I heard this disc at a local store and they had it for sale for $40. I got the name and found it here. It's a relly good collection of eclectic music for a cocktail party or for driving in the car. Hip but not over the top.
October 23, 2008Pink Martini are a Portland phonomenon. I am so happy to sing their praises. A fluke united their talent & 'the rest is history'. This album highlights the talents of all the band members, as well as several guests. Several songs are in different languages. Each member of this 'orchestra' is talented beyond belief. Their music is classical jazz/samba/blues ....fill in the blank. This is my feel good, clean the house, enjoy the day, cook an amazing meal track. It is so beautiful & uplifting. It stays in my CD & has also been a gift to several of my special friends.
June 26, 2008We must have played this CD at least 5 times during my daughter's 21st birthday party. EVERYONE, aged 20 - 60, loved it!!
June 19, 2008 |  | love it! charming and modern |  |
I love the arrangements and the "old style" of this music, but the lyrics are so CLEVER and fun that it feels more modern than expected. I will definetely buy more Pink Martini!
May 21, 2008 | | Rock Out Little Vegetable | |
Pink Martini's second at bat is indistinguishable from its first. Listening to Hang On Little Tomato evokes many images, some of which include: angel food cake, cotton candy, champagne bubbles, cumulus clouds, fiberglass insulation, the promises of politicians, and marsh gas - because all of the aforementioned are more substantial than this music. If you're connected to life support and in a persistent vegetative state, baby, this is the CD for you!
As before, the musicianship cannot be faulted. China Forbes has an extraordinary voice and uses it to good effect. However, instead of this being a virtue, it actually condemns PM since it means they're playing this music on purpose and are perfectly capable of playing something interesting. PM continues to sound like a pick-up band at a senior center giving remedial mambo lessons. Their determination to perform in various languages, touching on the traditions of many cultures, is becoming extremely tiresome and seems more like a parlor trick every day. The unlistenable and embarrassing Kikuchiyo To Mohshimasu is only the most egregious example of this misguided showboating.
The CD is not without virtue. Let's Never Stop Falling In Love is pleasant as is The Gardens Of Sampson & Beasley, Lilly is fun, and Clementine is sweet. However, Autrefois is insufferably pretentious, while Veronique simply collapses under the weight of its affectation. It is supposed to be on those ultra-hip Chet Baker, raspy late-night jazz club talk/whisper numbers, Timothy Nishimoto is not half vocalist enough to pull it off (indeed he is consistently unconvincing in all milieus). U Plava Zoru, PM's attempt at a "major" piece, would have made good incidental music in a Bond film.
In a musical era so bankrupt that it can describe "rap" and "hip/hop" as music, as opposed to the sound of marbles being ground to powder in a garbage disposal, it is not hard to understand the popularity of Pink Martini. They are accomplished musicians and their music is, for the most part, exceptionally pleasant. Unfortunately, after a few listens, you realize that this is precisely what makes it so horrible.
May 3, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(124 reviews)