Search - Various Artists :: Gold Star Ballroom Series: Tango

A discouraging mix with a few good tangos

J. Wakefield | SLC, Utah | 04/11/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There are a few good tangos here. A charitable reading of the non-tangos is that these are meant as competition tracks? The first eight tracks have some merit. Much of the last half of the disc sounds synthesized and has NO pizzazz. The last track is a welcome exception, with a good female vocal. The disc was produced in Holland in 2003. What were they thinking?



The titles are listed with both the duration and the measures per minute (mpm). The tempos vary from 30-33 mpm. In a couple cases (noted below), the beat will be difficult for beginners to hear.



Title, (duration), mpm (notations)



Cumparsita, (2:08), 33

Green grass of home, (2:37), 33

Music of the night (from Phantom), (4:40), 33 (Too long, and it loses any beat at some points)

O sole mio, (2:19), 33

Take me to the river, (3:10), 31 (There is no obvious tango rhythm here).

Little drummer boy, (2:38), 31

Una lacrima sul viso, (2:30), 30

5 o'clock my a**, let's tango, (3:34), 32 (Almost all percussion, weird stuff!)

Por uma cabeza, (2:18), 33

Cara mia, (2:18), 33

In a little Spanish town, (2:07), 33

Paloma, La, (2:07), 33

A media luz, (2:10), 33

Hernando's hideaway, (2:35), 33

Guitar tango, (3:12), 33

Donde estas corazon, (2:56), 32

Ole guapa, (2:35), 33

Tango d'amour, (2:08), 33"