Search - Mario Frangoulis :: Follow Your Heart

An excellent show from a powerful tenor...

James Head | NC, USA | 08/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While many argue that Mario Frangoulis' sophomore FOLLOW YOUR HEART is not as strong as his first album, SOMETIMES I DREAM, much of that stems from the difference in song selection between the two.



It is undeniable that Frangoulis is extremely talented -- his tenor voice is smooth, powerful, refreshing, and brilliant. Despite the sometimes poor choice of tracks on this album, Frangoulis still deserves full credit, in my opinion, for his shining renditions of several of the best tracks on this disc, including "Follow Your Heart," "Dance," "Here's to the Heroes," "Bridge of Dreams," and "Come What May." Each of these tracks showcases Frangoulis' vocal range and power.



With that said, some of the tracks on this disc fall short of what one might expect from such a strong talent. In particular, "Enas Hartinos Ilios," "Cu'mme," and "Benedictus" seem less interesting and moving when compared to the better tracks on the disc.



All-in-all, however, Frangoulis' performance is very strong, emotional, and honed. He deserves a huge amount of credit, I think, for the maturity and richness his voice holds, even if a handful of the songs here seem out-of-place or oddly unimpressive when compared with his other work.



My suggestion: start by listening to "Come What May" and "Dance," then judge for yourself if his powerful, mellifluous sound is something that you find strangely difficult to resist."

TRUE SPLENDOR

W. Budris | Rosedale, NY | 01/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to Mario via a snippet of his PBS special while flipping channels. He was singing "Nights In White Satin" with one of his idols from the Moody Blues. A fellow fan of Linda Eder and Nana Mouskouri also recommended his previous album, however, I sampled it only and didn't act. Knowing this new album was to be released, I gave it a try with the samples provided online and at B&N Store. Totally captured! I purchased the album yesterday and can only give it raves all around. I hope this album really makes Mario here in the US, as I know his worldwide acclaim is phenomenal.



"Here's To The Heroes" is a stellar piece, and very pertinent now with our troops still doing their work in Iraq. The melody is based on an orchestral piece either from a movie or classical composition. I just can put my finger on it, but oh so wonderful with the lyrics.



As I mentioned Nana Mouskouri above, and both Mario and Nana hailing from Greece, his version of Another World (Va' Pensiero) is a variation with different lyrics (that I am aware of) from Nana's 80s worldwide hit "Song For Liberty" (Je Chante Avec Toi Liberte, Libertad, Liberdade, etc - titles in various languages). This new version, along with Nana's, gives this operatic gem two definitive versions in the popular market.



I am now psyched enough to get Mario's first US CD album and try to find other international recordings done thus far. He is amazing, and I am hoping to see him in concert some day.

"