Such a voice
Nels Lindberg | Seattle, WA United States | 07/26/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Rembetic music isn't something you hear often. If you have ordinary musical tastes, your chances of hearing rembetiko are on par with your chances of being struck by lightning. If you like things that are just a little strange, you could still live your whole life and never hear of it. For the uninitiated, rembetiko kind of like the blues, in that the themes are mostly the same: hard-luck women, no-good men, drinking, hashish and poverty. It sounds a bit like other Greek music, although often more mournful. Rosa Eskenazi has a beautiful voice. Often, in the slower songs, the accompaniment will fall silent to let her sing alone for an entire verse. Of course, it's a pity that these tracks were made at a time and place when the recording quality wasn't the best. However, like the best old records this one has soul, and transcends its limitations. Only four stars were awarded because there were a handful of tracks I didn't care for."