Susana Rinaldi - Mi Voz Y Mi Ciudad

Susana, la poesía.

Es una cantante extraordinaria, su fuerza, su garra y su talento la alejan del tango melodramático y elevan su interpretación a niveles insospechados. En este disco su voz pareciera casi susurrar y esconderse en los vericuetos de las letras, tímidamente. Otras grabaciones la muestran con potencia y dramatismo y ayudan a recuperar toda la poesía de las letras cantadas. Su voz espléndida ahora y hace 20 años. Ahora enriquecida por la sabiduría de quien sabe que nuestra música popular ocupa un sitial junto a Borges y a Cortázar. GRACIAS SUSANA, lástima que no te conocieran en el siglo de oro. August 13, 2001

Wow ! Rinaldi is now my favorite Latin female vocalist.

This was my first Susana Rinaldi disk. I had been sampling the work of contemporary tango vocalists, including rock-crossover star Adriana Varela. Daniel Saindon from Montréal recommended Susana Rinaldi to me. All it took was listening to an MP3 file, and I was hooked. This is the music of the city of Buenos Aires - the music of Troilo, Gardel, Expósito, Tinelli, and Coblán. What impressed me most was the range of the voice and the emotion it is able to convey. This is not somebody whose voice is distorted by being right next to a microphone. There is certain richness to the voice. It is the expression of the voice that brings life to the sense of the city of Buenos Aires.

I recently discussed Rinaldi with an Argentine friend who lives in Washington DC. She told me all about Susana Rinaldi. Her training included music school where she was trained as a chamber music singer. She began her career as an actress, and has appeared in numerous stage, television and movie productions. It was only in 1966 that she began singing professionally. Since then, she has had great international appeal. I was surprised to learn that her discography includes 22 titles. She has received many international awards, and in 1969 shared the "Talento de Oro" award with Astor Piazzola. Her life has included a period of exile in which she left Argentina when it was dominated by a military junta.

When listening to music, we pay attention not just to the sound of the singer and the accompanying orchestra, but also to the lyrics of what is being sung. Her lyrics have a style, grace and romanticism. It is not the tango of the arrabales and the cuchilleros. The disk begins with Troilo's "Maria," which I would regard as a "show stopper" if it were in a Broadway play. She does a wonderful job with Carlos Gardel's "Soledad." If you have seen Sally Porter's movie "Tango Lesson," you are no doubt familiar with "Milonga Triste." When I heard Rinaldi's version of "Milonga Triste," my reaction was a simple "Wow!" The whole disk is like that. Although I regard this as a good disk for dancing, I would like to encourage my friends to take some time to sit down and enjoy this music. You will be delighted. August 8, 2001

Susana Rinaldi, a precursor that still sounds contemporary

I am into Mercedes Sosa, and others that are traditionalists but whose uniqueness turns them into new, lasting artists. Rinaldi is a precursor of the contemporary ways of doing tango or Argentine folklore. I find her voice powerful, clear, and her expression well-owned. In her, the early dramatization of vocal expression that was to come to heights in the personality of people like Mercedes Sosa comes alive in a primitive manner. Not a bit of copied affectation in her style. A true pioneer. In my opinion, Rinaldi is a must for those who appreciate and collect the developmental links in Argentine music. July 21, 2000

More reviews at Amazon.com ...