Putumayo Presents Greece: A Musical Odyssey

Greece, the birthplace of democracy and of Western culture, is also a country with a glorious musical heritage. I enjoyed the music that I heard while traveling in Athens, and on a cruise among the islands of the Cyclades, but I must admit that all my reading of classical Greek literature did not provide me with information about Greece’s musical heritage. The Putumayo album “Greece: A Musical Odyssey” has helped to educate me in that regard.From the album’s thorough and helpful liner notes, I learned a great deal about rembetika, entehno, and laiko as musical genres, and about traditional Greek instruments like the bouzouki and the baglamas (both plucked string instruments). I liked the fine harmonies that I heard on many of these songs, and I appreciated the deep, sultry, sensual vocal styles of Anastasia Moutsatsou, Elly Paspala, Melina Kana, and Theodosia Stiga. Not all of the songs are strictly traditional; I liked the slightly more modern sound of Kotzas Mantzios’ “Eleni” (the title a reference to Helen of Troy). And one of my favorite songs on the album was Children of the Revolution’s fast-moving “Ragizi Apopse” (“Broken Pieces”).The liner notes describe George Dalaras as “The Greek equivalent of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Woody Guthrie rolled into one” – high praise, indeed, and the understated vocal quality of his song “Sou Axize Mia Kaliteri Agalia (“You Deserved a Better Love”) is very fine. Glykeria’s “Ta Ziliarika Sou Matia” (“Your Jealous Eyes”) stands out, with the kind of classic sound that one might hear at an Athenian taverna. And Kostas Makedonas ends the album on a very fine note with “Sixty Billion Dollars” (and no, for you Dionysian cynics out there, the title does not refer to the Greek national debt).Like all Putumayo albums, “Greece: A Musical Odyssey” contains fine visuals, from the classical-Greek-art-inspired cover to the photo on the inside of the blue-roofed and white-walled buildings of Santorini – a place you should certainly see when you travel to Greece. While you’re still waiting for your New York-to-Athens flight to begin boarding, “Greece: A Musical Odyssey” is a very fine way to begin your travels, musically speaking.

I didn't expect much purchasing this album. I read the good reviews here and elsewhere while looking for a selection of some of the best Greek music so I decided to get it. I simply wanted to use it for a Greek themed slide show.First I listened once to it in order to pick some songs. It happened to be around the time when my wife was preparing to leave for her night shift, and she told me later that night that the music gave her a long lasting "feel good" mood. It had the same effect for me. It probably helped that we spent 6 days in Greece last summer, but we have never been into Greek music.It became now one of our favorite albums and to be honest I love it at the moment the most among the many hundreds of albums that I own. It is that good. Granted I might get bored with it eventually, just as I do with most of the albums that I obsess over with at some point, but I think it is a gem of a collection and at least to me, surprisingly so.This one disc alone I wouldn't call an Odyssey though, as it is rather a short collection, but whomever picked these songs must have been a genius. They all have something in common (at least the language) and yet they are quite different among them and all very good. I absolutely love about half of the songs and like quite a bit the other half. Rarely if ever I can say the same about the albums of a single artist. Will I repeat myself if I will say that all the songs were new to me.Unfortunately there are no song previews here, and that is a pity. Do yourself a favor and either order this one, or if you are not sure yet, search the web, as some of the songs can be found as videos on youtube and elsewhere.

This from the included insert of GREECE A Musical Odyssey:"Greece has long been a crossroads for sailors, warriors, traders and travelers of diverse origins. Greek music reflects cultural exchanges that have occurred for millenia...Traditional music is highly prized in Greece, and even the most westernized pop stars are obliged to include at least one song with a folkloric flavor on their albums."Sounds good to me.If you like contemporary adult, popular Greek music, this is a CD for you. It's a great collection that alternates female solo vocal odyssey with male solo, a "Zorba the Greek" like instrumental or two & choral vocale. The music is sophisticated, sexy--and fun & very danceable. The deliveries tend to be light, but in many songs there is a hint of deeper emotion as well.I love this CD. It's like being transported to your own, private taverna!Incidentally, the boolet insert is very interesting & educational too. Zorba the Greek Phaedra The Very Best of Mikis Theodorakis Mondo Greece

One of the things I really like about the Putumayo brand is the excellent mix between male and female musicians on every album. This album is no exception. There are male and female vocalists both on this album, equally represented, and they both do a good job of carrying their tunes and making music. I felt like I was in a little Greek taverna, drinking house wine and listening to local Greek musical talent. This is excellent music for a lazy afternoon spent contemplating world travel, or preparing for a trip to Greece.If I had to pick a single word to describe this album, it would be "pleasant." The music is light-hearted and bouncy and rolls easily on the ears. This is typical of Putumayo releases and is repeated here. I didn't have a favorite track on the album, I sat back and let the music flow past and was pleased by all of it. A nice album for house parties and quiet evenings with friends, this music was made to murmur in the background.

I love listening to this cd. A friend suggested it and this music lifts and brightens my day!

I enjoy this Cd very much. The music is a nice compilation. Worth a listen!

Makes me want to sing and dance.Too bad I do either.

Beautiful music! Gentle and easy listening.

A very nice mix of music

ich bin ein großer Putumayo-Fan, ein gaaanz großer! Das ist leider die erste Putumayoplatte, die mich nicht vom Hocker haut. Die Songs gehen nicht so gut ins Ohr und in die Beine wie bei etwa "Music from the coffee lands". Vielleicht liegt's daran, dass ich zur griechischen Sprache so gar keine Verbindung habe? Wie auch immer: nicht hundertprozentig mein Ding, aber trotzdem ein hübscher Soundtrack zu einer Sommernachtsparty mit Freunden, daher immerhin 3 Punkte.

Lost my original CD and this was a used replacement. Great quality.

reasonable price. Timely delivery