Search - Claudia Acuna :: Rhythm of Life

Somewhat disappointing

William C. Altreuter | 05/08/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The very unoriginal album title should be the first warning sign. I really wanted to like this album a lot. Ms. Acuna has a very clear and sweet voice, but something about the arrangements just left me a little cold. They seem oddly dissonant, overly busy at times, and not easy to listen to. There's some production problems as well, and her voice occasionally seems to be too low in the mix. Some of the songs just don't seem to be well chosen, and are, frankly, not very interesting. It's not a bad album, but I was hoping for more."

A feast from start to finish!

Andy Agree | Omaha, NE | 05/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, am I glad I discovered Claudia Acuna! This is not only a 5-star album, it is an album of nothing but 5-star songs. I look at the ambivalence of some of these reviews and I think what planet are you on? What is there to be ambivalent about? Chilean Claudia Acuna has a powerful and beautiful voice, clear and bright, with just a hint of vibrato on the longer notes, full of excitement and tenderness. Her non-native English is near-perfect, yet her slight slips into a Spanish accent are charming, as in her "fontastic drims" in "My Romance". And when she sings in Spanish, she is angelic. The songs and arrangements are all top drawer, and the band, led by pianist Billy Childs, is sheer perfection, especially on the three Spanish songs. On "I Fall in Love Too Easily", Claudia proves she can interpret a jazz lyric with the best American singers, and she will break your heart. The only song that is less than completely successful is "Nature Boy", a radical re-interpretation of the Nat Cole classic, with a salsa piano refrain, but even this one will entrance you. At least one reviewer said she's better in concert, and all I can say in response is that the best acts always are. Get this CD and you'll be as anxious to catch her live as I am."

Oh my GOD!!

MusicFreak | FL | 06/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess I haven't listened to this album, but I saw Claudia live at the PR Heineken Jazzfest a couple of days ago, and I was in a trance!! I did not know much about her prior to that, and boy, am I glad I was there! She got several standing ovations, and an encore. Yet, what actually drew such reactions was not vocal or even musical pyrotechnics or flash. Her music is mostly mid-tempo to slow, and always, ALWAYS brimming with emotion. That is what gets to you - the simple melodies delivered by her sensous, beautiful, deeply heartfelt voice. I was almost in tears, I got chills - in short, I was deeply touched by this woman's immense talent, and effortless ability to tug at your heartstrings. In this world of programmed, sugar-coated and pre-fab music, Claudia Acuna sticks out as a very powerful singer and artist, who does not rely on any artifice. Also, she was very, very humble and sweet. I am sure she won over most of the people present at the concert, because two days after (yesterday) I called several music stores, and those who carried Claudia's CD's had run out of them! Damn! I will get them both, that's for sure. If you like your music pure, yet bristling with emotion and beauty, look no further. Claudia Acuna's got it."