Amigos Para Siempre: Friends for ...

Candlelight, wine - and Josep.....

The recipe for a perfect romantic evening is candlelight, a bottle of wine and of course - Josep. This is the most romantic collection of songs in a very long time. And José Carreras's sensual voice is perfect for this kind of repertoire. One of the really good things about him is that he's capable of singing these songs without crooning. And like always he makes it sound like the words are born within him. In the song "the first time ever I saw your face" he sings about that wonderful feeling we get when we experience things in love for the first time. Listening to him singing "the first time ever I kissed your mouth".... makes your heart skip a beat and your knees go all wobbly.... And when he gets to the part with "the first time ever I lay with you" you're drooling.... In the song "what are you doing the rest of your life?" he's singing "I'll awake what's asleep in your eyes. It may take a kiss or two..." And I'm out of breath again.....

Other favourite songs on this album are "besame mucho", "somewhere" and "the summer knows". The only song I feel doesn't do it for me is "amigos para siempre", the duet with Sarah Brightman. She's not a good match for him. I think she sounds much too "girlish". Still, it's just a minor "hickup" in this recording.

But really, you should listen to the album and judge for yourself. How he does it I do not know, but he sings with such intensity and honesty that you almost start believing in true love again. And in the end - isn't that the purpose of lovesongs??? August 7, 2005

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