Search - Nana Mouskouri :: At Her Very Best

Great collection of her hits!

P. Miller | Florida | 10/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a long-time Nana Mouskouri fan ever since I heard her recording of "Ximeroni" ("Daybreak") on a U.N. fund-raising album of the early 1960s.



Fortunately, I was stationed in Greece at the time and found it fairly easy to obtain her records, many of which I still have (including a credible version of that country/bluegrass favorite "Wildwood Flower").



Anyway, here are my comments on a few of the offerings on this album:



"The White Rose Of Athens" was originally a German-language hit for Nana in the mid 1960s. She sings fluently in a variety of languages such a German, French (she lives in France), English and, of course, Greek.



"Try To Remember" was a hit song from a very popular Broadway show, The Fantastics. In this recording, she is backed by a group called The Athenians, whose harmony is often nothing short of magic.



"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is from a 1962 Fontana label New York album produced by none other than Quincy Jones. The album's English release was titled "Nana Mouskouri In New York."



"Ta Pedia Tou Pirea" (The Boys Of Pireaus) was the theme song from the movie NEVER ON SUNDAY. In the movie soundtrack, however, Melina Mercouri sang the vocal. This song, along with many of Nana's other records, was composed by Manos Hadjidakis. A somewhat Anglicized instrumental version of "Never On Sunday" was an American hit for Don Costa.



"Morning Has Broken" is, of course, the Cat Stevens song, done in Nana's inimitable style.



All in all, while this by no means a comprehensive collection of Nana Mouskouri material, if you are wondering who Nana is, this set is as good as any with which to start. She has been, for forty years or so, in the best-selling music circles of virtually every country except the United States. This is a shame, since she's such a wonderful artist.



(Added 20-Oct-2007)



My all-time favorite English-language Nana Mouskouri song is "Even Now" from the album ONLY LOVE (also available here on Amazon). On this recording, her voice never sounded better, the vocal and instrumental background are gorgeous (particularly the playing of the fretless bass guitar!), and the song is achingly beautiful. She hits those high notes with such clarity she ought to have a license to sing so well. (She probably does!)



If you're interested in how she sounded in her early years, two albums NANA MOUSKOURI SINGS HADJIDAKIS (two volumes both on Amazon). All the songs are Greek, some are her earliest professional appearances. You may not understand her lyrics, but her singing needs no language interpretations."