Title : Sometimes I Dream
Author : Frangoulis, Mario
Release Date : 20020917
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $13.99
Amazon.com Price : $7.89
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Editorial Reviews : Forget the age of battling boy bands, the era of dueling young tenors is upon us. Hot on the heels of Josh Groban's dizzyingly successful, Ally McBeal-fueled debut comes this first international release from African-born, Greek-raised tenor Mario Frangoulis. There are some clear parallels between Groban's debut and this Frangoulis release, but some distinctive differences as well. While Groban coated his slick, David Foster-molded pop sense with a veneer of classical respectability, Frangoulis has effectively turned the formula inside out. With similar classical training--but a few crucial years of experience on his American rival--Frangoulis treats the classics reverently but not slavishly, with the title track effectively turning an aria from Puccini's Tosca into romantic Europop. Elsewhere, the international flavor is further expanded by three melody-rich songs ('Hijo de la Luna,' 'La Luna de Valencia,' and 'Naturaleza Muerta') by Spanish singer-songwriter Jose Maria Cano and a sing-along-ready take on the 1950s Neapolitan chestnut 'Luna Rossa.' Like Groban, Frangoulis and producer Steve Woods also plumb the music of la cinema italiana for inspiration, turning Nicola Piovani's bittersweet Life Is Beautiful theme into the ponderous 'Buongiorno Principessa,' but faring better with a moody, dramatic take on Rota-Wertmuller's 'Canzone Arribiata.' The obligatory rock-pop cover here is the flamenco-inflected 'Nights in White Satin', with Frangoulis joined in a bilingual duet with original Moody Blue Justin Hayward that's surprisingly effective. Less showy perhaps than Groban's debut, but a more nuanced and emotionally satisfying album overall.
Buyer Reviews : Mario Frangoulis' debut solo album, a classical crossover undertaking with a decided mediterrenean flair, manages to somehow simultaneously fit into the mold made by artists like Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli and add some interesting new takes on the emerging genre.
Fundamentally the man is a talent to be reckoned with. He has a gorgeous classically trained strong tenor voice which is particularly effecting on the portion of the title track that is an interpolation of 'E Lucevan le Stelle' from Puccini's Tosca. Vocally he has a great range of characterization, thankfully not trying to sing the 50's Neopolitan pop song 'Luna Rossa' like a bel canto aria, or trying to sing 'E Lucevan le Stelle' like a pop cabaret type song. Perhaps the most impressive part of the album, aside from the amazing vocal performance, is that several of the songs were composed by Frangoulis himself. I don't know of any other classical or classical cross over artists off hand that have recorded their own work, and the songs are gorgeous! I was expecting them to compositionally be the weaker of the songs, given that they were written by someone whose primary focus was performance, but they are every bit as well written and gorgeous to listen to as the rest of the selections.
However you slice it, Frangoulis is amazingly talented and has put together a fun, romantic, and enjoyable listen with a Mediterrenean flair that anyone classical cross over or even Europop fan will enjoy.
