Search - Lisa Ono :: Best 1997 - 2001

Beautiful voice, mediocre arrangements

a marx brother | USA | 04/14/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Lisa Ono has a smooth and sensual voice that belies her Asian ethnicity and is reminiscent of an Astrud Gilberto. However, the results are somewhat mixed when she interprets these songs. The good tracks to look out for include Moonlight Serenade, Moon River, and Dream. On the contrary, her rendition of Jobim's Chega de Saudade, when compared to the original, is too fast in tempo and "disturbing."



This is primarily a Bossa Nova album. Most of the songs, including Moonlight Serenade, are given the Bossa treatment. Unfortunately, the arrangers have preferred synthesized instruments over acoustic ones. With the exception of Aguas de Marco (which was recorded with an acoustic guitar in a live setting), all the other songs use synthesized instruments to a noticeable degree. This makes the songs sound cheap and cold, which is primarily why I gave this CD a lower rating."

Charming but not for long play

ronaldbrian | Quezon City, Philippines | 02/25/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Nine tracks in the album are interesting to listen to. Ono Lisa has one of those charming, sympathetic vocals that immediately assure easy listening. Think Dusty Springfield, Janis Ian, or, as a reviewer suggested, Astrud Gilberto. Winner tracks include Red Blouse (track 1), Samba de Verao (track 2), I Wish You Love (Lisa's catchy take on the Charles Trenet reliable Que Reste - T'il De Nos Amour -, track 4), Chega de Saudade (an upbeat sexy duet in this album), and Palpite Infeliz (track 12). Nine interesting tracks equal half, making the cd a safe buy.



But, a word of caution.



After the first round, you congratulate yourself for such a good buy. You decide you won't mind it playing on the background while you work. So you put it on the loop and listen to it again. And again. After some playbacks, you realize the music can be quite BORING. Astrud Gilberto, yes, but BLAND, with arrangements like those of Ray Conniff and his singers. Enough to make one sleepy. And the singer's delivery of the lines leaves much to be desired. Words at the end of phrases trail off, limp. Lisa's foreign accent is charming, yes, but she is no Agnetha Faltskog (of ABBA), Annifrid Lyngstad (ABBA), or even Nina Persson (The Cardigans), non-native English-language singers with crystal clear enunciation. It's beginning to get irritating. A few more playbacks and I was reminded of Kevin Spacey's rant in American Beauty ("From now on, we're going to alternate our dinner music. Because frankly, and I don't think I'm alone here, I'm really tired of this Lawrence Welk sh_t.")



So the album is not for longplay. Big deal. Otherwise, it is still a good buy and I recommend it. I just don't play it often."