Search - Dalida :: Volume 1: Bambino

The beginning of a legend

Sasha | at sea...sailing somewhere | 03/21/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had an argument recently with somebody who tryed to convince me that famous Dalida was actually a man in disguise - I understand that he was fooled with her later-days thin elegant figure and deep voice,but to show him how wrong he was,I pulled out the pics from this album,taken at the time when she was still famous as Miss Egypt: beautiful,voluptious woman with a face of immortal godess.The Daughter of Italian immigrants in Egypt,Yolanda Gigliotti changed her name in Dalida and achieved fame in France as one of the biggest names in pop music - this compilation follows her beginnings and starts with her first single "Madona" from 1956. (song originaly known in Portugal as "Barco Negro" by legendary Amalia Rodrigues) - as to be expected,music presented here is very much what defined pop music in late 1950's,lush,orchestrated and innocent.Besides some of Dalida's biggest hits at the time ("Bambino","La Plus Belle Du Monde"),she also covered Rosemary Clooney's "Hey There"("Eh Ben") and Sarita Monitel's "La Violetera".Althought music could hardly be described as adventuouros choice,it's very beautiful in a old-fashioned way and her youthful voice was joy to hear,still higher than what we know from her later recordings when she would more explore power of her lower register."