Whether one agrees or one has even heard of her,
Nana Mouskouri is still the queen of elegant pop. This document is testament to that.
Mouskouri, who has sold well over 200 million recordings internationally, was also a member of European Parliament and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1993. This compilation of her original Decca hits has been beautifully remastered for release to commemorate her yearlong international tour, which began on October 14, 2013 and celebrates 50 years in music internationally (though she had recorded as early as 1961, her first global hit record was in 1963). This document has songs from all of her periods with Universal-affiliated labels. The material ranges from Greek songs such as "Tora Pou Pas Stin Xenitia," composed by the great
Manos Hadjidakis, to international pop songs, anthems, and standards in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and English, including
Alain Goraguer's "L'Histoire de Nous,"
Ernesto Lecuona's "Siboney,"
Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and the
Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg evergreen "Over the Rainbow" (the latter two arranged by
Quincy Jones), as well as her stirring version of "Amazing Grace." While this is by no means a comprehensive introduction to the singer, it is certainly a fitting one. ~ Thom Jurek