galazio Kai Lefko/Light Blue And White) [CD single - 2004]



With its addictive faux-R&B title track, which includes an amusing whispered rap, Kaiti Garbi voiced her patriotic feelings during the Spring of 2004 by saying that she wanted to paint the whole world light blue and white, like the Greek flag. The truly nice thing about it is that she did so riding on a heavy stacatto rhythm section and an addictive chorus that stuck to everyone's brain for most of the Summer season - so much so, that the single sold 27,000 copies, and reached number 3 in the charts. The aggressive B-side Katapliktiko! is a Middle Eastern-influenced dance track that includes, among other things, the amusing pairing of baglamas and banjo (!), typical violin ornamentation and an ear-shattering, heavy beat that furiously bashes the listener's eardrums. It is a definite highlight, and surreptitiously found its way to Greek dance floors in spite of never being properly released on its own.

However, I suppose to increase the marketability of the single (as if it needed any help), three remixes of previous hits were included. The fresh-sounding, radio friendly ditties were tailor made to fill the summery airwaves. The most notable of these remixes is the beautiful Summer Dance Mix of the hit Esena Mono which is, in its original form, a dull and instantly forgettable ballad – a true rarity in that it is one of Garbi’s very few missteps. However, thanks to the fact that it was extensively remixed, it managed to become a very sizeable hit. This is one of the best remixes.

Καταπλήκτικό! - Katapliktiko!/Awesome!

Εσένα Μόνο - Esena Mono/Only You (Nikos Terzis Summer Dance Mix)

Γαλάζιο Και Λευκό - Galazio Kai Lefko/Light Blue And White

The green-eyed Greek sorceress - Kaiti Garbi

Allow me to begin this post by saying that I am extremely partial to Kaiti Garbi, for she is my favourite Laika singer. That's why I had thought that I should reserve her for a later post, because I wanted to ellaborate more freely. However, I’ve just bought her penultimate album and I have loved it so much that the deranged, stalking fan within me had to talk about her!!!!!! I LURRRVE Kaiti Garbi!!!! :-D After this extremely embarrassing moment (sorry! ;-P), allow me to begin properly. The third in contention to the throne of Modern Laika, Kaiti Garbi is one of Greece's most successful singers ever and has a massive following amongst Greek expatriates - I'd go so far as daring to say that, in some places, she's even more popular than the Goddess Anna Vissi herself (who is also her closest and dearest friend). Then again, I’m terrified of being dismembered alive by a horde of furious Vissi and Vandi fans (let me tell you, they are SCARY), so I'll just say that Kaiti is just oh-ever-so-slightly behind Anna and Despina in terms of popularity.

Blessed with a heavy, robust mezzo and the ability to inject torrents of passion into anything she graces with her voice, Kaiti's musical progression somewhat mirrors the gradual evolution towards dance music that Laika has had over the last ten years. But while other artist seem to have a love for always finding new sounds and styles to add to their repertoire, Kaiti evolves through what could be best described as "stylistic blocks", and is thus a bit more predictable. Her first two albums were pure, unadulterated 80's pop. From there, she started introducing traditional elements to her music, and by the mid-nineties she was singing all out Middle Eastern folk/rock. Then, in 2000, she abruptly changed the style that had made her so successful and began singing dance music combined with traditional songs (the speciality of Modern Laika singers!). As of late, Kaiti has become more diverse than ever, and her albums have a bit of everything: rock, dance, reggae, folk – you name it.



Even though what I have just written is hardly original as far as Laika singers are concerned, what separates Garbi from the rest of the genre's stars is that she is extremely careful with the material she chooses. She is never self-indulgent and never allows herself to rest in her laurels, and that’s what I like so much about her: her total commitment to pleasing her audience by always striving to offer the best material she can find. :-)

La Garbi is also one of Greece’s most highly regarded celebrities, and her success has been built upon sheer charisma, integral professionalism and hard work. She launched her career at fifteen by singing on a third-rate television show with her little sister Liana (who attempted to build a pop career in the early nineties, but failed). In the two years that followed, the popularity of the Garbi sisters increased steadily, to the point when they started receiving offers to sing in well-known bouzoukia nightclubs. However, Kaiti’s very conservative father, who believed that ‘pop singer’ and ‘whore’ were synonym concepts, forced his daughters to abandon their musical dreams. In spite of this, Kaiti refused to give in, and as soon as she finished her studies, she decided to work as a session singer, while taking part in the occasional concert with minor orchestras. Sadly, given her father’s ideas, she didn’t have a chance to release anything until the age of 27 – with his blessing. I suppose that, tired of hearing Kaiti beg for years and watching people’s very favourable reactions to her singing, Kaiti’s father understood what her true calling in life was and gave his unconditional support.



And thus it all began! Kaiti met success immediately, and unlike other more popular singers ;-), she has rarely trailed off from the platinum path. All of Kaiti’s albums have been successful, reaching at the very least Gold status within six months of their release (neither Vissi nor Vandi can say that, and Natassa Theodoridou could only do it thrice – the rest of her albums have had a lukewarm reception). Thus, I don’t exaggerate when I say that, in terms of sales, La Garbi is the most successful female singer in Greece ever.

But, upon what has this success been erected? The answer is, besides talent, careful planning and passion, an impeccable public image built of fairy tale twists. Let me give you an example: in 1997 she recorded a duet with one of Greece's most popular heart-throbs, Dionysis Schoinas. Apparently, Kaiti and him got along famously during the recording sessions, but then went their separate ways and it seemed that they would just remain good, if somewhat distant, friends. A few months later, immediately after they finished performing the song for the first time ever on Greece's highest rated afternoon show, he knelt down before her and declared, in front of everyone, that he had realized that he loved her and wanted her to marry him... A shocked Kaiti laughed, then cried, ran around the scenario several times with a dazed expression, and finally accepted with a tearful smile. Aaawwwwwww isn't that sweet... And great publicity (sorry, but I had to say it!). Anyway, they have been very happily married ever since, and in 1998 had a boy named Dimitris.



Well, anyway, I just wanted to finish this rather lengthy article by saying that I hope you enjoy her songs, and also to remind you to go to buy her albums here!

(Αυτό) Το Κάτι - (Afto) To Kati/(That) Something

2000 was a very fructiferous year in terms of creativity (and success) for the world of Greek music. No less because its three official goddesses all released exceptionally good double albums that were either preceded by or presented with the most successful singles in Greek history ever. Yes, unlike the three goddesses of the Iliad, everyone got a price: Vandi had the most successful single (Ypofero -437.000 copies sold in three months - find it here). Anna Vissi had the greatest combined sales with the quasi simultaneous releases of her English language début, the massive single Agapi Ypervoliki and then the spectacular double album Kravgi (1,237,000 copies sold in a few months), but Kaiti had the second highest selling album that year, reaching the half-million mark on its own - and it did so helped by this amazing song! A greatest hits compilation of sorts, the spectacular double album To Kati presented seven new songs along ‘only’ 24 of Kaiti's top 20 hits. Needless to say, its success was more than justified. This song is pure pop bliss!!!!! Honestly, dance music is seldom this good and impossibly catchy. Video.

Κραγιόν - Kragion/Lipstick

This is one of my favourite songs by Kaiti, and I can honestly say that this is solely responsible for my buying her spectacular 2001 double album Apla Ta Pragmata/Simple Things (31 awesome songs in one package!). An amazing dance epic, this combines a thumping dance beat with an utterly lovely melody and Gypsy violin instrumentation, which is integral to the structure of the song: the melody always delves into the progressions, and vice versa. Or rather, they constantly whirl and flutter around each other. It also is notable because it has Kaiti’s highest notes ever (even though they are very distorted by a vocoder). However, this song is, above all, incredibly fun! Enjoy it ;-).

Μία Γυναίκα Μόνη - Mia Gynaika Moni/A Woman Alone

This has to be my favourite song from Kaiti’s penultimate album, the not very successful (when compared to her previous efforts) Echo Sta Matia Ourano/I’ve The Sky In My Eyes (2005). It combines a heavy, thumping percussive line with gorgeous folk guitars and a hook-ridden melody that will be stuck in your brain for days. The really interesting thing is that the cadence and style of the song always keep changing; the verses have a reggae-fied background that morphs into an aggressive techno landscape in the choruses, which then lead us to a succession of instrumental breaks, a saxophone solo and an end that’s as much of an anti-climax as it is surprisingly satisfying. I wonder why this song wasn’t released as a single, especially because the ones that were chosen to promote the album weren’t as successful as it had been expected – this would surely have injected some much needed life to the album's promotion.

Ζήλια - Zilia/Jealousy

This aggressive dance track heavily samples Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, but improves on the original by adding what sounds like a deafening storm of sound explosions happening all in rapid succession, and often at the same time. The heavy, cold instrumentation creates a very sharp contrast with the melody, which is very mellow and soft, but is constantly pushed forward by Kaiti’s stout vocals, which also create a compact structure in a song that seems to endlessly revolve without direction in a chaotic myriad of electronic effects. In short, this is amazing, and one of the best dance songs I’ve ever heard. From her 2003 album Emmones Idees/Recurrent Ideas.

Όλη Μου Η Στενοχώρια - Oli Mou I Stenochoria/All Of My Anguish

This unbelievably beautiful traditional song is one of the main highlights in the album To Kati. Introduced by rippling piano scales, it quietly unfolds into a boundless sea of sorrow that waves its way across your ears ever so softly. I cannot even begin to say how sad and moving this song is. All I will say is that it’s just exceptional in every sense.

The young face of Greek Laika - Marianta Pieridi

Marianta Pieridi is one of the few young singers in Greece who still cultivates the more traditional aspects of Laika music, even if only to a very partial extent. Even though the vast majority of her material can be considered as being well within the realm of pop, she occasionally delves into Middle Eastern, Greek and Balkan folk with rather brilliant results. A native of Cyprus (just like Anna Vissi! :-) ), Marianta has lived, however, the majority of her life in Athens, from where her father, a Navy officer, originates. An interesting fact about Pieridi is that, during her adolescence, she only saw music as something tedious in which her mother, a lawyer fascinated by classical music and also an amateur pianist, forced her to participate. Conversely, Marianta concentrated all her energy in gymnastics at the Pan-Hellenic Athletic Club, where she specialised in apparatus work. Sadly (or maybe, fortunately), she was far from outstanding, and the realization that she would never become a successful gymnast eventually led her to give music a more prominent role in her life. However, she has kept her love for strenuous physical activity by frequently engaging in extreme sports.

After nine years of intense training, Marianta decided to try her hand at singing. Thus, she enrolled in the Athens Conservatoire and started studying music in earnest. Soon enough, she got her first break by being sent to Dublin for the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, as part of the Greek delegation. After that, she became fascinated by the idea of singing before an audience as a soloist, and began earning her chops by working as a background vocalist every other popular Greek singer, including Despina Vandi . After six years, she was well-known enough as to get Nitro Music, a relatively successful record company, to sign her. A year later, in 2002, she released her début album I Gynaika Tis Zois Sou/The Woman Of Your Life, which became very successful on the strength of the massive dance hit S'Agapó. However, things didn't go well and Nitro folded shortly after... Luckily enough, Marianta was simply transferred to Universal, and kept releasing records. She soon released the awesome EP single Oute Ki Esy/Neither You, which spawned three hits and, after being included in her sophomore album, turned her into a superstar.



However, as of late, things in Marianta's career don't seem to have gone too well. In 2004 she released her album Abra Kadabra, and as it happened to the majority of Greek music stars, sales were less than impressive, and far below expectations. In fact, the album only produced one sizeable hit (the impossibly catchy Chairetismata/Greetings), and then slowly, but steadily, began to disappear from the charts. Personally, I understand why this happened - the music was far too removed from her usual style, with one too many unmemorable attempts at neo-folk and some of the worst dance songs I've heard in my entire life. Not a good purchase, if you ask me.

However, Marianta redeemed herself with her next record Sfaira Stin Kardia/A Sphere In The Heart (2005), which presented some very interesting dance material along some of the most beautiful traditional songs and ballads I've heard from her! Still, this wasn't exactly successful (surprisingly, it performed even worse than her disastrous previous record) and things for Marianta have only started improving this past year, with the release of her Greatest Hits compilation DJ, which includes her superb version of Carola's annoying screamfest (how unusual! ;-)) Stanna Eller Gå, which has been an enormous hit and made the album a multi-platinum seller! Now go running to buy her albums here.

Ούτε Κι Εσύ - Oute Ki Esy/Neither You

This song is extremely upbeat and cheerful, and truly showcases Marianta's ability to command a melody and keep the listener's attention with the sheer power and enthusiasm in her performance. It was a huge hit in 2003, even if it is one of the more moderate successes from her second album Vale Fantasia/Deliver Fantasy. it has a sunny, bright melody and an urgent beat that lifts your spirits and makes you want to move! It is also one of the less original songs in the album, which boasts some rather interesting material, such as the folk-rock meets pop and house title track!

Μείνε Δύπλα Μου - Meine Dypla Mou/Stay Next To Me

This is my favourite song by Marianta! It starts off as some sort of Middle Eastern electro-folk experiment, only to suddenly explode into an upbeat dance song that combines everything from accordion touches, oud arpeggios and an aggressive electric guitar solo with an irresisitible instrumental hook and a thumping, fast beat that urges you to move... However, the melody is considerably beautiful, with a chorus that gracefully rises above all the instruments and flows into the diverse breaks of the song, which include grieving chants and brief spoken segments. Extremely beautiful! Video.

DJ (Stanna Eller Gå)

This is Marianta's gorgeous version of the song first made famous by Carola. Even though the lyrics are rather bland (OK, they're downright stupid), the melody and production in this song are strong enough as to compensate for this slight defect. I have to say that even though it's not my favourite of Marianta's songs, I find that her performance manages to make it very enjoyable as it creates a very warm, inviting atmosphere that both manages to suggest intimacy and openness. Video.

Μόνο Αν Ήσουν Τρελός (Anlayamatin) - Mono An Isoun Trelos/Only If You Were Crazy

At first I wasn't sure about posting this, since it isn't one of Marianta's typical ballads, mainly because it is more of a mid-tempo song, but I just found it irresistible with its violin progressions in chromatic scales, acoustic guitars and simply adorable little touches, such as the apparently random addition of flute, bouzouki and oud instrumental ornamentation. Beautiful.

Album Review - Anna Vissi's Paraxenes Eikones (Strange Images)

As a highly anally retentive person, I am obsessed with quantifying things - records, clothes, jobs, men... :-P. Seriously, I have thought that it would be a good idea to post a few album reviews (no more than one each month), just to offer an overview of some of the albums I'll mention as I post, which I hope will prompt you to buy them. So here it is, my first attempt at boring you to death! ;-D



Hastily produced during 2003 to compensate for the somewhat mediocre performance of her previous album, 2002's X (Chi), the double album Παράξενες Εικόνες (which contains a total of 25 songs) was hailed as Anna Vissi's triumphal return to the top of the Greek and Cypriot charts.

However, had she ever really fallen from the higher echelons of the success and popularity ladder? The answer is an emphatic no. Yet and still, it would be important to notice that Anna's favouring of extreme diversity during the most recent part of her career was bound to disconcert her public at one point or another; peculiar experiments and a love for musical fusion might be exciting from an artistic point of view, but they don't really seem to blend in well with commercial viability. Simply put, Vissi's ambition might have been her own (very partial) undoing. Still, it is understandable that for a musician of her stature, accustomed to immediate and immeasurable success for more than a decade, 'moderate success' is little more than an euphemism for 'crass failure'.



This time around, the musical diversity is accompanied by professional diversity. Nikos Karvelas, Anna's ex-husband and composer, writer, arranger and producer of the vast majority of her material (as well as most of her greatest hits), gracefully leaves space for other songwriters to lend their songs to the album. Even though at eight songs he is by far the major contributor, the restrictions to the material he is allowed to give are conversely liberating for Karvelas - some of his contributions manage to be innovative as they are emotionally charged, but the rest are mostly perfect pop confections that seem to be made to rapidly sail their way to the top of the charts (his speciality :-) ). The rest of the collection is, however, no inferior in any way to Karvelas' truly excellent offerings.



The first album is more geared towards international audiences, with an abundance of dance numbers, exaggerate Adult Oriented Rock ballads and faux-R&B numbers. Swedish team Alex Papaconstantinou and Peter Cartriers take control in the album's first two danceable tracks, delivering an atmospheric and cold dance anthem in the enormous hit Είσαι (later released worldwide as Call Me), which uses Vissi's moans along with volin progressions to fill in the spaces between melodic segments. However, their skills are better seen in the beautiful faux-R&B song Εγώ, Μωρό Μου, which incorporates alternating percussive samples over the song's bass line, and beautiful flute ornamentation.

Εγώ, Μωρό Μου - Ego, Moro Mou/I, My Darling

Το Τρένο - To Treno/The Train

The rest of the first album flows gracefully between genres, meeting its pinnacles in the majestic folk epic Το Τρένο (1st single and massive success from the album), which rivals the best power ballads ever written in sheer dramatism, and the bombastic dance number Έχω Πεθάνει Για Σένα (7th single of the album), which narrates a person's descent into alcoholism-induced suicide over aggressive beats and distorted electronic effects. Still, the highlights of the album are the bizarre electroclash of Ξαφνικά/Suddenly (written by Peter Lord and V. Jeffery Smith, the team behind Paula Abdul's early 90's success), and the pensive, dark ballads that open and close the album, which include the disturbing title track.

Έχω Πεθάνει Για Σένα - Echo Pethanei Gia Sena/I've Died For You

Είσαι - Eisai/You Are (Prodigal Son remix)



The second album is less commercial, even if not less diverse. From the first guitar notes of opener Ψυχεδέλεια/Spiritual Revelation to the last beats of the Prodigal Son remix of the spectacular Είσαι, the listener is taken through a journey of musical discovery through diverse types of Greek folk, the majestic Φεύγω with its watery effects and guitar solos (by far one of the best songs in both albums), Middle Eastern-influenced acoustic rock, the Urban mid-tempo of Μωβ/Mauve and the big-band-meets-Middle-Easten-folk-and-swing number Βατερλώ, also one of the most interesting tracks in both albums.

Φεύγω - Fevgo/I'm Leaving

Βατερλώ - Vaterlo/Waterloo

Thus, without further ado (and hoping my first attempt at a review wasn't too great an irritation ;-) ), I present you with the selection I've made. but before, please go buy this album here. Enjoy!

The Greek demi-goddess - Despina Vandi

Despina Vandi is one of those singers who can't be anything other than famous. While her personal life lacks all those soaring heights and horrible lows that are the stuff of legend (and tabloid juiciness... Is that even a word? :-P), her charisma and commercial instincts make her one of the most engaging and innovative artists in Greece nowadays, and that has translated in huge sales and near-insane adoration from fans.

However, her professional life isn't devoid of all drama. From early on, everyone decided that she would be Anna Vissi's nemesis, and since then she has been trying to do her best to live up to her public's expectations. And while Anna Vissi is THE consecrated Goddess of Greek music, and La Vandi has never quite managed to substitute her in the hearts and the ears of most Greeks, the truth is that Despina has always set her sights outside Greece, and has steadily built a reputation beyond its frontiers - something that most of her contemporaries have not managed to do well.

With a powerful voice and passionate delivery, Despina has a highly mannered singing style that catches people's attention from the very beginning - it's not like she tries to convey sensuality, but there's something so raw about the way she sings that it's impossible to miss it, or to escape from it. Still, this doesn't mean that all her music is good. Her highs are pretty high, but her lows are... Well, shit. The risk that artists who always strive to be trend-setters have to take is either sounding silly at best if they fail, or crashing badly at worst. In Despina's case, when she doesn't soar, she crashes spectacularly. This makes her albums very uneven, although very interesting - she seems to have a love for all things Middle Eastern, electroclash and just about anything else you can imagine - listening to one of her records is like walking through a gallery of contemporary music from all over the world, and this makes them quite fun! If you want to buy them, go here.



Υποφέρω - Ypofero/I'm Suffering

This is by far Despina's greatest hit ever and a historical track - when it was released as a single, it became six times platinum in Greece, selling more than 200,000 copies! This is the most successful single in the story of Greek pop EVER. When you hear it, you'll be able to see why: this is beyond excellent. This is AWESOME!!!!! It starts with a few lingering piano notes that open what looks like a bizarre electronic ballad, and then builds up slowly only to explode (literally) into one of the best dance songs you'll ever hear. This is, simply put, amazing and it's my favourite song by hers, because it's SO fun to dance to, you won't believe it. Besides, the music and the lyrics are quite dark, and that makes the song all the more enjoyable for the twisted nuts among us :-D! Video.

Γειά - Geia/Hello

This is the UK Radio Edit version of her unique Greek dance epic - the original has a very long and unsettling instrumental introduction that has Despina whispering 'γύρνα' (come back) while a child repeats the title of the song from time to time - I don't want to you to have nightmares, so I've uploaded this Greenglish version instead. It's much shorter, but lets you have all the fun from second one. This is a seriously good song, and it was quite successful in clubs. The album from which it's taken is quite and experience, and you won't regret it if you buy it. Video.

Opa Opa (English version)

This is Despina's second international hit, and it's unbelievably catchy - so much so, that several singers in Greece have covered it, including Elena Paparizou when she was with Antique (more on that on a future post, yay! :-) ). It's also very cute, with a lovely chorus that will stick to you mind for days and some really great guitar instrumentation that makes the song unique - who else could have thought of something like this? Video.

Στην Αυλή Του Παραδείσου - Stin Avli Tou Pardeisou/In Heaven's Yard

This is the title track from Despina's -in my opinion- best record to date, from 2005. It's also a slow traditional song, but it's amazingly beautiful and very, very sad; which is strange, because the lyrics are happy. Needless to say, Despina shines with this type of songs. However, this is not all that the album has to offer - there are some really good pop/Arabic-style dance songs, a few amazing upbeat folksy numbers and, in the superb Special Edition you get, among other things, her wild hit Jambi plus her awful and weird techno-hip hop collaboration, Amanes! Ain't that somethin'?!?! Yeah! Video.

The Greek Siren - Anna Vissi

There's one indiscutible truth about Anna Vissi: she is the queen of Greek pop... But not exactly. Anna doesn't always sing straight pop, and most of her albums could be considered as part of an altogether far better category: Modern Laika. Now, you must ask yourselves, what the heck is Modern Laika? Well, simply put, Modern Laika is an everything-goes sort of genre that fuses Greek traditional music with influences of all sorts. And when I say all sorts, it's ALL sorts!!!! But if you don't believe me, just go and buy one of Anna's amazingly varied records. Some of them are kinda bizarre, and sure, she has had a couple of really shit moments (even God had them - we just CAN'T blame The Anna, can we?), but the vast majority of them are amazing. You can buy them here.

And that's exactly what La Vissi has done: EVERYTHING. From hard rock to house to Turkish pop to acoustic folk to a myriad of styles, she has covered them. That's how versatile she is. BUT the great thing about Anna is her voice. There's only one thing I can say about it: wow! It's a gutsy, raw, thunderous mezzo that will take you to Heaven from note one (there's no way you could tell I'm a fan, is there? LOL). Which leads me to the next things I want to say: Anna has been labelled the "Greek Madonna". Even though comparisons with successful 'singers' must be flattering for some, comparing Anna to a nasty old hag that burned up fourteen years ago ISN'T fair. Anna is just great. Madonna... Well, don't they say that Britney is her successor? That explains it all.

Mind you, it has been difficult to make a proper selection - I really wanted to show the many exciting things that Anna has done in her thirty-four years of career (she started singing professionally in 1973, when she was fifteen... You do the math! And then thank The Almighty One for the fabulous airbrushing that she gets in these photos, ahem). Still, I really, really hope you enjoy this... I sure do! Well, enjoy! :-)




Για Σένα Θα Πεθάνω - Gia Sena Tha Pethano/I'm Gonna Die For You

This is from Anna's latest album, Nylon. Personally, I don't like it much - I think it tries to be so experimental, that it ends up being downright silly. If you want to hear Anna singing techno-rock, or be admired at how she swaps verses with a Greek rapper -how awkward is that?- over a cacophony of violins, then you'll love this album. I'm a bit of a traditional person (that's code for a dull, annoying cunt ;-) ) and prefer her traditional numbers AND the awesome rock songs! This is one of those songs. When I listen to this, I just wanna lock myself in a room and do my best Tina Turner impersonation... Yes, I need a psychiatrist THAT bad. Video.

Φεύγω - Fevgo/I'm Leaving

This is from Anna's penultimate album Paraxenes Eikones (Strange Images). Oh my God, is that album FANTASTIC or what!!! Not only are the songs awesome, but you get 25 of them in a spectacular double album. If you have to buy one of Anna's cds, this is it. There's no way you won't be satisfied. I have chosen this song because it's quite exotic, but nothing too strange. It's very danceable, and combines a beautiful guitar arrangement with a thumping beat that will have you dancing in no time. AMAZING.

Αγάπη Υπερβολική - Agapi Ypervoliki/Excessive Love

This is one of the catchiest, funniest and most danceable songs I've ever heard. Try to keep still with this! It's from the first one of Anna's double albums, Kravgi (Scream), and it's also excellent. Again, you get 24 songs from absolutely all genres, and all of them will leave you awe-struck - I can assure! Watch the hilariously tacky video here.

Τα Ραδιόφωνα - Ta Radiofona/The Radio Players

Right, this isn't exactly a ballad - it's more Greek folk than anything. BUT it's so spectacular you won't be disappointed. So please, don't be scared of it - try it, and you'll be hooked for life. This is from one of Anna's more experimental records, X (Chi) - here you have techno tunes mixed with swing, Middle Eastern electro-folk (how bizarre does that sound?) and bellydance hip hop. That's how fabulous that album is. Uh-huh.