Sandra - My Favourites (24 tracks) +Album Reviews

These are my Favourites too!

Daryl Tay | Singapore | 08/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compliation is fantastic! The recording is simply refreshing! But I noticed that the following songs that I had are missing from this one on Amazon.comRemixes 1. Mirrored In Your Eyes 2. Secret Land 10.Around My Heart 11. In The Heat Of The Night 12. Way To IndiaOriginals 1. No Taboo 2. Johnny Wanny Live 3. Don't Be Aggressive 4. One More Night 5. Steady Me Before I bought this album, I only know that Sandra is the voice behind Engima and she is the wife of Micheal Cretu. I never realize that she is so popular in Europe. She is almost an "alien" in Singapore as the local record stores only carry very few of her albums. Her earlier releases are so hard to find here. But I consider myself very fortunate to find this compliation in the stores. The music it contains are marvellous! Although the price might be a little steep but I think it's really worth it. I refer to the Taiwan reviewer who advised to get Her 18 Greatest Hits instead of this. I would suggest for new listener to get this first. I once owned Her 18 Greatest Hits.True enough, there are many beautiful songs that touches my heart but I think the recording is not as good as this one. I only wish that they could include some of those songs like Loreen, Everlasting Love and Life is a Big Insanity in this compliation. And this compliation would be PERFECT! The artwork is awesome. Artwork of an album is also a very important attribute to make people buy it. Nowadays, you can also get very good music for free via Internet downloading. But people would still buy the record if it sounds good (good recording and good music) and looks good. This particular compliation just has it all. I loved to admire the beautiful artwork on the paper as well as on the CD. Although the edition I own contains more songs, I believe the songs in this particular one (that is available in Amazon.com) is the "deluxe edition" whereby they went through another round of "filtering" to present the ultimate selection. No Doubt, it is still a wise choice to own in your collection. Coz what you have is Best of the Best. You have to believe a fussy listener like me, coz I never allow any lousy album on my shelf! So Don't hesitate! BUY IT NOW! You will never regret your decision!"

Don't care about the oteher reviews: LOT OF NEW MATERIAL!

Fidel Dune | Bolivia | 04/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...Ok the disk 1 is a compilation of the standard single versions.... But the disk 2 IS A DISK OF ONLY REMIXES yes, some of the greates songs of this full tallented diva, are absolutely remixed, and this remixes does not appear in any other disks, are exclusive belongings of this disk!!!, make sound all the songs just new and fresh, an some of the remixes (tell me more and wont run away are even better than the original ones).Don't doubt is a great choice BUY BUY BUY it"

Great Collection of Hits

Draggin99Si | San Jose, CA | 03/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The real jewel of this collection is disc 2 which pulls tracks from Sandra's 92's masterpiece album "Close to Seven" (not available on Amazon) and 95's "Fading Shades". All the tracks on disc 2 are great, which also includes First Lullaby which to me, is her greatest and most beautiful song of all time. Disc 2 is mostly slower ballads with a slight upbeat touch. Sandra has a very beautiful soft and seductive voice which makes her perfect for delivering sultry ballads.As far as disc 1 is concerned, I am very disappointed. It contains remixes of her past songs, some of which were old hits while some were non-hits. I think they could have done a much better job on the remixing as the originals sounded much better. The only remix better than the original is Secret Land. The rest of the remixes have too much techno and intense club beats to them which destroys the essence and beauty of the originals. For example, ballads such as Way to India should have been left as a slow and romantic song. Increasing the tempo and beats rarely succeed on slower ballads.I wish her song Little Girl would have been included as well. It would have been nice to hear an updated version of this classic. Instead of completely changing the beats, what would have been better is to have her old hits updated using modern sounding technology, adding a bit more emphasis on richer sounding bass giving them a 90's feel to 80's songs. In addition, slightly alter the beats but at the same time maintain that original sound which made the songs great in the first place. A perfect example of this is the updated hit I Need Love '95.To me, Sandra's 90's work is more fulfilling than her 80's work. Her 80's work were more pop influenced. Her 90's work sounded more sophisticated and atmospheric due to the influence of Enigma. The style changed for the better. Everytime I listen to her later works (disc 2 material are all 90's material), I find myself being transported into a secret land. Her music is very powerful on the human spirit. Because of the strength of disc 2, this compilation is a must have especially if you don't have her Close to Seven cd which is getting very hard to obtain these days.I grew up listening to Sandra's earlier music in the mid 80's as a kid. For some 15 years, I had lost my old tapes. After purchasing this My Favourites cd recently, this is the effect that it had on me..... I found myself purchasing all of Sandra's cd's that are currently available, every single one. Yes I got hooked onto her beautiful music. I'm glad to have re-discovered Sandra's music and wish she will continue to release more new material in the future."

Sandra, the sexy siren

cherubino | Houston, Texas United States | 06/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I found this compilation at a local independent music shop that closed long ago. I remember it being rather expensive, but after glancing at the back cover, I saw a lot of tracks I didn't recognize. The only other Sandra album (or compilation) I ever owned was 18 Greatest Hits.

Let me state right away that the remixes on disc one are very hit-and-miss, as described by other reviewers. The unpardonable sin is the remix of Hiroshima, which nearly ruins one of Sandra's most beautifully-sung and poignant songs. However, there is a great remix of Around My Heart, one of my personal favorites. What I did enjoy the most was listening to songs I never heard before. Mirrored in Your Eyes, Tell Me More, Celebrate Your Life- these are great songs. What really blew me away, though, were Won't Run Away (a dazzling hi-energy number, bubbling with positive energy) and Way To India (sheer, exotic perfection).

Like many others, I find myself more entranced by the second disc. Sandra's material from the eighties is full of catchy pop ditties, awash in tongue-in-cheek innocence and sweet bubblegum synth-pop arrangements. With her epic Close to Seven album, Sandra said goodbye to that era, and emerged as a more seductive, imaginative artist. Speaking of which, I just love how disc two begins with No Taboo. This is the Sandra I love the most, what I call her "polite dominatrix" persona. Next comes Johnny Wanna Live. Yes, it's an animal-rights song, but it also happens to be one of her most melodic and lovely singles. Then, Sandra revisits her sexy persona with Don't Be Aggressive. I'm going to probably catch flack for this, but IMO, this almost blows Madonna's Justify My Love out of the water. The hook is almost as titillating, and Sandra's vocal delivery is damn-near as seductive as Madonna. Where Sandra tops the Queen of Pop, though, are the lyrics. She's not taking trains to Paris cross-country, or making love in a rainstorm. No, Sandra's offering herself up as your virtual love slave, so long as you treat her right!

After her make-out ballad One More Night comes Steady Me, another song that oozes sensuality. Just listen to that vocal, like a spring of pristine alpine water. The piano hook cools the temperature even more. Skipping ahead two tracks, you are treated to the crown jewel of the whole collection, Seal It Forever. Mercy me, does it get any finer than this??? An exquisite, perfect ballad that is sure to melt your heart.

Sandra closes the book on her dominatrix/lover persona with I Need Love '95. No more whispered longings or siren calls. No, she's ready for love, RIGHT NOW, lol. The electro-guitar riff will undoubtedly turn some off, but I think it's perfectly suited for the song's theme.

The last four tracks of disc two form a brilliant coda. When the Rain Doesn't Come is a sobering tale of an older sibling forced to turn to prostitution to feed her family. I consider it an awareness-raising song, much like Johnny Wanna Live. Sad tales like this occur in times of war and famine in much of the world, even to this day. Nights in White Satin, the next track, lifts our spirits, a soaring cover of an old classic. Synth-pop covers are sometimes ill-advised (Erasure's River Deep, Mountain High, anyone?), but Sandra chose well. After that great cover, we are treated to one of Sandra's most experimental songs ever, First Lullaby. Of course, it's dedicated to her twin sons, who weren't yet born when she recorded it. Beyond that, though, is the crystalline, sparkling background, like stars twinkling high in the night sky. The disc closes with Fading Shades, a brief instrumental track in the same vein as the preceding one."

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